--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not the life that matters, but the…" description: "\"It is not the life that matters, but the journey.\" — Paulo Coelho" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/paulo-coelho-10_journey_it-is-not-the-life-that-matters-but-the_88328.jpg" --- # It is not the life that matters, but the journey. ![“It is not the life that matters, but the journey.” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/paulo-coelho-10_journey_it-is-not-the-life-that-matters-but-the_88328.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/paulo-coelho-10_journey_it-is-not-the-life-that-matters-but-the_88328.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/paulo-coelho-10_journey_it-is-not-the-life-that-matters-but-the_88328.jpg) > “It is not the life that matters, but the journey.” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The value lies not in the destination but in the experiences and growth encountered along the way. **In simple terms:** Journey matters more than destination. Key Takeaway Experience outweighs outcome. Themes journey growth meaning experience process Mood inspirational thoughtful Type wisdom quote literary excerpt When to use this quote - travel blogging - career development - personal coaching Key Concepts life philosophy Practical Applications - self‑help book - motivational talk Questions to Reflect On - How does focusing on the journey change goals? - What if the journey is painful? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“It is not life that matters, but the journey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-life-that-matters-but-the-journey/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Only the journey matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-callahan/only-the-journey-matters/) [Harry Callahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-callahan/) > [“It's not what you know-or when you see-that matters. It's about the journey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-park/it-s-not-what-you-know-or-when-you-see-that-matters-it-s-about-the/) [Jessica Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-park/) > [When you can have anything you want by uttering a few words, the goal matters not, only the journey to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/when-you-can-have-anything-you-want-by-uttering-a-few-words-the-goal/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [The only thing that truly matters on the journey of life is the company of those we choose to share it with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/the-only-thing-that-truly-matters-on-the-journey-of-life-is-the/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [The goal matters not only the journey to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hess/the-goal-matters-not-only-the-journey-to-it/) [Carl Hess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hess/) > [“What matters most is that you take the journey (of self awareness and transformation).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-dentinger/what-matters-most-is-that-you-take-the-journey-of-self-awareness-and/) [Diana Dentinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-dentinger/) > [“If you want to be successful, how you show up to life matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/if-you-want-to-be-successful-how-you-show-up-to-life-matters/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Make a difference. Live a life that matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mckinney/make-a-difference-live-a-life-that-matters/) [Frank McKinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mckinney/) > [“Center your life around what matters most to you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-wayne-scott-andersen/center-your-life-around-what-matters-most-to-you/) Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen > [In life,it is not where you are that matters,but what you do there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikkie/in-life-it-is-not-where-you-are-that-matters-but-what-you-do-there/) [Nikkie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikkie/) > [It is not what you do, it matters how you do, it does not matter what you look, it does matter how do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-sinha/it-is-not-what-you-do-it-matters-how-you-do-it-does-not-matter-what/) [Anil Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-sinha/) > [“Every single life matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-martin/every-single-life-matters/) [Ricky Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-martin/) > [In life it's not where you go that matters. It's who you travel with..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-life-it-s-not-where-you-go-that-matters-it-s-who-you-travel-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/living-a-life-that-matters-doesn-t-happen-by-accident-it-s-not-a/) [Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More Journey quotes > [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/strange-is-it-not-that-of-the-myriads-who-before-us-passed-the-door/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [What people tend to forget is the journey that I had getting to Formula One. There were plenty of years where I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/what-people-tend-to-forget-is-the-journey-that-i-had-getting-to/) [Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/) > [It is a sweet thing that we serve a dissatisfied God who has destinations in mind for us that we would never choose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/it-is-a-sweet-thing-that-we-serve-a-dissatisfied-god-who-has/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [Have a Blast; Life wont last! Make the best of the journey before it is over!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/have-a-blast-life-wont-last-make-the-best-of-the-journey-before-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Cocoon's cry to first fly, Travels thousands of miles— So much in so little life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-negi/cocoon-s-cry-to-first-fly-travels-thousands-of-miles-so-much-in-so/) [Ritu Negi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-negi/) > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Loving yourself is a journey, not a destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/loving-yourself-is-a-journey-not-a-destination/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [“Everywhere is home, let is go home”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzuco-hu-nh/everywhere-is-home-let-is-go-home/) Dzuco Huỳnh > [Life is a journey, not a destination. Fall into the deep - rise to new heights. .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashish-basumatary/life-is-a-journey-not-a-destination-fall-into-the-deep-rise-to-new/) [Ashish Basumatary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashish-basumatary/) > [Be the inner journeys, be the outer travels, all trips elevate man, all voyages lift him up!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/be-the-inner-journeys-be-the-outer-travels-all-trips-elevate-man-all/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The hardest roads are often empty; the darkest paths are mostly silent; toughest destinations are almost peopleless! No easy road brings you great victory!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-hardest-roads-are-often-empty-the-darkest-paths-are-mostly-silent/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“May the seas bend to your journey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoraida-c-rdova/may-the-seas-bend-to-your-journey/) [Zoraida Córdova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoraida-c-rdova/) [Browse all 11,861 Journey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is not the life that matters, but the journey.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paulo Coelho" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-the-life-that-matters-but-the-journey/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Journey" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-the-life-that-matters-but-the-journey/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/paulo-coelho-10_journey_it-is-not-the-life-that-matters-but-the_88328.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/paulo-coelho-10_journey_it-is-not-the-life-that-matters-but-the_88328.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/paulo-coelho-10_journey_it-is-not-the-life-that-matters-but-the_88328.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is not the life that matters, but the journey.” — Paulo Coelho", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Paulo Coelho", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is not the life that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-the-life-that-matters-but-the-journey/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-the-life-that-matters-but-the-journey/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```