---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In other searchings it might be the…"
description: "\"In other searchings it might be the object of the quest that brought satisfaction, or it might be something incidental that one got on the way; but in ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/willa-cather-634_adventure_in-other-searchings-it-might-be-the-obje_752622.png"
---

#  In other searchings it might be the object of the quest…

![“In other searchings it might be the object of the quest that brought satisfaction, or it might be something incidental that one got on the way; but in religion, desire was fulfilment, it was the seeking itself that rewarded.” quote by Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/willa-cather-634_adventure_in-other-searchings-it-might-be-the-obje_752622.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/willa-cather-634_adventure_in-other-searchings-it-might-be-the-obje_752622.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/willa-cather-634_adventure_in-other-searchings-it-might-be-the-obje_752622.png)

> “In other searchings it might be the object of the quest that brought satisfaction, or it might be something incidental that one got on the way; but in religion, desire was fulfilment, it was the seeking itself that rewarded.”

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

## About This Quote

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

Desire is fulfilled by the act of seeking, not just the object achieved; the quest itself provides satisfaction.

**In simple terms:** Seeking itself brings fulfillment.

Key Takeaway

Value the journey, not just the goal.

Themes

desire quest spirituality

Mood

reflective inspired

Type

philosophical spiritual

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- spiritual practice
- creative projects

Key Concepts

existentialism process orientation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does focusing on the process change outcomes?
- What rewards arise from the act of seeking?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Fulfilment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfilment/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Satisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfaction/)

## Related quotes

> [“No human had ever seen an adult giant squid alive, and though they had eyes as big as apples to scope the dark of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-desai/no-human-had-ever-seen-an-adult-giant-squid-alive-and-though-they-had/)

[kiran desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-desai/)

> [There is a great interest in comparative religion and a desire to understand faiths other than our own and even to experiment with exotic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-greene-balch/there-is-a-great-interest-in-comparative-religion-and-a-desire-to/)

[Emily Greene Balch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-greene-balch/)

> [The human soul is hungry for beauty; we seek it everywhere - in landscape, music, art, clothes, furniture, gardening, companionship, love, religion, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/the-human-soul-is-hungry-for-beauty-we-seek-it-everywhere-in/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [Man seeks to learn, and man kills himself because of the loss of cohesion in his religious society; he does not kill himself because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-durkheim/man-seeks-to-learn-and-man-kills-himself-because-of-the-loss-of/)

[Emile Durkheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-durkheim/)

> [“Religion is, in reality, living. Our religion is not what we profess, or what we say, or what we proclaim; our religion is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-d-forbes/religion-is-in-reality-living-our-religion-is-not-what-we-profess-or/)

[Jack D. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-d-forbes/)

> [Nature is my religion. And my desire...my ambition...the great goal I wish to achieve is to take my readers with me into the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-oliver-curwood/nature-is-my-religion-and-my-desire-my-ambition-the-great-goal-i-wish/)

[James Oliver Curwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-oliver-curwood/)

> [Morality is the fruit of religion: to desire the former without the latter is to desire an orange without an orange-tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philibert-joseph-roux/morality-is-the-fruit-of-religion-to-desire-the-former-without-the/)

[Philibert Joseph Roux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philibert-joseph-roux/)

> [I always thought the appeal for vampires are the same as religion, the desire to avoid death and live forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bentley-little/i-always-thought-the-appeal-for-vampires-are-the-same-as-religion-the/)

[Bentley Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bentley-little/)

> [Some of the most beautiful and fulfilling things in life are often things that we have very little understanding of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-of-the-most-beautiful-and-fulfilling-things-in-life-are-often/)

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

> [“Love provides much needed warmth .. Excess of it would essentially mean burning .. Responsibility will turn love into enchantment .. And respect will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandeep-sahajpal/love-provides-much-needed-warmth-excess-of-it-would-essentially-mean/)

[Sandeep Sahajpal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandeep-sahajpal/)

> [“Time is the greatest enemy of fulfilment .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osunsakin-adewale/time-is-the-greatest-enemy-of-fulfilment/)

