--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The things you need in life are those…" description: "\"The things you need in life are those that will help you to fulfill your dominant purpose. Things you may want but not need may lead you aside from tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/paramahansa-yogananda-556_dominant_the-things-you-need-in-life-are-those-th_2538215.jpg" --- # The things you need in life are those that will help you… ![“The things you need in life are those that will help you to fulfill your dominant purpose. Things you may want but not need may lead you aside from that purpose. It is only by making everything serve your main objective that success is attained.” quote by Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/paramahansa-yogananda-556_dominant_the-things-you-need-in-life-are-those-th_2538215.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/paramahansa-yogananda-556_dominant_the-things-you-need-in-life-are-those-th_2538215.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/paramahansa-yogananda-556_dominant_the-things-you-need-in-life-are-those-th_2538215.jpg) > “The things you need in life are those that will help you to fulfill your dominant purpose. Things you may want but not need may lead you aside from that purpose. It is only by making everything serve your main objective that success is attained.” [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True success comes from aligning all actions and possessions with one's core purpose, avoiding distractions that divert focus. **In simple terms:** Focus on purpose, not fleeting desires. Key Takeaway Align everything with your main goal. Themes purpose focus success discipline Mood determined reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - financial decisions - relationship choices Key Concepts goal alignment minimalism intentional living Questions to Reflect On - What is your dominant purpose? - How can you test if something truly serves it? A Different Perspective Neglecting enjoyment can lead to burnout if purpose is too rigid. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dominant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominant/) [Dominant Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominant-purpose-1409377/) [Fulfill Dominant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfill-dominant-1409379/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Objectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objectives/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Purpose Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose-things-1409378/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Things Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-need/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-need/) ## Related quotes > [What did he have to mope about, really? What more did he want?...Love. Purpose. Those are the things that you can't plan for. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/what-did-he-have-to-mope-about-really-what-more-did-he-want-love/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [I would much rather live a life of purpose than one in which I might have other things but not that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-holmes/i-would-much-rather-live-a-life-of-purpose-than-one-in-which-i-might/) [Elizabeth Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-holmes/) > [“The ultimate purpose? There are three things: 1) to walk; 2) to see; 3) to see what you see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benton-mackaye/the-ultimate-purpose-there-are-three-things-1-to-walk-2-to-see-3-to/) [Benton MacKaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benton-mackaye/) > [“If there’s one thing I know, it’s that God has a purpose for things. Everything fits together like a puzzle, but we’re looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/if-there-s-one-thing-i-know-it-s-that-god-has-a-purpose-for-things/) [Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/) > [“But it would serve no purpose – there are many things the ones we love don’t need to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cimadori/but-it-would-serve-no-purpose-there-are-many-things-the-ones-we-love/) [Sandra Cimadori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cimadori/) > [God is not concerned about our plans; He doesn’t ask, “Do you want to go through this loss of a loved one, this difficulty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/god-is-not-concerned-about-our-plans-he-doesn-t-ask-do-you-want-to-go/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The true purpose is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-true-purpose-is-to-see-things-as-they-are-to-observe-things-as/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [When things fall apart, consider the possibility that life knocked it down on purpose. Not to bully you, or to punish you, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/when-things-fall-apart-consider-the-possibility-that-life-knocked-it/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [But men may construe things after their fashion, Clean from the purpose of the things themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-men-may-construe-things-after-their-fashion-clean-from-the/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Love. Purpose. Those are things that you can't plan for. Those are things that just happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/love-purpose-those-are-things-that-you-can-t-plan-for-those-are/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [If you want me,show me if you need me,tell me if I'm worth it,fight for me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-me-show-me-if-you-need-me-tell-me-if-i-m-worth-it-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [By and large, life will give you what you deserve and it doesn't give a damn what you like. So it is up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/by-and-large-life-will-give-you-what-you-deserve-and-it-doesn-t-give/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Don't confuse what you want and what you need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-fine/don-t-confuse-what-you-want-and-what-you-need/) [Sarah Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-fine/) > [Sometimes all you ever want is someone to want and need you as much as you want and need them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/sometimes-all-you-ever-want-is-someone-to-want-and-need-you-as-much/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [There is nothing in this world that I want or need, but you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/there-is-nothing-in-this-world-that-i-want-or-need-but-you/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) ## More by Paramahansa Yogananda > [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [He who is persistent will realize God. So try your best to make meditation a regular experience in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/he-who-is-persistent-will-realize-god-so-try-your-best-to-make/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Truth is exact correspondence with reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/truth-is-exact-correspondence-with-reality/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [We should bathe our spirits in the deep, pure feeling that stirs within us when we gaze on the glories of His creation. