--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This \"knowing what to do\"... is a matter…" description: "\"This \"knowing what to do\"... is a matter of having the right purpose, the purpose appropriate to the situation in hand... The one who \"knows what to do..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/roger-scruton-971_appropriate_this-knowing-what-to-do-is-a-matter-of-h_1463370.jpg" --- # This "knowing what to do"... is a matter of having the… ![“This "knowing what to do"... is a matter of having the right purpose, the purpose appropriate to the situation in hand... The one who "knows what to do" is the one on whom you can rely to make the best shot at success, whenever success is possible.” quote by Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/roger-scruton-971_appropriate_this-knowing-what-to-do-is-a-matter-of-h_1463370.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/roger-scruton-971_appropriate_this-knowing-what-to-do-is-a-matter-of-h_1463370.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/roger-scruton-971_appropriate_this-knowing-what-to-do-is-a-matter-of-h_1463370.jpg) > “This "knowing what to do"... is a matter of having the right purpose, the purpose appropriate to the situation in hand... The one who "knows what to do" is the one on whom you can rely to make the best shot at success, whenever success is possible.” [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Knowing the right purpose for a situation enables reliable, effective action toward success. **In simple terms:** Purpose guides successful action. Key Takeaway Align purpose with context. Themes purpose decision-making reliability Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical advisory When to use this quote - leadership - project planning - crisis response - personal goals Key Concepts philosophy pragmatism Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify the right purpose? - When does purpose conflict with constraints? A Different Perspective Purpose can be unclear or misaligned, leading to misguided effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appropriate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriate/) [Best shot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-shot/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Knowing Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-matter-2781443/) [Knowing what to do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-what-to-do/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Knows Rely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows-rely-5291981/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Purpose Appropriate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose-appropriate-5291982/) [Rely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rely/) [Right Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-purpose-728995/) [Shots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shots/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [If you can't figure out your purpose, figure out passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-can-t-figure-out-your-purpose-figure-out-passion-for-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I told the government I'd volunteer for prison, as long as it served the right purpose,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-told-the-government-i-d-volunteer-for-prison-as-long-as-it-served/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“…in a universe in which events are uncertain and perception is fallible, knowing cannot be a matter of an individual mind ‘mirroring’ reality. Each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-menand/in-a-universe-in-which-events-are-uncertain-and-perception-is/) [Louis Menand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-menand/) > [“But at heart what we are talking about is not pathology but an intense conflictual knowing, a knowing that we are worthy smacking up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/but-at-heart-what-we-are-talking-about-is-not-pathology-but-an/) [Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/) > [Sometimes it's not a matter of KNOWING but a matter of UNDERSTANDING.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bulumko-pantsi/sometimes-it-s-not-a-matter-of-knowing-but-a-matter-of-understanding/) [Bulumko Pantsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bulumko-pantsi/) > [Affirm continuously to yourself: I am in the right place, at the right time, for the right purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-miles/affirm-continuously-to-yourself-i-am-in-the-right-place-at-the-right/) [Susan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-miles/) > [I think, sometimes with fans, what a lot of studios miss is it's just the gesture: it's the idea of knowing that they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-filoni/i-think-sometimes-with-fans-what-a-lot-of-studios-miss-is-it-s-just/) [Dave Filoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-filoni/) > [If you can take my tax money and assure me that it'll go to the right purpose, that it will help the poor, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bennett/if-you-can-take-my-tax-money-and-assure-me-that-it-ll-go-to-the-right/) [Bill Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bennett/) > [Leadership is knowing what to do next, knowing why that's important, and knowing how to bring the appropriate resources to bear on the need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobb-biehl/leadership-is-knowing-what-to-do-next-knowing-why-that-s-important/) [Bobb Biehl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobb-biehl/) > [We all start not knowing what to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mckevitt/we-all-start-not-knowing-what-to-do/) [Anne McKevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mckevitt/) > [Look at the earth crowded with growth, new and old bursting from their strong roots hidden in the silent, live ground, each seed according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/look-at-the-earth-crowded-with-growth-new-and-old-bursting-from-their/) [Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/) > [The whole value of the dime is in knowing what to do with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-whole-value-of-the-dime-is-in-knowing-what-to-do-with-it/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [We'd decided to write a book about two friends. I gave her some coffee and then we sat there not knowing what to do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-mcghee/we-d-decided-to-write-a-book-about-two-friends-i-gave-her-some-coffee/) [Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-mcghee/) > [When I went through a really intense break-up - you know, I was