--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Motivation begins with discomfort- with…" description: "\"Motivation begins with discomfort- with needs that are unfulfilled.\" — Susan Maushart" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/susan-maushart-24228_discomfort_motivation-begins-with-discomfort-with-n_2833453.png" --- # Motivation begins with discomfort- with needs that are… ![“Motivation begins with discomfort- with needs that are unfulfilled.” quote by Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/susan-maushart-24228_discomfort_motivation-begins-with-discomfort-with-n_2833453.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/susan-maushart-24228_discomfort_motivation-begins-with-discomfort-with-n_2833453.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/susan-maushart-24228_discomfort_motivation-begins-with-discomfort-with-n_2833453.png) > “Motivation begins with discomfort- with needs that are unfulfilled.” [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Motivation often starts when we feel discomfort from unmet needs. **In simple terms:** Discomfort sparks drive. Key Takeaway Embrace discomfort to find motivation. Themes growth discomfort needs Mood motivational encouraging Type self‑help inspirational When to use this quote - goal setting - habit formation - personal development Key Concepts psychology self‑determination theory Questions to Reflect On - What needs are you ignoring? - How can you balance comfort and challenge? A Different Perspective Excessive discomfort can cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Begins Discomfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begins-discomfort-3675310/) [Discomfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discomfort/) [Discomfort Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discomfort-needs-3675308/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Motivation Begins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation-begins-3668232/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Needs Unfulfilled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs-unfulfilled-3675309/) ## Related quotes > [“Motivation begins with the hunger for an end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-poirot/motivation-begins-with-the-hunger-for-an-end/) [Ken Poirot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-poirot/) > [“At work, in love, or in any position, our deepest motivation often begins with the fear of being replaced.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/at-work-in-love-or-in-any-position-our-deepest-motivation-often/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [What separates great athletes from mediocre ones isn't only talent and training - it's also how well they can handle discomfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/what-separates-great-athletes-from-mediocre-ones-isn-t-only-talent/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [Intuitive guidance means having the self-esteem to recognize that the discomfort or confusion that a person feels is actually directing him to take charge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/intuitive-guidance-means-having-the-self-esteem-to-recognize-that-the/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [You need to understand plant chemistry, be inured to discomfort and awesomely flexible. When something breaks down-the plane, the boat, you just have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kilham/you-need-to-understand-plant-chemistry-be-inured-to-discomfort-and/) [Chris Kilham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kilham/) > [Monotony and repetition are characteristic of many parts of life, but these do not become sources of conscious discomfort until novelty and entertainment are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-catherine-bateson/monotony-and-repetition-are-characteristic-of-many-parts-of-life-but/) [Mary Catherine Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-catherine-bateson/) > [“It is very difficult to convince a person to come out of his conservative shell, unless he feels discomfort there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarif-naaz/it-is-very-difficult-to-convince-a-person-to-come-out-of-his/) [Tarif Naaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarif-naaz/) > [There is not much sense in suffering, since drugs can be given for pain, itching, and other discomforts. The belief has long died that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/there-is-not-much-sense-in-suffering-since-drugs-can-be-given-for/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“Even discomfort or pain delivers awareness of life, and an opportunity for gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/even-discomfort-or-pain-delivers-awareness-of-life-and-an-opportunity/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [My wife was gone, all other girls failed to cooperate, so I decided to wear a pouch of animal blood myself and test out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunachalam-muruganantham/my-wife-was-gone-all-other-girls-failed-to-cooperate-so-i-decided-to/) [Arunachalam Muruganantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunachalam-muruganantham/) > [The purpose of art actually is, in many cases, to make you feel quite uncomfortable. Or at least to go to that place that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/the-purpose-of-art-actually-is-in-many-cases-to-make-you-feel-quite/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [“If you want to achieve your objectives, you have to be prepared for a daily dose of pain or discomfort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-you-want-to-achieve-your-objectives-you-have-to-be-prepared-for-a/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“You cannot possibly know what gives you discomfort unless you step outside your comfort zone, this where change begins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taskinsoy/you-cannot-possibly-know-what-gives-you-discomfort-unless-you-step/) [JOHN TASKINSOY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taskinsoy/) > [We are a party of innovation. We do not reject our traditions, but we are willing to adapt to changing circumstances, when change we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/we-are-a-party-of-innovation-we-do-not-reject-our-traditions-but-we/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [A vacation is like love - anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort, and remembered with nostalgia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/a-vacation-is-like-love-anticipated-with-pleasure-experienced-with/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) ## More by Susan Maushart > [“Parenting in the age of mobile communication really does allow us to be there for our kids in a way never before possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/parenting-in-the-age-of-mobile-communication-really-does-allow-us-to/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [We must acknowledge that bearing and raising children is not some pesky, peripheral activity that we engage in, but the whole point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/we-must-acknowledge-that-bearing-and-raising-children-is-not-some/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [Maturity is largely about acquiring the confidence and the competence to make your own decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/maturity-is-largely-about-acquiring-the-confidence-and-the-competence/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [“The whole point of becoming an adult is to achieve self-reliance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/the-whole-point-of-becoming-an-adult-is-to-achieve-self-reliance/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [“The devices meant to simplify our lives merely create new and improved complexities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/the-devices-meant-to-simplify-our-lives-merely-create-new-and/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [...boredom is all about perception. It's a self-diagnosis, plain and simple. If you don't realize you're bored, you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/boredom-is-all-about-perception-it-s-a-self-diagnosis-plain-and/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [“Online chatting, on the other hand, has been linked to symptoms of loneliness, confusion, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and addiction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/online-chatting-on-the-other-hand-has-been-linked-to-symptoms-of/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [Cities have personalities, just as people do, and that finding the right place to live is akin to finding the right partner to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/cities-have-personalities-just-as-people-do-and-that-finding-the/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [“Giving up one activity does not guarantee you will take up a more worthy substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/giving-up-one-activity-does-not-guarantee-you-will-take-up-a-more/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [“No one's brain is different enough to make constant interruptions, distractions, and task-switching an optimal environment in which to function. No one's.