--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We wish to become one thing or another…" description: "\"We wish to become one thing or another, rather we wish to become everything and in this pursuit of becoming everything we only end up becoming idiots.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/wasif-ali-wasif-21884_becoming_we-wish-to-become-one-thing-or-another-r_1516764.png" --- # We wish to become one thing or another, rather we wish to… ![“We wish to become one thing or another, rather we wish to become everything and in this pursuit of becoming everything we only end up becoming idiots.” quote by Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/wasif-ali-wasif-21884_becoming_we-wish-to-become-one-thing-or-another-r_1516764.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/wasif-ali-wasif-21884_becoming_we-wish-to-become-one-thing-or-another-r_1516764.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/wasif-ali-wasif-21884_becoming_we-wish-to-become-one-thing-or-another-r_1516764.png) > “We wish to become one thing or another, rather we wish to become everything and in this pursuit of becoming everything we only end up becoming idiots.” [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chasing endless ambitions often leads to superficiality and loss of wisdom. **In simple terms:** Trying to be everything makes us foolish. Key Takeaway Focus on depth rather than breadth. Themes ambition wisdom identity Mood thoughtful cautionary Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - spiritual practice Key Concepts philosophy existentialism self‑knowledge Questions to Reflect On - What does “everything” mean to you? - How can you balance breadth with depth? A Different Perspective Specialization can limit adaptability and creative synthesis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [Every day, every birthday candle I blow out, every penny I throw over my shoulder in a wishing well, every time my daughter says,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-russo/every-day-every-birthday-candle-i-blow-out-every-penny-i-throw-over/) [Rene Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-russo/) > [Our friends are generally ready to do everything for us, except the very thing we wish them to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/our-friends-are-generally-ready-to-do-everything-for-us-except-the/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [I had this one little boy one time do this same thing I wish he was here with me now :/](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savannah-j/i-had-this-one-little-boy-one-time-do-this-same-thing-i-wish-he-was/) [Savannah J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savannah-j/) > [Your the one that I stay up all night thinking about,coming up with cute thing that I wish could happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zaynab/your-the-one-that-i-stay-up-all-night-thinking-about-coming-up-with/) [Zaynab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zaynab/) > [If there's one thing I could wish for right now, it would be to have one of those horses from the merry-go-round - they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-mailman/if-there-s-one-thing-i-could-wish-for-right-now-it-would-be-to-have/) [Deborah Mailman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-mailman/) > [Family is the best thing you could ever wish for. They are there for you during the ups and downs, and love you no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-is-the-best-thing-you-could-ever-wish-for-they-are-there-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“After a minute I leaned back, elbows on the table, and looked up for the twinkle of the first star in the evening sky.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessi-kirby/after-a-minute-i-leaned-back-elbows-on-the-table-and-looked-up-for/) [Jessi Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessi-kirby/) > [Getting one thing done is either a wish of fool or an application of wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/create-your/getting-one-thing-done-is-either-a-wish-of-fool-or-an-application-of/) Create Your > [Life is magical and I guess my thing is I wish that people wanted that magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/life-is-magical-and-i-guess-my-thing-is-i-wish-that-people-wanted/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [My friend, if I could give you one thing, I would wish for you the ability to see yourself as others see you. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-a-billingsly/my-friend-if-i-could-give-you-one-thing-i-would-wish-for-you-the/) B A Billingsly > [If I could wish one thing, Id hear you call my name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/if-i-could-wish-one-thing-id-hear-you-call-my-name/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [I do not know that ever I desired anything earnestly in my life but 'twas denied me, and I am many times afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-osborne/i-do-not-know-that-ever-i-desired-anything-earnestly-in-my-life-but/) [Dorothy Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-osborne/) > [When I take my last breath, will there be a wish that I had more stuff? I'll wish for only one thing, I think.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-beavan/when-i-take-my-last-breath-will-there-be-a-wish-that-i-had-more-stuff/) [Colin Beavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-beavan/) > [Everyday at 11:11 I wish for the same thing- you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyday-at-11-11-i-wish-for-the-same-thing-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish there was such a thing as reincarnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evel-knievel/i-wish-there-was-such-a-thing-as-reincarnation/) [Evel Knievel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evel-knievel/) ## More by Wasif Ali Wasif > [Do not destroy anybody's peace. You will find peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/do-not-destroy-anybody-s-peace-you-will-find-peace/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [“If a society has no moral foundations then success is a threat. Every successful person thinks everyone else is a failure, and this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/if-a-society-has-no-moral-foundations-then-success-is-a-threat-every/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [When the child is ill, the mother will know how to pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/when-the-child-is-ill-the-mother-will-know-how-to-pray/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [“As long as man was in the moolight he desired to reach the moon…there was bliss in the moonlight but the moon itself was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/as-long-as-man-was-in-the-moolight-he-desired-to-reach-the-moon-there/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [The period before the dawn of knowledge is called the age of darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/the-period-before-the-dawn-of-knowledge-is-called-the-age-of-darkness/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [The ocean sleeps. The ocean wakes. And the waking of the ocean is the waking of the soul. At midnight wakefulness springs from within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/the-ocean-sleeps-the-ocean-wakes-and-the-waking-of-the-ocean-is-the/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [When the eye becomes the heart, the heart becomes the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/when-the-eye-becomes-the-heart-the-heart-becomes-the-eye/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [“Sleep is the boundary between being/existence and not-being/non-existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/sleep-is-the-boundary-between-being-existence-and-not-being-non/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [“Life is not only Newton, it is also Milton.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/life-is-not-only-newton-it-is-also-milton/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [In order to spend out our time (life) we sell some of this time. We work for someone, we labour. In freedom we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/in-order-to-spend-out-our-time-life-we-sell-some-of-this-time-we-work/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [He who has no light in his heart, what will he gain from the festival of lamps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/he-who-has-no-light-in-his-heart-what-will-he-gain-from-the-festival/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [In love, there is no distinction between success and failure. If love remains then even separation is union otherwise even union is separation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/in-love-there-is-no-distinction-between-success-and-failure-if-love/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [The world is ancient, but it has not lost its newness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/the-world-is-ancient-but-it-has-not-lost-its-newness/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [Investigation after declaration of submission leads astray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/investigation-after-declaration-of-submission-leads-astray/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [“The Choice of a purpose is more important than success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/the-choice-of-a-purpose-is-more-important-than-success/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) [Explore all 28 Wasif Ali Wasif quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) ## More Becoming quotes > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [When other boys dreamt of going to the moon or becoming doctors, I wanted to be a designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/when-other-boys-dreamt-of-going-to-the-moon-or-becoming-doctors-i/) [Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/) > [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [I'm getting to a point where everything is becoming streamlined in my life. I'm learning how to stand onstage for two hours and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-getting-to-a-point-where-everything-is-becoming-streamlined-in-my/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/) Christopher Wood > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. 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