--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: WHAT DO YOU WANT out of life?" description: "\"“WHAT DO YOU WANT out of life?”\" — William B. Irvine" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/william-b-irvine-29486_life_what-do-you-want-out-of-life-1547099_1547099.jpg" --- # WHAT DO YOU WANT out of life? ![“WHAT DO YOU WANT out of life?” quote by William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/william-b-irvine-29486_life_what-do-you-want-out-of-life-1547099_1547099.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/william-b-irvine-29486_life_what-do-you-want-out-of-life-1547099_1547099.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/william-b-irvine-29486_life_what-do-you-want-out-of-life-1547099_1547099.jpg) > ““WHAT DO YOU WANT out of life?”” [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Clarifying personal desires is essential for purposeful living and goal setting. **In simple terms:** Know what you truly want to live purposefully. Key Takeaway Reflect on values, set aligned goals. Themes philosophy purpose self-awareness Mood thoughtful motivational Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - career planning - relationship goals - health aspirations - creative projects Key Concepts stoicism goal theory Questions to Reflect On - What truly matters to you now? - How do you differentiate wants from needs? A Different Perspective Desires can be fleeting; constant reassessment needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-life/) ## Related quotes > [What do you want for your life? And how are you going to get it? Figure that out. And then follow me to gloryville.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-ellis/what-do-you-want-for-your-life-and-how-are-you-going-to-get-it-figure/) [Jason Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-ellis/) > [“You can do anything you want in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-vickers/you-can-do-anything-you-want-in-life/) [Lee Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-vickers/) > [I've always lived my life fearlessly, and what I want to do with my life, I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-taylor-wood/i-ve-always-lived-my-life-fearlessly-and-what-i-want-to-do-with-my/) [Sam Taylor-Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-taylor-wood/) > [The vast majority of people are born, grow up, struggle and go through life in misery and failure, not realizing that it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-vast-majority-of-people-are-born-grow-up-struggle-and-go-through/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [“What pain do you want in your life? What are you willing to struggle for?” Because that seems to be a greater determinant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/what-pain-do-you-want-in-your-life-what-are-you-willing-to-struggle/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [I may not have everything I want in life but I have all I will ever need to make my life complete, my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-may-not-have-everything-i-want-in-life-but-i-have-all-i-will-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You work hard for what you want in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/you-work-hard-for-what-you-want-in-life/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [“What do you want? Let’s just start with the basics. Write down anything that you want in your life. These can be big or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brodie/what-do-you-want-let-s-just-start-with-the-basics-write-down-anything/) [Richard Brodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brodie/) > [“Whatever you want in life, do one thing every day which brings you a little closer towards attainment of your goal. Even if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeeshan-raza/whatever-you-want-in-life-do-one-thing-every-day-which-brings-you-a/) [Zeeshan Raza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeeshan-raza/) > [“We don’t always get what we want out of life. It’s how we handle what’s left that matters. – Matt Jacobs (hero)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-borrill/we-don-t-always-get-what-we-want-out-of-life-it-s-how-we-handle-what/) [Lori Borrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-borrill/) > [I don't want to live off the credit of taking fights. 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And that means paying attention to my entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel/i-want-my-whole-life-to-be-a-great-work-of-art-not-just-my-art-and/) [Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel/) > [You make choice's about your life if you want to life or die sometimes I think I feel like dying because know one care's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skrillex/you-make-choice-s-about-your-life-if-you-want-to-life-or-die/) [Skrillex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skrillex/) > [It's really hard coming of age in today's society, where society wants you to make the decision of what you want to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rooney-mara/it-s-really-hard-coming-of-age-in-today-s-society-where-society-wants/) [Rooney Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rooney-mara/) > [“We can’t always have what we want in life. I should know that by now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/we-can-t-always-have-what-we-want-in-life-i-should-know-that-by-now/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) ## More by William B. Irvine > [“Pre-Socratic philosophy begins ... with the discovery of Nature; Socratic philosophy begins with the discovery of man's soul."3”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/pre-socratic-philosophy-begins-with-the-discovery-of-nature-socratic/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“According to Seneca, “A man is as wretched as he has convinced himself that he is.” He therefore recommends that we “do away with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/according-to-seneca-a-man-is-as-wretched-as-he-has-convinced-himself/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“For the Stoics, however, the near impossibility of becoming a sage is not a problem. They talk about sages primarily so they will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/for-the-stoics-however-the-near-impossibility-of-becoming-a-sage-is/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“Indeed, pursuing pleasure, Seneca warns, is like pursuing a wild beast: On being captured, it can turn on us and tear us to pieces.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/indeed-pursuing-pleasure-seneca-warns-is-like-pursuing-a-wild-beast/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“Your primary desire, says Epictetus, should be your desire not to be frustrated by forming desires you won’t be able to fulfill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/your-primary-desire-says-epictetus-should-be-your-desire-not-to-be/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“reason tends to be the servant rather than the master of desire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/reason-tends-to-be-the-servant-rather-than-the-master-of-desire/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“Whenever you undertake an activity in which public failure is a possibility, you are likely to experience butterflies in your stomach. I mentioned above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/whenever-you-undertake-an-activity-in-which-public-failure-is-a/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“They warn us to be careful in choosing our associates; other people, after all, have the power to shatter our tranquility—if we let them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/they-warn-us-to-be-careful-in-choosing-our-associates-other-people/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“Stoic tranquility was a psychological state marked by the absence of negative emotions, such as grief, anger, and anxiety, and the presence of positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/stoic-tranquility-was-a-psychological-state-marked-by-the-absence-of/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“Before Socrates, philosophers were primarily interested in explaining the world around them and the phenomena of that world—in doing what we would now call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/before-socrates-philosophers-were-primarily-interested-in-explaining/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“the art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.”46”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/the-art-of-living-is-more-like-wrestling-than-dancing-46/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“he is blessed who dies not late but well.”) It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/he-is-blessed-who-dies-not-late-but-well-it/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“If you refuse to enter contests that you are capable of losing, you will never lose a contest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/if-you-refuse-to-enter-contests-that-you-are-capable-of-losing-you/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“Throughout the millennia and across cultures, those who have thought carefully about desire have drawn the conclusion that spending our days working to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/throughout-the-millennia-and-across-cultures-those-who-have-thought/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“My time is coming, I told myself, and I must do what I can to prepare for it. T”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/my-time-is-coming-i-told-myself-and-i-must-do-what-i-can-to-prepare/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) [Explore all 18 William B. Irvine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [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/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“WHAT DO YOU WANT out of life?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William B. 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