engaged - the thing that gave me the most anxiety was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-i-went-through-a-really-intense-break-up-you-know-i-was-engaged/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [Eventually we realize that not knowing what to do is just as real and just as useful as knowing what to do. Not knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/eventually-we-realize-that-not-knowing-what-to-do-is-just-as-real-and/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) ## More by Roger Scruton > [Beauty is vanishing from our world because we live as though it does not matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/beauty-is-vanishing-from-our-world-because-we-live-as-though-it-does/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“So conceived, the English police force served to emphasize a fundamental truth about the English law, which is that it exists not to control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/so-conceived-the-english-police-force-served-to-emphasize-a/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [My 2018 ended with a hate storm, in response to my appointment as chair of the government's Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/my-2018-ended-with-a-hate-storm-in-response-to-my-appointment-as/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [I've never been an optimist, but that's fine because pessimists have the possibility of being agreeably surprised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-ve-never-been-an-optimist-but-that-s-fine-because-pessimists-have/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Unlike every other product that is now manufactured for the table, wine exists in as many varieties as there are people who produce it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/unlike-every-other-product-that-is-now-manufactured-for-the-table/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [The abstract, unreal freedom of the liberal intellect was really nothing more than childish disobedience, amplified into anarchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-abstract-unreal-freedom-of-the-liberal-intellect-was-really/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“I think we can all see the force of the idea that there are certain things that cannot be done to human beings –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-think-we-can-all-see-the-force-of-the-idea-that-there-are-certain/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [When art becomes merely shock value, our sense of humanity is slowly degraded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/when-art-becomes-merely-shock-value-our-sense-of-humanity-is-slowly/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“Western democracies did not create the virtue of citizenship; on the contrary, they grew from it. Nothing is more evident in The Federalist than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/western-democracies-did-not-create-the-virtue-of-citizenship-on-the/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“If one looks back to the French Revolution, one sees just how easy it is for the doctrine of “human rights” to become an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/if-one-looks-back-to-the-french-revolution-one-sees-just-how-easy-it/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“I say it was immediately apparent, but it was not apparent to the intellectual class, which has remained largely wedded to the post-war consensus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-say-it-was-immediately-apparent-but-it-was-not-apparent-to-the/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Conservatives hold on to things not only because they are attached to them, but also because they do not see the sense in radical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/conservatives-hold-on-to-things-not-only-because-they-are-attached-to/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“Academic philosophers in the English speaking world still regard philosophy as Locke defined it in the 17th century, as “the handmaiden of the sciences”:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/academic-philosophers-in-the-english-speaking-world-still-regard/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Delia Smith is, actually, my bete noire. I consider her a most pernicious influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/delia-smith-is-actually-my-bete-noire-i-consider-her-a-most/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Modern art was born from a desire to destroy kitsch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/modern-art-was-born-from-a-desire-to-destroy-kitsch/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) [Explore all 317 Roger Scruton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) ## More Appropriate quotes > [“Appropriate is overrated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-w-kohlhagen/appropriate-is-overrated/) [Steven W. Kohlhagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-w-kohlhagen/) > [I was for many years myself a journalist and it is not appropriate to say a programme should not be broadcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-monckton/i-was-for-many-years-myself-a-journalist-and-it-is-not-appropriate-to/) [Christopher Monckton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-monckton/) > [I don't think 'This Means War' is an appropriate picture to do in 3-D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcg/i-don-t-think-this-means-war-is-an-appropriate-picture-to-do-in-3-d/) [McG](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcg/) > [There is no single best kind of death. A good death is one that is "appropriate" for that person. It is a death in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-s-shneidman/there-is-no-single-best-kind-of-death-a-good-death-is-one-that-is/) [Edwin S. 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I don't think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/i-would-not-under-any-circumstances-try-to-impose-my-personal-faith/) [John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/) > [I have no policy, for or against: only a personal style. Which is to say, I use them when I think it's appropriate to;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-have-no-policy-for-or-against-only-a-personal-style-which-is-to-say/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [While the intelligence profession oftentimes demands secrecy, it is critically important that there be a full and open discourse on intelligence matters with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/while-the-intelligence-profession-oftentimes-demands-secrecy-it-is/) [John O. 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