--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a peculiar modern superstition that…" description: "\"“It is a peculiar modern superstition that to achieve success in any area we have to make that area the be all and end all of our lives—and live and br..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/os-guinness-6581_aim-high_it-is-a-peculiar-modern-superstition-tha_566611.png" --- # It is a peculiar modern superstition that to achieve… ![“It is a peculiar modern superstition that to achieve success in any area we have to make that area the be all and end all of our lives—and live and breathe for that alone. (Vince Lombardi: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”) Down that way lies the path to idolatry, obsession…” quote by Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/os-guinness-6581_aim-high_it-is-a-peculiar-modern-superstition-tha_566611.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/os-guinness-6581_aim-high_it-is-a-peculiar-modern-superstition-tha_566611.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/os-guinness-6581_aim-high_it-is-a-peculiar-modern-superstition-tha_566611.png) > ““It is a peculiar modern superstition that to achieve success in any area we have to make that area the be all and end all of our lives—and live and breathe for that alone. (Vince Lombardi: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”) Down that way lies the path to idolatry, obsession, restlessness, cut-throat rivalry, and a life marked by either arrogance or bitter regrets. If our best strivings are to remain truly human, they need a goal and a standard outside us to challenge us always to aim higher, but also to bring in fresh air and keep life in perspective. Our goals, tasks and missions are never themselves God. If we try to make them so, they will be idols. Only God is God, and therefore such a goal and standard above all our endeavors. Again, we are to “seek first His kingdom . . . and all these things will be added to you.”20”” [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obsessing over success makes it an idol, leading to rivalry and regret; true fulfillment comes from higher, divine standards. **In simple terms:** Success as an idol leads to rivalry and regret; seek higher, divine standards. Key Takeaway Prioritize higher purpose over personal success. Themes spirituality success balance Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career ambition - personal goals - faith practice - leadership decisions Key Concepts idolatry humility purpose Questions to Reflect On - What higher purpose guides your ambitions? - How can you balance drive with humility? A Different Perspective May neglecting spiritual perspective cause burnout and loss of meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aim high](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim-high/) [Fresh air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-air/) [Goal Standard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal-standard-2892710/) [God Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-goal-1320921/) [Idolatry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idolatry/) [Life In Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-in-perspective/) [Path Idolatry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path-idolatry-4686304/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Superstition Achieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstition-achieve-4686303/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vince-lombardi/) ## Related quotes > [Even as we ought to accept that each country would progress with a different method and speed toward that goal, the standard for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/recep-tayyip-erdogan/even-as-we-ought-to-accept-that-each-country-would-progress-with-a/) [Recep Tayyip Erdogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/recep-tayyip-erdogan/) > [My children are the best part of my day. I used to be very competitive and aggressive but when I had my first child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reese-witherspoon/my-children-are-the-best-part-of-my-day-i-used-to-be-very-competitive/) [Reese Witherspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reese-witherspoon/) > [I'm only speaking for myself, but having a kid has put everything else in my life in perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-caffey/i-m-only-speaking-for-myself-but-having-a-kid-has-put-everything-else/) [Charlotte Caffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-caffey/) > [I really enjoy my philanthropic work, traveling around the world and helping people in need. That's a lot of fun for me. It's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-fitzgerald/i-really-enjoy-my-philanthropic-work-traveling-around-the-world-and-2/) [Larry Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-fitzgerald/) > [You meet all kinds of people that help put life in perspective and turn the horror into some kind of lesson or avenue of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-dee/you-meet-all-kinds-of-people-that-help-put-life-in-perspective-and/) [Ruby Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-dee/) > [Find someone worse off than you and help them. It will put your life in perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/find-someone-worse-off-than-you-and-help-them-it-will-put-your-life/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“To keep your life in perspective, try making a list of all the things you are grateful for. Write down ten things that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/to-keep-your-life-in-perspective-try-making-a-list-of-all-the-things/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Being a father now puts life in perspective. My whole life it's all been about trying to win. And now I'm trying to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-woodland/being-a-father-now-puts-life-in-perspective-my-whole-life-it-s-all/) [Gary