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/no-one-s-brain-is-different-enough-to-make-constant-interruptions/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [“Have you ever considered whether Perth's 'dullness' may have inspired you rather than inhibited you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/have-you-ever-considered-whether-perth-s-dullness-may-have-inspired/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [“The mind boggles, in other words, but the brain toggles- sometimes quite rapidly, from one task to the next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/the-mind-boggles-in-other-words-but-the-brain-toggles-sometimes-quite/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [“Yet where lies the line between compromise and surrender? Between relinquishing the ideal of perfection on the one hand, and losing one's integrity on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/yet-where-lies-the-line-between-compromise-and-surrender-between/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [The more interesting life becomes, in other words, the more boredom we are doomed to experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/the-more-interesting-life-becomes-in-other-words-the-more-boredom-we/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) > [“A world without boredom would be dull.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/a-world-without-boredom-would-be-dull/) [Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) [Explore all 24 Susan Maushart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/) ## More Discomfort quotes > [A vacation is like love - anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort, and remembered with nostalgia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/a-vacation-is-like-love-anticipated-with-pleasure-experienced-with/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [We are a party of innovation. We do not reject our traditions, but we are willing to adapt to changing circumstances, when change we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/we-are-a-party-of-innovation-we-do-not-reject-our-traditions-but-we/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [“You cannot possibly know what gives you discomfort unless you step outside your comfort zone, this where change begins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taskinsoy/you-cannot-possibly-know-what-gives-you-discomfort-unless-you-step/) [JOHN TASKINSOY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taskinsoy/) > [“If you want to achieve your objectives, you have to be prepared for a daily dose of pain or discomfort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-you-want-to-achieve-your-objectives-you-have-to-be-prepared-for-a/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The purpose of art actually is, in many cases, to make you feel quite uncomfortable. Or at least to go to that place that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/the-purpose-of-art-actually-is-in-many-cases-to-make-you-feel-quite/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [My wife was gone, all other girls failed to cooperate, so I decided to wear a pouch of animal blood myself and test out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunachalam-muruganantham/my-wife-was-gone-all-other-girls-failed-to-cooperate-so-i-decided-to/) [Arunachalam Muruganantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunachalam-muruganantham/) > [“Even discomfort or pain delivers awareness of life, and an opportunity for gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/even-discomfort-or-pain-delivers-awareness-of-life-and-an-opportunity/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [There is not much sense in suffering, since drugs can be given for pain, itching, and other discomforts. The belief has long died that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/there-is-not-much-sense-in-suffering-since-drugs-can-be-given-for/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“It is very difficult to convince a person to come out of his conservative shell, unless he feels discomfort there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarif-naaz/it-is-very-difficult-to-convince-a-person-to-come-out-of-his/) [Tarif Naaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarif-naaz/) > [Monotony and repetition are characteristic of many parts of life, but these do not become sources of conscious discomfort until novelty and entertainment are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-catherine-bateson/monotony-and-repetition-are-characteristic-of-many-parts-of-life-but/) [Mary Catherine Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-catherine-bateson/) > [You need to understand plant chemistry, be inured to discomfort and awesomely flexible. When something breaks down-the plane, the boat, you just have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kilham/you-need-to-understand-plant-chemistry-be-inured-to-discomfort-and/) [Chris Kilham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kilham/) > [Intuitive guidance means having the self-esteem to recognize that the discomfort or confusion that a person feels is actually directing him to take charge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/intuitive-guidance-means-having-the-self-esteem-to-recognize-that-the/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [What separates great athletes from mediocre ones isn't only talent and training - it's also how well they can handle discomfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/what-separates-great-athletes-from-mediocre-ones-isn-t-only-talent/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [Excellence requires discomfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/excellence-requires-discomfort/) [T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/) > [“inescapable physical or mental discomfort is the “first dart” of existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/inescapable-physical-or-mental-discomfort-is-the-first-dart-of/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) [Browse all 510 Discomfort quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discomfort/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Motivation begins with discomfort- with needs that are unfulfilled.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Maushart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/motivation-begins-with-discomfort-with-needs-that-are-unfulfilled/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discomfort" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/motivation-begins-with-discomfort-with-needs-that-are-unfulfilled/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/susan-maushart-24228_discomfort_motivation-begins-with-discomfort-with-n_2833453.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/susan-maushart-24228_discomfort_motivation-begins-with-discomfort-with-n_2833453.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/susan-maushart-24228_discomfort_motivation-begins-with-discomfort-with-n_2833453.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Motivation begins with discomfort- with needs that are unfulfilled.” — Susan Maushart", "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": "Susan Maushart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Motivation begins with discomfort- with needs...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/motivation-begins-with-discomfort-with-needs-that-are-unfulfilled/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/motivation-begins-with-discomfort-with-needs-that-are-unfulfilled/#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 } } ] } ```