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/we-should-bathe-our-spirits-in-the-deep-pure-feeling-that-stirs/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts, only you can change them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/since-you-alone-are-responsible-for-your-thoughts-only-you-can-change/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Mankind is engaged in an eternal quest for that ‘something else' he hopes will bring him happiness, complete and unending.For those individual souls who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/mankind-is-engaged-in-an-eternal-quest-for-that-something-else-he/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Just as oil is present in every part of the olive, so love permeates every part of creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/just-as-oil-is-present-in-every-part-of-the-olive-so-love-permeates/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The mother's love is not given to us to spoil us with indulgence, but to soften our hearts, that we may in turn soften…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/the-mother-s-love-is-not-given-to-us-to-spoil-us-with-indulgence-but/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [“If one busies himself with an outer display of scriptural wealth, what time is left for silent inward diving after the priceless pearls?” Sri”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/if-one-busies-himself-with-an-outer-display-of-scriptural-wealth-what/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [When you meditate the glory of the Divine shines forth. You realize then that all along there was something tremendous within you and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/when-you-meditate-the-glory-of-the-divine-shines-forth-you-realize/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [He who knows his soul knows this truth: " I am beyond everything finite; I I now see that the Spirit, alone in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/he-who-knows-his-soul-knows-this-truth-i-am-beyond-everything-finite/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Possession of material riches, without inner peace, is like dying of thirst while bathing in a lake. If material poverty is to be avoided,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/possession-of-material-riches-without-inner-peace-is-like-dying-of/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [“Physicians must carry on their work of healing through God’s laws as applied to matter.” But he extolled the superiority of mental therapy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/physicians-must-carry-on-their-work-of-healing-through-god-s-laws-as/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [If you have a strong mind and plant in it a firm resolve, you can change your destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/if-you-have-a-strong-mind-and-plant-in-it-a-firm-resolve-you-can/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) [Explore all 466 Paramahansa Yogananda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) ## More Dominant quotes > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [A social group can, indeed must, already exercise 'leadership' before winning governmental power (this is indeed one of the principal conditions for the winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/a-social-group-can-indeed-must-already-exercise-leadership-before/) [Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/) > [The behavior and reactions of the oppressed, which lead the oppressor to practice cultural invasion, should evoke from the revolutionary a different theory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-behavior-and-reactions-of-the-oppressed-which-lead-the-oppressor/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [I never minded giving my opinions. They are just opinions, and I had studied music and I had strong feelings. I was happy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/i-never-minded-giving-my-opinions-they-are-just-opinions-and-i-had/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [The full implications of feminism will evolve over time, as we organize, experiment, think, analyze, and revise our ideas and strategies in light of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bunch/the-full-implications-of-feminism-will-evolve-over-time-as-we/) [Charlotte Bunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bunch/) > [For me, movies and television are interesting because they are the dominant storytelling form of our time. My first love will always be fiction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/for-me-movies-and-television-are-interesting-because-they-are-the/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [I have often noticed that the two nuclear powers on the Indian subcontinent, India and Pakistan, attribute to Kashmiris an inferior intellect, a lineage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyla-ali-khan/i-have-often-noticed-that-the-two-nuclear-powers-on-the-indian/) [Nyla Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyla-ali-khan/) > [In the 1950s and early 1960s, psychoanalysis swept through the intellectual community, and it was the dominant mode of thinking about the mind. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/in-the-1950s-and-early-1960s-psychoanalysis-swept-through-the/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [As you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life. It means fear is no longer a dominant factor in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/as-you-become-comfortable-with-uncertainty-infinite-possibilities/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [My mum is deeply, deeply a man's woman, a man's muse. Maybe because I'm a kid from the '80s, I'm a bit more dominant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-doillon/my-mum-is-deeply-deeply-a-man-s-woman-a-man-s-muse-maybe-because-i-m/) [Lou Doillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-doillon/) > [Spirit of place! It is for this we travel, to surprise its subtlety; and where it is a strong and dominant angel, that place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-meynell/spirit-of-place-it-is-for-this-we-travel-to-surprise-its-subtlety-and/) [Alice Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-meynell/) > [In their heyday, comics were a dominant force in popular culture, but that's over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-trudeau/in-their-heyday-comics-were-a-dominant-force-in-popular-culture-but/) [Garry Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-trudeau/) > [It's funny, but when there are dominant teams, there are a number of people who rail about the fact that they're always seeing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-michaels/it-s-funny-but-when-there-are-dominant-teams-there-are-a-number-of/) [Al Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-michaels/) > [Environmentalism, apocalyptic environmentalism in particular, has become the dominant religion of supposedly secular people in the West.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shellenberger/environmentalism-apocalyptic-environmentalism-in-particular-has/) [Michael Shellenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shellenberger/) > [ Elvis \[Presley\] had a stepstool, if you will, to success because he came from the dominant culture. They identified with him. Michael Jackson had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/elvis-presley-had-a-stepstool-if-you-will-to-success-because-he-came/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) [Browse all 701 Dominant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominant/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The things you need in life are those that will help you to fulfill your dominant purpose. Things you may want but not need may lead you aside from that purpose. 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