--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we weren't being transcendent we…" description: "\"When we weren't being transcendent we specialized in self-inflicted disaster.\" — Slash" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/slash-4766_disaster_when-we-weren-t-being-transcendent-we-sp_1727216.png" --- # When we weren't being transcendent we specialized in… ![“When we weren't being transcendent we specialized in self-inflicted disaster.” quote by Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/slash-4766_disaster_when-we-weren-t-being-transcendent-we-sp_1727216.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/slash-4766_disaster_when-we-weren-t-being-transcendent-we-sp_1727216.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/slash-4766_disaster_when-we-weren-t-being-transcendent-we-sp_1727216.png) > “When we weren't being transcendent we specialized in self-inflicted disaster.” [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When not aiming for greatness, we often cause our own problems **In simple terms:** Self‑inflicted problems arise from lack of higher purpose Key Takeaway Seek transcendent goals to avoid self‑sabotage Themes self‑growth purpose mistakes Mood introspective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - team projects - creative endeavors Key Concepts Psychology of self‑sabotage goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What transcendent aims motivate you? - How to prevent self‑inflicted setbacks? A Different Perspective Higher goals can be unrealistic and stressful ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Transcendent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transcendent/) ## Related quotes > [“Alone with my wine and my misery, I was convinced that life was composed of a string of “if only’s” leading from one self-inflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-levkoff/alone-with-my-wine-and-my-misery-i-was-convinced-that-life-was/) [Andrew Levkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-levkoff/) > [The sad truth is that the civil rights movement cannot be reborn until we identify the causes of black suffering, some of them self-inflicted.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/the-sad-truth-is-that-the-civil-rights-movement-cannot-be-reborn/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [The facts are there that we have created, man has, a self-inflicted wound that man has created through global warming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/the-facts-are-there-that-we-have-created-man-has-a-self-inflicted/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [Courage is a self-inflicted quality that gains momentum every time you try it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/courage-is-a-self-inflicted-quality-that-gains-momentum-every-time/) [Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/) > [“I decry the injustice of my wounds, only to look down and see that I am holding a smoking gun in one hand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/i-decry-the-injustice-of-my-wounds-only-to-look-down-and-see-that-i/) [Craig D. 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My education is self-inflicted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/i-love-to-read-my-education-is-self-inflicted/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [Self-inflicted misery smirks under its crown of thorns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/self-inflicted-misery-smirks-under-its-crown-of-thorns/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“A G-string is a permanent self-inflicted wedgie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-g-string-is-a-permanent-self-inflicted-wedgie/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I have these accidents, these mistakes, these self-inflicted wounds, and then I tear my head to shreds about it for days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-have-these-accidents-these-mistakes-these-self-inflicted-wounds-and/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [“Emily knew she was going to cry. She tried to avert it with a childhood trick that had sometimes worked before - pressing both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/emily-knew-she-was-going-to-cry-she-tried-to-avert-it-with-a/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) ## More by Slash > [You know, when you really connect with the instrument and everything just comes out on an emotional level very naturally through your playing. That's,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/you-know-when-you-really-connect-with-the-instrument-and-everything/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [Directing is like guitar playing. That's a unique mind-set and talent, unto itself. I like the idea of putting everything together to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/directing-is-like-guitar-playing-that-s-a-unique-mind-set-and-talent/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [I love classical music. It has left a major mark on my playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/i-love-classical-music-it-has-left-a-major-mark-on-my-playing/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [I do all my interviews on the toilet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/i-do-all-my-interviews-on-the-toilet/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [I got the name Slash because I used to work in a grocery store and I was in charge of reducing prices for really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/i-got-the-name-slash-because-i-used-to-work-in-a-grocery-store-and-i/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [If you were a kid and you wanted to come out and make a statement now, you'd have to really dig deep to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/if-you-were-a-kid-and-you-wanted-to-come-out-and-make-a-statement-now/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [I only get concerned about money when the electricity goes out. Then you have to do acoustic