Woodland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-woodland/) > [The idea of service to humanity, putting yourself in situations where people have much less than you do, puts life in perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/the-idea-of-service-to-humanity-putting-yourself-in-situations-where/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [I really enjoy my philanthropic work, traveling around the world and helping people in need. That's a lot of fun for me. It's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-fitzgerald/i-really-enjoy-my-philanthropic-work-traveling-around-the-world-and/) [Larry Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-fitzgerald/) > [Music is a tool. Lighting is a tool. Power point is a tool. Getting those things right is not the goal. God is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-brewster/music-is-a-tool-lighting-is-a-tool-power-point-is-a-tool-getting/) [Lincoln Brewster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-brewster/) > [“Suppose the god, the goal of progress, is changing. Then progress becomes impossible. How could we progress toward a goal that keeps receding? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/suppose-the-god-the-goal-of-progress-is-changing-then-progress/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Maybe God's goal wasn't for me to raise a good rule-following child. Instead, His goal was for me to raise a God-following adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/maybe-god-s-goal-wasn-t-for-me-to-raise-a-good-rule-following-child/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [You are walking on the earth as in a dream. Our world is a dream within a dream; you must realize that to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/you-are-walking-on-the-earth-as-in-a-dream-our-world-is-a-dream/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [God's goal is not to get what you want; it is to get you what you need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/god-s-goal-is-not-to-get-what-you-want-it-is-to-get-you-what-you-need/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) ## More by Os Guinness > [Too often we forget that the great men of faith reached the heights they did only by going through the depths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/too-often-we-forget-that-the-great-men-of-faith-reached-the-heights/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [There are lots of people depending on the government who are good, honest citizens who have worked all their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/there-are-lots-of-people-depending-on-the-government-who-are-good/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [American views today are weak, confused, and divided. On one side, many progressive liberals still think that we humans are essentially good and getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/american-views-today-are-weak-confused-and-divided-on-one-side-many/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [What is undeniable is that when comforts and convenience sap our energies and idealism, inactivity secretes sloth in to our minds like a poison…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/what-is-undeniable-is-that-when-comforts-and-convenience-sap-our/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [Freedom is not the permission to do what you like. It's the power to do what you ought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/freedom-is-not-the-permission-to-do-what-you-like-it-s-the-power-to/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“It is realistic rather than cynical to observe that in a fallen world there are degrees of virtue in relation to what is right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/it-is-realistic-rather-than-cynical-to-observe-that-in-a-fallen-world/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [For the grand and inescapable tradition of western literary classics confronts us with fundamental choices over our understanding of words, reading and art, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/for-the-grand-and-inescapable-tradition-of-western-literary-classics/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“The story is told of Socrates walking through the market in Athens, with its groaning abundance of options, and saying to himself, "Who would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/the-story-is-told-of-socrates-walking-through-the-market-in-athens/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [By our uncritical pursuit of relevance we have actually courted irrelevance; by our breathless chase after relevance without a matching committment to faithfulness, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/by-our-uncritical-pursuit-of-relevance-we-have-actually-courted/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [Evangelicalism can only remain evangelical if it is passionately serious about truth and theology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/evangelicalism-can-only-remain-evangelical-if-it-is-passionately/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“Sometimes when I listen to people who say they have lost their faith, I am far less surprised than they expect. If their view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/sometimes-when-i-listen-to-people-who-say-they-have-lost-their-faith/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“Neither secular progress nor secular progressives have brought the West where they once promised. Nor can they.