---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you don't know where you're going you…"
description: "\"“If you don't know where you're going you should know where you come from”\" — Sue Monk Kidd"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/sue-monk-kidd-404_forget_if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you_1219951.png"
---

#  If you don't know where you're going you should know where…

![“If you don't know where you're going you should know where you come from” quote by Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/sue-monk-kidd-404_forget_if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you_1219951.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/sue-monk-kidd-404_forget_if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you_1219951.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/sue-monk-kidd-404_forget_if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you_1219951.png)

> ““If you don't know where you're going you should know where you come from””

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Understanding your origins guides direction; knowing history informs future choices.

**In simple terms:** Know your past to choose your path.

Key Takeaway

Reflect on your roots.

Themes

identity history direction self‑knowledge growth

Mood

introspective hopeful

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- career planning
- family counseling
- personal growth

Key Concepts

genealogy personal development storytelling

Questions to Reflect On

- What part of your history shapes you?
- How can you redefine your path?

A Different Perspective

Past may not dictate future.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“If you don't know where your're going, you should know where you came from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/if-you-don-t-know-where-your-re-going-you-should-know-where-you-came/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“You may not know what you are going to get but you know it is going to be an adventure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-vickers/you-may-not-know-what-you-are-going-to-get-but-you-know-it-is-going/)

[Lee Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-vickers/)

> [If we don't know where we are going, it can be helpful to know where we come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/if-we-don-t-know-where-we-are-going-it-can-be-helpful-to-know-where/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [It is important that we know where we come from, because if you do not know where you come from, then you don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-is-important-that-we-know-where-we-come-from-because-if-you-do-not/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [You have to know where you come from to know where your going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-to-know-where-you-come-from-to-know-where-your-going/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Just tell me what to do. I don't know where I'm going, but I know I don't want to be here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-john/just-tell-me-what-to-do-i-don-t-know-where-i-m-going-but-i-know-i-don/)

[Dan John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-john/)

> [You can't really know where you are going until you know where you have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-can-t-really-know-where-you-are-going-until-you-know-where-you/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [If you don't know by now, you're never going to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jermaine-dupri/if-you-don-t-know-by-now-you-re-never-going-to-know/)

[Jermaine Dupri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jermaine-dupri/)

> [Those who talk don't know what is going on and those who know what is going on won't talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-speakes/those-who-talk-don-t-know-what-is-going-on-and-those-who-know-what-is/)

[Larry Speakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-speakes/)

> [Do you know where you going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to? Do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-ross/do-you-know-where-you-going-to-do-you-like-the-things-that-life-is/)

[Diana Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-ross/)

> [I'm a big believer in the notion that to know where you are going, you have to know where everything has been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-gatlin/i-m-a-big-believer-in-the-notion-that-to-know-where-you-are-going-you/)

[Justin Gatlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-gatlin/)

> [“Unless you know where you are going then you will not know how to get there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/unless-you-know-where-you-are-going-then-you-will-not-know-how-to-get/)

[Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/)

> [“I don't know where I'm going, but I know I'm going somewhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/i-don-t-know-where-i-m-going-but-i-know-i-m-going-somewhere/)

[Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/)

> [We can only know where we're going if we know where we've been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/we-can-only-know-where-we-re-going-if-we-know-where-we-ve-been/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [“If you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-morgenstern/if-you-don-t-know-where-you-are-going-how-will-you-know-when-you-get/)

[Julie Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-morgenstern/)

