--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Choose one thing you care about and…" description: "\"“Choose one thing you care about and resolve to do it well. Whether you succeed or not, you will be the better for the effort.”\" — William Alexander" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/william-alexander-38429_hard-work_choose-one-thing-you-care-about-and-reso_1920511.jpg" --- # Choose one thing you care about and resolve to do it well… ![“Choose one thing you care about and resolve to do it well. Whether you succeed or not, you will be the better for the effort.” quote by William Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/william-alexander-38429_hard-work_choose-one-thing-you-care-about-and-reso_1920511.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/william-alexander-38429_hard-work_choose-one-thing-you-care-about-and-reso_1920511.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/william-alexander-38429_hard-work_choose-one-thing-you-care-about-and-reso_1920511.jpg) > ““Choose one thing you care about and resolve to do it well. Whether you succeed or not, you will be the better for the effort.”” [William Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on one passion, strive for excellence, growth follows effort. **In simple terms:** Pick a passion, do it well. Key Takeaway Commit to mastery. Themes focus passion effort growth Mood motivational inspirational Type self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - career - hobbies - education - creative projects Key Concepts skill development personal excellence Questions to Reflect On - What passion will you choose? - How will you measure improvement? A Different Perspective Success not guaranteed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-effort-415261/) [Choose Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-thing-642521/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Resolve Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resolve-succeed-2946219/) [Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed/) [Succeed Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed-better-1124109/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [I believe that anyone can become better,if you put in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-thorne/i-believe-that-anyone-can-become-better-if-you-put-in-the-effort/) [Bella Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-thorne/) > [“These friends didn’t take away my resolve to succeed as I’d feared. They made me stronger. •”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-benedict/these-friends-didn-t-take-away-my-resolve-to-succeed-as-i-d-feared/) [Marie Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-benedict/) > [I don’t mind failing, but if I succeed it better be worth succeeding for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/i-don-t-mind-failing-but-if-i-succeed-it-better-be-worth-succeeding/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [The path of progress is seldom smooth. New things are often found hard to do. Our fathers found them so. We find them so.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mckinley/the-path-of-progress-is-seldom-smooth-new-things-are-often-found-hard/) [William McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mckinley/) > [When intelligent people pride themselves on not understanding, it is quite natural they should succeed better than fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/when-intelligent-people-pride-themselves-on-not-understanding-it-is/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [You will never succeed while smarting under the drudgery of your occupation, if you are constantly haunted with the idea that you could succeed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/you-will-never-succeed-while-smarting-under-the-drudgery-of-your/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“KEY TAKEAWAYS •You may be born to sell, but a will to succeed is even better. •What goes around, comes around—you never know when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-green/key-takeaways-you-may-be-born-to-sell-but-a-will-to-succeed-is-even/) [Bill Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-green/) > [...an imperfect plan implemented immediately and violently will always succeed better than a perfect plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/an-imperfect-plan-implemented-immediately-and-violently-will-always/) [George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/) > [“Yet what kind of choice is free when to choose one thing over the other brings condemnation? How is “free will” free when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/yet-what-kind-of-choice-is-free-when-to-choose-one-thing-over-the/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [“People mess up, you know? But you can’t see past it. It’s like you choose one thing about them—the worst thing—and say, ‘That’s who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-skilton/people-mess-up-you-know-but-you-can-t-see-past-it-it-s-like-you/) [Sarah Skilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-skilton/) > [“You can't have them all! That's not how things works in this world, you have to choose one thing that you want, and sacrifice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calista/you-can-t-have-them-all-that-s-not-how-things-works-in-this-world-you/) [calista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calista/) > [I'm really good at window shopping, or I'll go into a store and just choose one thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mirai-nagasu/i-m-really-good-at-window-shopping-or-i-ll-go-into-a-store-and-just/) [Mirai Nagasu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mirai-nagasu/) > [As an artist I'd choose the thing that's beautiful more than the one that's true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/as-an-artist-i-d-choose-the-thing-that-s-beautiful-more-than-the-one/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [“You don't have to choose one thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilie-wapnick/you-don-t-have-to-choose-one-thing/) [Emilie Wapnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilie-wapnick/) > [“Make up your mind, yaar, choose one thing.' 