--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you [c]annot find your [h]eart's…" description: "\"If you [c]annot find your [h]eart's desire in your own backyard, you never lost it to begin with\" — Tony Kushner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/tony-kushner-2204_backyards_if-you-c-annot-find-your-h-eart-s-desire_1746641.jpg" --- # If you \[c\]annot find your \[h\]eart's desire in your own… ![“If you [c]annot find your [h]eart's desire in your own backyard, you never lost it to begin with” quote by Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/tony-kushner-2204_backyards_if-you-c-annot-find-your-h-eart-s-desire_1746641.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/tony-kushner-2204_backyards_if-you-c-annot-find-your-h-eart-s-desire_1746641.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/tony-kushner-2204_backyards_if-you-c-annot-find-your-h-eart-s-desire_1746641.jpg) > “If you \[c\]annot find your \[h\]eart's desire in your own backyard, you never lost it to begin with” [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Longing for a deep passion that feels unattainable can be a sign it was never truly yours in the first place. **In simple terms:** Desire must be authentic, not forced. Key Takeaway Seek genuine interests. Themes authenticity desire self‑discovery Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career choice - relationships - creative projects Key Concepts psychology values identity Questions to Reflect On - What truly excites you without effort? - How do you differentiate genuine longing from societal pressure? A Different Perspective If you never felt the pull, you may be chasing an illusion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Backyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backyard/) [Backyard Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backyard-lost-1568124/) [Backyards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backyards/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desire Backyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-backyard-1568123/) [Eart Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eart-desire-1568125/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) ## Related quotes > [I wouldn't support Limp Bizkit being on some snuff backyard brawling, fighting contest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/i-wouldn-t-support-limp-bizkit-being-on-some-snuff-backyard-brawling/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) > [My parents moved to American Samoa when I was three or four years old. My dad was principal of a high school there. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stoltz/my-parents-moved-to-american-samoa-when-i-was-three-or-four-years-old/) [Eric Stoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-stoltz/) > [The world of your photography is limitless-just like your backyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-kelsh/the-world-of-your-photography-is-limitless-just-like-your-backyard/) [Nick Kelsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-kelsh/) > [At my home in the southwest of France, I grow oak, hazel, and lemon trees in my backyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-ducasse/at-my-home-in-the-southwest-of-france-i-grow-oak-hazel-and-lemon/) [Alain Ducasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-ducasse/) > [You can journey to the ends of the earth in search of success, but if you’re lucky, you will discover happiness in your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-conwell/you-can-journey-to-the-ends-of-the-earth-in-search-of-success-but-if/) [Russell Conwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-conwell/) > [My parents moved to Florida when I was 12, and my backyard was the Gulf of Mexico.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/my-parents-moved-to-florida-when-i-was-12-and-my-backyard-was-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [There are massive stacks of bad choices in my backyard. Haven't finished cleaning the place up but I'm workin' on it and clearly I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/there-are-massive-stacks-of-bad-choices-in-my-backyard-haven-t/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [The Australian backyard was once built for tradesmen and outdoor toilets. As suburbs spread, it became a playground and source of pride...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-munro/the-australian-backyard-was-once-built-for-tradesmen-and-outdoor/) [Pete Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-munro/) > [How many people have a family grave in the backyard? I'm sure I'll end up there, or I'll shrink my head and put it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-marie-presley/how-many-people-have-a-family-grave-in-the-backyard-i-m-sure-i-ll-end/) [Lisa Marie Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-marie-presley/) > [I grew up in northern California, where it was consistently in the hundreds in the summertime. My dad didn't think he should have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-sanders/i-grew-up-in-northern-california-where-it-was-consistently-in-the/) [Summer Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-sanders/) > [Going beyond one's backyard grants one perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/going-beyond-one-s-backyard-grants-one-perspective/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Nature is impersonal, awe-inspiring, elegant, eternal. It's geometrically perfect. It's tiny and gigantic. You can travel far to be in a beautiful natural setting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/nature-is-impersonal-awe-inspiring-elegant-eternal-it-s-geometrically/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [By the time I was twelve, I had started my own theater company and was doing plays in the backyard and the front yard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-preston/by-the-time-i-was-twelve-i-had-started-my-own-theater-company-and-was/) [Carrie Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-preston/) > [I skied on Astroturf and PVC pipe on the slope in my backyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-goepper/i-skied-on-astroturf-and-pvc-pipe-on-the-slope-in-my-backyard/) [Nick Goepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-goepper/) > [I grew up playing music and enjoying good food, friends and family in my own backyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/i-grew-up-playing-music-and-enjoying-good-food-friends-and-family-in/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) ## More by Tony Kushner > [My whole life has conspired to bring me to this place, and I can’t despise my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-whole-life-has-conspired-to-bring-me-to-this-place-and-i-can-t/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The big influence on me was Robert Altman, who, especially in 'Nashville,' transformed my sense of dramatic structure and showed how you could handle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-big-influence-on-me-was-robert-altman-who-especially-in-nashville/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“Fabulous. If you possess it, you don’t need to ask what it is. When you attempt to delineate it, you move away from it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/fabulous-if-you-possess-it-you-don-t-need-to-ask-what-it-is-when-you/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [People are more easily manipulated when they don't have information. If you ensure that kids grow up without basic reading skills, math skills, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/people-are-more-easily-manipulated-when-they-don-t-have-information/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The white cracker who wrote the National Anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word "free" to a note so high nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-white-cracker-who-wrote-the-national-anthem-knew-what-he-was/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“If the snake sheds his skin before a new skin is ready, naked he will be in the world, prey to the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/if-the-snake-sheds-his-skin-before-a-new-skin-is-ready-naked-he-will/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“MATAMORE: I never fight with my love face on, I worry that it might get scratched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/matamore-i-never-fight-with-my-love-face-on-i-worry-that-it-might-get/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“I never really feel that I’m stuck. I actually think that people are never stuck, there’s no such thing as writers block, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-never-really-feel-that-i-m-stuck-i-actually-think-that-people-are/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The act of thinking and interpreting is so central to Judaism that it makes more sense that we've become people like Woody Allen -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-act-of-thinking-and-interpreting-is-so-central-to-judaism-that-it/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Respect the delicate ecology of your delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/respect-the-delicate-ecology-of-your-delusions/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The general consensus among historians, among the ones who can handle the fact that 'Lincoln' is, in fact, historical fiction, is that we demonstrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-general-consensus-among-historians-among-the-ones-who-can-handle/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“I've lived through such terrible times and there are people who live through much worse. But you see them living anyway. When they're more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-ve-lived-through-such-terrible-times-and-there-are-people-who-live/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [When really writing I'm not a good friend. Because writing disorganizes the social self, you become atomized. It scrambles you, sometimes to the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/when-really-writing-i-m-not-a-good-friend-because-writing/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [My back went out and I gained 40 pounds while sweating over 'Perestroika.' It was incredibly hard, the hardest thing I had to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-back-went-out-and-i-gained-40-pounds-while-sweating-over/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Film is like tech starts on the first day of filming and it never stops. There's never a moment when the audience comes in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/film-is-like-tech-starts-on-the-first-day-of-filming-and-it-never/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) [Explore all 179 Tony Kushner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) ## More Backyard quotes > [It would be awesome to play in my backyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-barty/it-would-be-awesome-to-play-in-my-backyard/) [Ashleigh Barty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-barty/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [If you start beating opponents in their backyard is when you give yourself a chance to remain No.1.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-gambhir/if-you-start-beating-opponents-in-their-backyard-is-when-you-give/) [Gautam Gambhir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-gambhir/) > [I wouldn't support Limp Bizkit being on some snuff backyard brawling, fighting contest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/i-wouldn-t-support-limp-bizkit-being-on-some-snuff-backyard-brawling/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) > [Sometimes I think my past life was unrealized. I met a tragic end - it might have been a car over a cliff. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-ebersole/sometimes-i-think-my-past-life-was-unrealized-i-met-a-tragic-end-it/) [Christine Ebersole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-ebersole/) > [I skied on Astroturf and PVC pipe on the slope in my backyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-goepper/i-skied-on-astroturf-and-pvc-pipe-on-the-slope-in-my-backyard/) [Nick Goepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-goepper/) > [The first sort of big present I remember getting from Santa Claus was quite a small telescope that I remember going into our backyard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-clinton/the-first-sort-of-big-present-i-remember-getting-from-santa-claus-was/) [Chelsea Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-clinton/) > [By the time I was twelve, I had started my own theater company and was doing plays in the backyard and the front yard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-preston/by-the-time-i-was-twelve-i-had-started-my-own-theater-company-and-was/) [Carrie Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-preston/) > [My parents wanted us to be pool-safe, so I had lessons when I was 18 months old. I would like to share with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-sanders/my-parents-wanted-us-to-be-pool-safe-so-i-had-lessons-when-i-was-18/) [Summer Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-sanders/) > [“We can’t be fully transformed in our own backyard. We need to journey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-barnes-sr/we-can-t-be-fully-transformed-in-our-own-backyard-we-need-to-journey/) [Seth Barnes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-barnes-sr/) > [Even at an early age, I rebelled against my strict upbringing. When I was 9, I built myself a 'make-out fort' in our backyard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azita-ghanizada/even-at-an-early-age-i-rebelled-against-my-strict-upbringing-when-i/) [Azita Ghanizada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azita-ghanizada/) > [Im in the backyard painting a big blue square so google earth thinks I have a swimming pool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-in-the-backyard-painting-a-big-blue-square-so-google-earth-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What about the backyard stuff?” he asked. “What about it?” “Is it okay if I use it, too?” “Oh, sure. The equipment is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/what-about-the-backyard-stuff-he-asked-what-about-it-is-it-okay-if-i/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) > [I grew up on a farm playing backyard footie in my bare feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beauden-barrett/i-grew-up-on-a-farm-playing-backyard-footie-in-my-bare-feet/) [Beauden Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beauden-barrett/) > [Like, yes, we had a furniture fire get out of control in our backyard one time. But that didn't harm a single person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-paul/like-yes-we-had-a-furniture-fire-get-out-of-control-in-our-backyard/) [Jake Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-paul/) [Browse all 157 Backyard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backyard/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you [c]annot find your [h]eart's desire in your own backyard, you never lost it to begin with", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tony Kushner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/if-you-c-annot-find-your-h-eart-s-desire-in-your-own-backyard-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Backyard" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/if-you-c-annot-find-your-h-eart-s-desire-in-your-own-backyard-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/tony-kushner-2204_backyards_if-you-c-annot-find-your-h-eart-s-desire_1746641.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/tony-kushner-2204_backyards_if-you-c-annot-find-your-h-eart-s-desire_1746641.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/tony-kushner-2204_backyards_if-you-c-annot-find-your-h-eart-s-desire_1746641.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you [c]annot find your [h]eart's desire in your own backyard, you never lost it to begin with” — Tony Kushner", "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": "Tony Kushner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you [c]annot find your [h]eart's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/if-you-c-annot-find-your-h-eart-s-desire-in-your-own-backyard-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/if-you-c-annot-find-your-h-eart-s-desire-in-your-own-backyard-you/#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 } } ] } ```