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/neither-secular-progress-nor-secular-progressives-have-brought-the/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [This is also why it is wrong to treat God as a grand employment agency, a celestial executive searcher to find perfect fits for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/this-is-also-why-it-is-wrong-to-treat-god-as-a-grand-employment/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [We human beings are never happier than when we are expressing the deepest gifts that are truly us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/we-human-beings-are-never-happier-than-when-we-are-expressing-the/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [Christ is the only way to God, but there are as many ways to Christ as there are people who come to Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/christ-is-the-only-way-to-god-but-there-are-as-many-ways-to-christ-as/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) [Explore all 98 Os Guinness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) ## More Aim high quotes > [Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you'll love it up here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/change-your-attitude-and-gain-some-altitude-believe-me-you-ll-love-it/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [You might as well aim high. Why shoot yourself in the foot when you can shoot yourself in the head?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/you-might-as-well-aim-high-why-shoot-yourself-in-the-foot-when-you/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [One of the most powerful forces in the world is the will of men and women who believe in themselves, who dare to hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-devos/one-of-the-most-powerful-forces-in-the-world-is-the-will-of-men-and/) [Richard DeVos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-devos/) > [Aim high. Inspire others to come with you. Equip them. Be ready for challenges. Stay your course!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/aim-high-inspire-others-to-come-with-you-equip-them-be-ready-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“For most of us the problem isn’t that we aim too high and fail - it’s just the opposite - we aim too low…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/for-most-of-us-the-problem-isn-t-that-we-aim-too-high-and-fail-it-s/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“God created each of us with different traits and characteristics, but regardless of what they may be, know that He made you perfect and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusta-dejuan-hathaway/god-created-each-of-us-with-different-traits-and-characteristics-but/) [Augusta DeJuan Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusta-dejuan-hathaway/) > [“The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greater-danger-for-most-of-us-is-not-that-our-aim-is-too-high-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The sky is the limit... for some people aim higher nothing is impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/the-sky-is-the-limit-for-some-people-aim-higher-nothing-is-impossible/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [“Some start in life without any leading objective at all; some with a low one; and some aim high—and just in proportion to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-alcott/some-start-in-life-without-any-leading-objective-at-all-some-with-a/) [William A. Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-alcott/) > [Whatever vocation you decide on, track down the best people in the world at doing it and surround yourself with them. Aim high and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-weiss/whatever-vocation-you-decide-on-track-down-the-best-people-in-the/) [Scott Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-weiss/) > [In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, they had better aim at something high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-the-long-run-men-hit-only-what-they-aim-at-therefore-they-had/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [When I Woke up this morning. I ask myself 'What are some of secrets of success in life' I found the answer right there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yass/when-i-woke-up-this-morning-i-ask-myself-what-are-some-of-secrets-of/) [YASS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yass/) > [Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die, but long after we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-burnham/make-big-plans-aim-high-in-hope-and-work-remembering-that-a-noble/) [Daniel Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-burnham/) > [“When the actions becomes frequent than the words, success becomes heavier than the dreams. Do more, say less.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/when-the-actions-becomes-frequent-than-the-words-success-becomes/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [If you wanna fLy lyK An EAGLE, dnt wasTE your Tym swimming wid DUCKS AIM\_HIGH ACT\_HIGHER REACH\_HIGHEST](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swapnil/if-you-wanna-fly-lyk-an-eagle-dnt-waste-your-tym-swimming-wid-ducks/) [Swapnil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swapnil/) [Browse all 196 Aim high quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim-high/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is a peculiar modern superstition that to achieve success in any area we have to make that area the be all and end all of our lives—and live and breathe for that alone. (Vince Lombardi: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”) Down that way lies the path to idolatry, obsession, restlessness, cut-throat rivalry, and a life marked by either arrogance or bitter regrets. If our best strivings are to remain truly human, they need a goal and a standard outside us to challenge us always to aim higher, but also to bring in fresh air and keep life in perspective. Our goals, tasks and missions are never themselves God. If we try to make them so, they will be idols. Only God is God, and therefore such a goal and standard above all our endeavors. 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