--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are often so distracted by the…" description: "\"We are often so distracted by the internal war between what we want to do and what we have to do that we overlook what we need to do.\" — Tonya Hurley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/tonya-hurley-10658_distracted_we-are-often-so-distracted-by-the-intern_1381866.jpg" --- # We are often so distracted by the internal war between… ![“We are often so distracted by the internal war between what we want to do and what we have to do that we overlook what we need to do.” quote by Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/tonya-hurley-10658_distracted_we-are-often-so-distracted-by-the-intern_1381866.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/tonya-hurley-10658_distracted_we-are-often-so-distracted-by-the-intern_1381866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/tonya-hurley-10658_distracted_we-are-often-so-distracted-by-the-intern_1381866.jpg) > “We are often so distracted by the internal war between what we want to do and what we have to do that we overlook what we need to do.” [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People get caught between desires and obligations, missing essential tasks. **In simple terms:** Conflicts distract from what truly matters. Key Takeaway Prioritize essential actions over internal conflict. Themes productivity focus self-management Mood determined thoughtful Type self-help motivational When to use this quote - work projects - personal health routines - family responsibilities - creative pursuits Key Concepts time management goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What essential task are you neglecting? - How can you resolve internal conflicts to act? A Different Perspective Balancing desires and duties is complex; not always clear what is essential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Distracted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distracted/) [Distracted Internal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distracted-internal-4789324/) [Internal War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internal-war-4364481/) [Internals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internals/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Overlook Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overlook-need-4789325/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-want-475423/) ## Related quotes > [You know, it's trying to put toothpaste back in the tube. Not only are there a lot of outsiders intervening but this also involves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/you-know-it-s-trying-to-put-toothpaste-back-in-the-tube-not-only-are/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [“That internal war doesn’t seem like a product of genetic damage—it seems completely, purely human.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/that-internal-war-doesn-t-seem-like-a-product-of-genetic-damage-it/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I will never conduct a war or start a war because we want to; the United States of America should only go to war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-will-never-conduct-a-war-or-start-a-war-because-we-want-to-the/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [“It’s not a question of what you want. No sane person ever WANTS a war. 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Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-b-alexander/) > [I don't wanna die in a nuclear war, I want to sail away to a distant shore, and make like an apeman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-davies/i-don-t-wanna-die-in-a-nuclear-war-i-want-to-sail-away-to-a-distant/) [Ray Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-davies/) > [“I don't want to destroy anybody. And I don't want war, either. I want the world to hold together. Is that so bad?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card-2/i-don-t-want-to-destroy-anybody-and-i-don-t-want-war-either-i-want/) [Orson Scott-Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card-2/) > [The reason why you do history, and particularly why you do war, is that you want to make sure that in the next war,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-reason-why-you-do-history-and-particularly-why-you-do-war-is-that/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [Wanna talk shit about me well just remember I had your back and I got so much stuff on you that you don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wanna-talk-shit-about-me-well-just-remember-i-had-your-back-and-i-got/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Wars are supposed to be declared by governments. Parliaments and kings are supposed to decide whether hostilities shall begin. Never, since the device of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wars-are-supposed-to-be-declared-by-governments-parliaments-and-kings/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I would like my book to give people insight to the war before and after, but I don't think anyone could read my book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asne-seierstad/i-would-like-my-book-to-give-people-insight-to-the-war-before-and/) [Asne Seierstad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asne-seierstad/) > [I want a world without war. War never works it just kills. I want my children to never have to have a close contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-martin/i-want-a-world-without-war-war-never-works-it-just-kills-i-want-my/) [Ana Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-martin/) ## More by Tonya Hurley > [“She had nothing left to lose and she needed him to herself, for just a little while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/she-had-nothing-left-to-lose-and-she-needed-him-to-herself-for-just-a/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [“I don't know what I'm doing...I'm failing at everything that matters to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/i-don-t-know-what-i-m-doing-i-m-failing-at-everything-that-matters-to/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [“I'm his nightmare...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/i-m-his-nightmare/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [We all like to think the world ends when we do. The truth is our acquaintances, our friends, and our loved ones all live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/we-all-like-to-think-the-world-ends-when-we-do-the-truth-is-our/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [Being in love with someone who doesn't even know that you exist isn't the worst thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/being-in-love-with-someone-who-doesn-t-even-know-that-you-exist-isn-t/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [“Her chest felt like it was a hollow cavity encasing a cold, hard rock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/her-chest-felt-like-it-was-a-hollow-cavity-encasing-a-cold-hard-rock/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [I love you, but i'm not fall in love with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/i-love-you-but-i-m-not-fall-in-love-with-you/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [Worry may not change the outcome, but it definately affects the outlook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/worry-may-not-change-the-outcome-but-it-definately-affects-the-outlook/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [Sometimes