[Osunsakin Adewale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osunsakin-adewale/)

> [People think at the end of the day that a man is the only answer to fulfillment. Actually a job is better for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-diana/people-think-at-the-end-of-the-day-that-a-man-is-the-only-answer-to/)

[Princess Diana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-diana/)

> [“Businesses create real value if they drive the fulfilment for other people. The true definition of leadership.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-toume/businesses-create-real-value-if-they-drive-the-fulfilment-for-other/)

[kamil Toume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-toume/)

> [Whatever discipline you exercise should be based on the goal your child is eventually to reach, namely, freedom and happiness. I would show him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/whatever-discipline-you-exercise-should-be-based-on-the-goal-your/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [“Curiosity improved the cat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-nankivell/curiosity-improved-the-cat/)

Brandon Nankivell

## More by Willa Cather

> [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Success is less interesting than struggle. There is great pleasure in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/success-is-less-interesting-than-struggle-there-is-great-pleasure-in/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [“I only knew the schoolbooks said he "died in the wilderness, of a broken heart." "More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/i-only-knew-the-schoolbooks-said-he-died-in-the-wilderness-of-a/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [“Have the last word ma'm," he said cheerfully. "It's a lady's privilege.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/have-the-last-word-ma-m-he-said-cheerfully-it-s-a-lady-s-privilege/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> ["More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly, and the girls murmured assent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/more-than-him-has-done-that-said-antonia-sadly-and-the-girls-murmured/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Nothing mattered ... but writing books, and living the kind of life that made it possible to write them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/nothing-mattered-but-writing-books-and-living-the-kind-of-life-that/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [“Money and office and success are the consolations of impotence. Fortune turns kind to such solid people and lets them suck their bone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/money-and-office-and-success-are-the-consolations-of-impotence/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [But she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/but-she-still-had-that-something-which-fires-the-imagination-could/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [“You remember how homesick I used to get, and what long talks we used to have coming from school? We've someway always felt alike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/you-remember-how-homesick-i-used-to-get-and-what-long-talks-we-used/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [“He placed this book in my grandmother's hands, looked at her entreatingly, and said, with an earnestness which I shall never forget, "Te-e-ach, te-e-ach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/he-placed-this-book-in-my-grandmother-s-hands-looked-at-her/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [The sincerity of feeling that is possible between a writer and a reader is one of the finest things I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-sincerity-of-feeling-that-is-possible-between-a-writer-and-a/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Our tree became the talking tree of the fairy tale; legends and stories nestled like birds in its branches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/our-tree-became-the-talking-tree-of-the-fairy-tale-legends-and/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [“Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-three-human-stories-and-they-go/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

[Explore all 434 Willa Cather quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

## More Adventure quotes

> [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/)

[Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/)

> [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/)

[Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

> [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/)

Jessica Yu

> [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/)

Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless

> [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/)

[Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/)

Kevin McLeod

> [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/)

[John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/)

> [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/)

[D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/)

> [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/)

[Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/)

> [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

[Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In other searchings it might be the object of the quest that brought satisfaction, or it might be something incidental that one got on the way; but in religion, desire was fulfilment, it was the seeking itself that rewarded.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Willa Cather"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/in-other-searchings-it-might-be-the-object-of-the-quest-that-brought/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adventure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/in-other-searchings-it-might-be-the-object-of-the-quest-that-brought/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/willa-cather-634_adventure_in-other-searchings-it-might-be-the-obje_752622.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/willa-cather-634_adventure_in-other-searchings-it-might-be-the-obje_752622.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/willa-cather-634_adventure_in-other-searchings-it-might-be-the-obje_752622.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In other searchings it might be the object of the quest that brought satisfaction, or it might be something…” — Willa Cather",
                "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": "Willa Cather",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In other searchings it might be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/in-other-searchings-it-might-be-the-object-of-the-quest-that-brought/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/in-other-searchings-it-might-be-the-object-of-the-quest-that-brought/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