'How can I? I'm just a human being,' he replied”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohinton-mistry/make-up-your-mind-yaar-choose-one-thing-how-can-i-i-m-just-a-human/) [Rohinton Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohinton-mistry/) ## More by William Alexander > [The white sail of his soul has rounded the promontory - death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander/the-white-sail-of-his-soul-has-rounded-the-promontory-death/) [William Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) > [“Our selves are are rough and unrehearsed tales we tell the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander/our-selves-are-are-rough-and-unrehearsed-tales-we-tell-the-world/) [William Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) > [Earth teach me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life. Earth teach me resignation as the leaves which die in the fall.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander/earth-teach-me-to-forget-myself-as-melted-snow-forgets-its-life-earth/) [William Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) > [“We have to remember that the way things are is not the only possible way that they could be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander/we-have-to-remember-that-the-way-things-are-is-not-the-only-possible/) [william Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) > [“The nice thing about baking alone in the kitchen before dawn is that you can talk to yourself like a crazy person and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander/the-nice-thing-about-baking-alone-in-the-kitchen-before-dawn-is-that/) [William Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) > [“Backstage was chaos distilled into a very small space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander/backstage-was-chaos-distilled-into-a-very-small-space/) [William Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) > [“Hawthorne ends the story this way: 'He failed to look beyond the shadowy scope of time, and, living once for all in eternity, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander/hawthorne-ends-the-story-this-way-he-failed-to-look-beyond-the/) [William Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) > [Yet with great toil all that I can attain by long experience, and in learned schools, is for to know my knowledge is but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander/yet-with-great-toil-all-that-i-can-attain-by-long-experience-and-in/) [William Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) > [“Bread is life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander/bread-is-life/) [William Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) > [Things could be worse. Suppose your errors were counted and published everyday, like those of a baseball player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander/things-could-be-worse-suppose-your-errors-were-counted-and-published/) [William Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) > [“I’m lecturing my class last week. In the English language, I tell them, a double negative forms a positive. However, in some languages, such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander/i-m-lecturing-my-class-last-week-in-the-english-language-i-tell-them/) [William Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) [Explore all 12 William Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander/) ## More Hard work quotes > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [High school, going into my junior year, I kind of had the idea I was going to be the starting running back. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saquon-barkley/high-school-going-into-my-junior-year-i-kind-of-had-the-idea-i-was/) [Saquon Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saquon-barkley/) > [Now I try to make efforts, you know, I'm just, the best effort I can do is just stay sober myself. I can at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dick/now-i-try-to-make-efforts-you-know-i-m-just-the-best-effort-i-can-do/) [Andy Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dick/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) > [Hard work and a good education will take you further than any government program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-schock/hard-work-and-a-good-education-will-take-you-further-than-any/) [Aaron Schock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-schock/) > [I got the reputation of being hard to work with. It has been hard for me to get rid of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-morgan/i-got-the-reputation-of-being-hard-to-work-with-it-has-been-hard-for/) [Lorrie Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-morgan/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know that I'm going to have to work hard, keep working hard, and not because of this victory think, "I'm back." I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-clijsters/i-know-that-i-m-going-to-have-to-work-hard-keep-working-hard-and-not/) [Kim Clijsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-clijsters/) > [If you don't meet luck halfway with really hard work, luck won't get you all the way there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asia-kate-dillon/if-you-don-t-meet-luck-halfway-with-really-hard-work-luck-won-t-get/) [Asia Kate Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asia-kate-dillon/) > [Forgive me for noting that conservatives seem to believe that the rich will work harder if we give them more, and the poor will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-dionne/forgive-me-for-noting-that-conservatives-seem-to-believe-that-the/) [E. J. 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