records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/i-only-get-concerned-about-money-when-the-electricity-goes-out-then/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [I've always had to do things my way; I've gotten high my way, I've gotten in my way, I've been in and out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/i-ve-always-had-to-do-things-my-way-i-ve-gotten-high-my-way-i-ve/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [That's a wonderful side effect of leather pants: when you pee yourself in them, they're more forgiving than jeans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/that-s-a-wonderful-side-effect-of-leather-pants-when-you-pee-yourself/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [No one expects the rug to be yanked out from underneath them; life-changing events usually dont announce themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/no-one-expects-the-rug-to-be-yanked-out-from-underneath-them-life/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [ \[the best advice about women\] was from Robert Evans. The line was in his book, but he told me, "When it comes to a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/the-best-advice-about-women-was-from-robert-evans-the-line-was-in-his/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [One time we played a concert in Antwerp, Belgium. At least I thought it was Antwerp, Belgium. Turns out it was a Stop 'n…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/one-time-we-played-a-concert-in-antwerp-belgium-at-least-i-thought-it/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [Axl and I came from completely different backgrounds. Because of that we made an interesting pair trying to figure each other out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/axl-and-i-came-from-completely-different-backgrounds-because-of-that/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [A day doesn't go by where I don't get surprised by something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/a-day-doesn-t-go-by-where-i-don-t-get-surprised-by-something/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [I like to piss on myself,its so attractive...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/i-like-to-piss-on-myself-its-so-attractive/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) [Explore all 106 Slash quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) ## More Disaster quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [One of the undervalued contributors to Trump's stunning 2016 victory was the masterful performance Pence had in his debate against Hillary Clinton running mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/one-of-the-undervalued-contributors-to-trump-s-stunning-2016-victory/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [You know, we can't beat ISIS. We can't do anything. We can't take care of our vets. We can't have good health care. "Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-we-can-t-beat-isis-we-can-t-do-anything-we-can-t-take-care/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“She was—of course—perfectly normal— quiet and polite and reasonably intelligent and...normal and self destructive and lonely and terrified of every thing And she loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tah-the-trickster/she-was-of-course-perfectly-normal-quiet-and-polite-and-reasonably/) Tah the Trickster > [Obviously, it's my goal to be the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but it wouldn't be a disaster if I didn't achieve that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-gomez/obviously-it-s-my-goal-to-be-the-top-scorer-in-the-bundesliga-but-it/) [Mario Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-gomez/) > [Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/yes-life-in-chechnya-so-far-looks-more-like-a-life-after-a-natural/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Even disasters -- there are always disasters when you travel -- can be turned into adventures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/even-disasters-there-are-always-disasters-when-you-travel-can-be/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [We are always just one successful terrorist attack away from a nuclear disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/we-are-always-just-one-successful-terrorist-attack-away-from-a/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) > [The only aspect of our travels that is interesting to others is disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellmanmartha-gellman/the-only-aspect-of-our-travels-that-is-interesting-to-others-is/) Martha GellmanMartha Gellman [Browse all 2,239 Disaster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When we weren't being transcendent we specialized in self-inflicted disaster.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Slash" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/when-we-weren-t-being-transcendent-we-specialized-in-self-inflicted/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disaster" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/when-we-weren-t-being-transcendent-we-specialized-in-self-inflicted/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/slash-4766_disaster_when-we-weren-t-being-transcendent-we-sp_1727216.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/slash-4766_disaster_when-we-weren-t-being-transcendent-we-sp_1727216.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/slash-4766_disaster_when-we-weren-t-being-transcendent-we-sp_1727216.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When we weren't being transcendent we specialized in self-inflicted disaster.” — Slash", "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": "Slash", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When we weren't being transcendent we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/when-we-weren-t-being-transcendent-we-specialized-in-self-inflicted/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/when-we-weren-t-being-transcendent-we-specialized-in-self-inflicted/#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 } } ] } ```