## More by Sue Monk Kidd

> [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“It's part of our overall Body Negation Program.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/it-s-part-of-our-overall-body-negation-program/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“That was the thing mauma and I loved, our time with the quilts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/that-was-the-thing-mauma-and-i-loved-our-time-with-the-quilts/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into increasingly remote abstractions. I'd come to think of God in terms like Divine Reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god-had-evolved-into-increasingly/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“The mermaids came to me finally, in the pink hours of my life. They are my consolation. For them I dove with arms outstretched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-mermaids-came-to-me-finally-in-the-pink-hours-of-my-life-they-are/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“The bag contained a pair of white cotton gloves stained the color of age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-bag-contained-a-pair-of-white-cotton-gloves-stained-the-color-of/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [I eventually found that the soul is more than an immortal commodity to win and save. It is the repository of the inner divine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-eventually-found-that-the-soul-is-more-than-an-immortal-commodity/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“Readiness for dying arrives by attending the smallest moment and finding the eternal inside of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/readiness-for-dying-arrives-by-attending-the-smallest-moment-and/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“I sat at her desk and turned one page after another, staring at what looked like bits and pieces of black lace laid cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-sat-at-her-desk-and-turned-one-page-after-another-staring-at-what/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [The translucence that comes when life hardens into a bead of such cruel perfection you see it with the purest clarity. Everything suddenly there--life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-translucence-that-comes-when-life-hardens-into-a-bead-of-such/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“There's no pain on earth that doesn't require a benevolent witness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/there-s-no-pain-on-earth-that-doesn-t-require-a-benevolent-witness/)

[sue monk kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“afflicted with the worst female curse on earth, the need to mold myself to expectations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/afflicted-with-the-worst-female-curse-on-earth-the-need-to-mold/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“Her forbidden bath all those months ago still hung leaden between us, though Handful didn't seem the least bit ashamed by my discovery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/her-forbidden-bath-all-those-months-ago-still-hung-leaden-between-us/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“Why should God’s perfection be based on having an unchanging nature?” I asked. “Isn’t flexibility more perfect than stasis?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/why-should-god-s-perfection-be-based-on-having-an-unchanging-nature-i/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

[Explore all 584 Sue Monk Kidd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

## More Forget quotes

> [I Never met her,i never talked to her,but in my whole day I am either thinking about her or trying to forget her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhananda/i-never-met-her-i-never-talked-to-her-but-in-my-whole-day-i-am-either/)

[Subhananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhananda/)

> [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/)

> [Once upon a time. Ah forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-upon-a-time-ah-forget-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Forget the credit, they (male actors) take all the money as well. We don't get paid even one-third of what male actors get. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangana-ranaut/forget-the-credit-they-male-actors-take-all-the-money-as-well-we-don/)

[Kangana Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangana-ranaut/)

> [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [“Which people take the time to care for their souls, these days? I reckon not many. But...hear this: I think that maybe in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fletcher/which-people-take-the-time-to-care-for-their-souls-these-days-i/)

[Susan Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fletcher/)

> [The problem with people is they forget that most of the time it's the small things that count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/the-problem-with-people-is-they-forget-that-most-of-the-time-it-s-the/)

[Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/)

> [Remind a man of what he remembers, and you will make him forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/remind-a-man-of-what-he-remembers-and-you-will-make-him-forget-it/)

[Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/)

> [“So you try, and try, to move past it and forget about them, but it's like they're stuck in your head -- you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-mcdonald/so-you-try-and-try-to-move-past-it-and-forget-about-them-but-it-s/)

[Abby McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-mcdonald/)

> [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them. They may forget what you said, but they will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/people-are-disturbed-not-by-things-but-by-the-view-they-take-of-them/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [I don't think people will ever forget I was an 'Angel,' anymore than they'll forget Sally Field was 'The Flying Nun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-ladd/i-don-t-think-people-will-ever-forget-i-was-an-angel-anymore-than/)

[Cheryl Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-ladd/)

> [If God knows me I will never forget him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trunxbeats/if-god-knows-me-i-will-never-forget-him/)

Trunxbeats

> [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

Browse all 11,315 Forget quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“If you don't know where you're going you should know where you come from”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sue Monk Kidd"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you-should-know-where-you-come/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Forget"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you-should-know-where-you-come/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/sue-monk-kidd-404_forget_if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you_1219951.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/sue-monk-kidd-404_forget_if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you_1219951.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/sue-monk-kidd-404_forget_if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you_1219951.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you don't know where you're going you should know where you come from” — Sue Monk Kidd",
                "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": "Sue Monk Kidd",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“If you don't know where you're...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you-should-know-where-you-come/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you-should-know-where-you-come/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