divulging your vulnerabilities without any kind of filter can make you more human, but then again, it can also provide material that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/sometimes-divulging-your-vulnerabilities-without-any-kind-of-filter/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [The truth is, those people we feel drawn to most might not be intended as love interests, but rather as life-changing, life-altering presences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/the-truth-is-those-people-we-feel-drawn-to-most-might-not-be-intended/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [Sometimes it's the things that are all around us that are hardest to see, especially love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/sometimes-it-s-the-things-that-are-all-around-us-that-are-hardest-to/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [Talk is cheap. If it wasn't, people might not toss around 'I love you' like a marked-down phrase in a sales bin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/talk-is-cheap-if-it-wasn-t-people-might-not-toss-around-i-love-you/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [“What doesn't kill you, makes you paranoid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/what-doesn-t-kill-you-makes-you-paranoid/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [“She would never, she thought, be allowed to enjoy a moments pleasure without an eternity of pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/she-would-never-she-thought-be-allowed-to-enjoy-a-moments-pleasure/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [It's not the time we spend but how we spend the time that truly tells our story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/it-s-not-the-time-we-spend-but-how-we-spend-the-time-that-truly-tells/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) [Explore all 54 Tonya Hurley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) ## More Distracted quotes > [Life is Too Short to be Distracted by the Opinions of Others.. Live it the way you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/life-is-too-short-to-be-distracted-by-the-opinions-of-others-live-it/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [One reason why my memory decays is that I have three cats, all so loving and insistent that they play cat's-cradle with every train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/one-reason-why-my-memory-decays-is-that-i-have-three-cats-all-so/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [“You’ve so distracted me, your absence fans my love. Don’t ask how. Then you come near. “Do not…” I say, and “Do not…,” you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/you-ve-so-distracted-me-your-absence-fans-my-love-don-t-ask-how-then/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“A distracted mind cannot build a disciplined life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glody-kikonga/a-distracted-mind-cannot-build-a-disciplined-life/) [Glody Kikonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glody-kikonga/) > [He was distracted by a giggle, and turned to see a rare sight: a girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/he-was-distracted-by-a-giggle-and-turned-to-see-a-rare-sight-a-girl/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [One should not be too distracted by definitions. Ideas transcend definitions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/one-should-not-be-too-distracted-by-definitions-ideas-transcend/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I would make a genuinely terrible guide. I can't remember things. I would get half way through telling a story or explaining something and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-would-make-a-genuinely-terrible-guide-i-can-t-remember-things-i/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [We are distracted from our greatness because are greatness is what scares us. Right where you are…God is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/we-are-distracted-from-our-greatness-because-are-greatness-is-what/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [The more you focus on yourself, the more distracted you will be from the proper path. The more you know Him and commune with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-more-you-focus-on-yourself-the-more-distracted-you-will-be-from/) [John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [One of the things we've seen here is how easy it is for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to get distracted from dealing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/one-of-the-things-we-ve-seen-here-is-how-easy-it-is-for-barack-obama/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [You cannot control your own population by force, but it can be distracted by consumption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/you-cannot-control-your-own-population-by-force-but-it-can-be/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“She thinks I am easily distracted when I drive. There were a few fender benders, but she doesn’t actually realize I was playing bumper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-ann-lunsford/she-thinks-i-am-easily-distracted-when-i-drive-there-were-a-few/) [Leigh Ann Lunsford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-ann-lunsford/) > [I dipped into his brain. He wasn't happy that I wasn't wearing a bra, because my boobs distracted him. He was thinking I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/i-dipped-into-his-brain-he-wasn-t-happy-that-i-wasn-t-wearing-a-bra/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-crosby/it-seemed-intended-by-the-blessed-providence-of-god-that-i-should-be/) [Fanny Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-crosby/) [Browse all 593 Distracted quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distracted/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are often so distracted by the internal war between what we want to do and what we have to do that we overlook what we need to do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tonya Hurley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/we-are-often-so-distracted-by-the-internal-war-between-what-we-want/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Distracted" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/we-are-often-so-distracted-by-the-internal-war-between-what-we-want/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/tonya-hurley-10658_distracted_we-are-often-so-distracted-by-the-intern_1381866.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/tonya-hurley-10658_distracted_we-are-often-so-distracted-by-the-intern_1381866.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/tonya-hurley-10658_distracted_we-are-often-so-distracted-by-the-intern_1381866.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are often so distracted by the internal war between what we want to do and what we have to do that we…” — Tonya Hurley", "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": "Tonya Hurley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are often so distracted by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/we-are-often-so-distracted-by-the-internal-war-between-what-we-want/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/we-are-often-so-distracted-by-the-internal-war-between-what-we-want/#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 } } ] } ```