--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The things that one most wants to do are…" description: "\"The things that one most wants to do are the things that are probably most worth doing.\" — Winifred Holtby" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/winifred-holtby-10595_worth-doing_the-things-that-one-most-wants-to-do-are_1270779.png" --- # The things that one most wants to do are the things that… ![“The things that one most wants to do are the things that are probably most worth doing.” quote by Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/winifred-holtby-10595_worth-doing_the-things-that-one-most-wants-to-do-are_1270779.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/winifred-holtby-10595_worth-doing_the-things-that-one-most-wants-to-do-are_1270779.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/winifred-holtby-10595_worth-doing_the-things-that-one-most-wants-to-do-are_1270779.png) > “The things that one most wants to do are the things that are probably most worth doing.” [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pursuing what we deeply desire often aligns with what is most valuable. **In simple terms:** Desire often signals worth. Key Takeaway Follow your strongest urges. Themes purpose value motivation Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career choices - creative projects - personal growth - risk taking Key Concepts Existentialism humanism Questions to Reflect On - What truly matters beyond immediate desire? - How to balance impulse with long‑term impact? A Different Perspective Desire can be misled by fleeting passions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [The things one wants the most, are not things after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronique-vienne/the-things-one-wants-the-most-are-not-things-after-all/) [Veronique Vienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronique-vienne/) > [“If you're only doing it for the money, it's probably not worth doing to begin with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mcleish/if-you-re-only-doing-it-for-the-money-it-s-probably-not-worth-doing/) Ben McLeish > [Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/anything-that-gets-your-blood-racing-is-probably-worth-doing/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Living in New York City gives people real incentives to want things that nobody else wants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/living-in-new-york-city-gives-people-real-incentives-to-want-things/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [“But didn't everyone get everything? Hadn't they had enough yet? Everything on earth is tailored for this everyone. Everyone gets all the TV programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/but-didn-t-everyone-get-everything-hadn-t-they-had-enough-yet/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [God only allows us to see such things when he wants something to change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/god-only-allows-us-to-see-such-things-when-he-wants-something-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I'm not going to feel guilty for wanting the things that everyone wants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/i-m-not-going-to-feel-guilty-for-wanting-the-things-that-everyone/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-girl-should-be-two-things-who-and-what-she-wants/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is necessary that the coach has things as he wants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul/it-is-necessary-that-the-coach-has-things-as-he-wants/) [Raul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul/) > [“You are the only person I've ever met who goes the other direction from the things she wants”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-lynn-anderson/you-are-the-only-person-i-ve-ever-met-who-goes-the-other-direction/) [Jodi Lynn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-lynn-anderson/) > [“The inventor...looks upon the world and is not contented with things as they are. 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I find your happiness painful. What matters is that happiness - the golden day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/you-are-quite-quite-wrong-if-you-think-that-i-find-your-happiness/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [Love needs the stiffening of respect, the give and take of equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/love-needs-the-stiffening-of-respect-the-give-and-take-of-equality/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [Sorrow and frustration have their power. The world is moved by people with great discontents. Happiness is a drug. It can make men blind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/sorrow-and-frustration-have-their-power-the-world-is-moved-by-people/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [There's never been a lack of men willing to die bravely. The trouble is to find a few able to live sensibly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/there-s-never-been-a-lack-of-men-willing-to-die-bravely-the-trouble/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [I advise nobody to drown sorrow in cocoa. It is bad for the figure and it does not alleviate the sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/i-advise-nobody-to-drown-sorrow-in-cocoa-it-is-bad-for-the-figure-and/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [What a strange distance there is between ill people and well ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/what-a-strange-distance-there-is-between-ill-people-and-well-ones/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [The crown of life is neither happiness nor annihilation; it is understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/the-crown-of-life-is-neither-happiness-nor-annihilation-it-is/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [public work brings a vicarious but assured sense of immortality. We may be poor, weak, timid, in debt to our landlady, bullied by our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/public-work-brings-a-vicarious-but-assured-sense-of-immortality-we/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [Everybody's tragedy is somebody's nuisance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/everybody-s-tragedy-is-somebody-s-nuisance/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [I can't think why I was cursed with this inordinate desire to write, if the high gods weren't going to give me some more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/i-can-t-think-why-i-was-cursed-with-this-inordinate-desire-to-write/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [If you are rich, you have lovely cars, and jars full of flowers, and books in rows, and a wireless, and the best sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/if-you-are-rich-you-have-lovely-cars-and-jars-full-of-flowers-and/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [What with the reviews of critics, the sarcasms of one's friends, the reproaches of one's own taste, there's precious little peace after publishing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/what-with-the-reviews-of-critics-the-sarcasms-of-one-s-friends-the/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [If we haven't a grouch against Fortune, we seem unable to avoid one against ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/if-we-haven-t-a-grouch-against-fortune-we-seem-unable-to-avoid-one/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [The world, with all its beauty and adventure, its richness and variety, is darkened by cruelty. Death, if it ends the loveliness, the adventure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/the-world-with-all-its-beauty-and-adventure-its-richness-and-variety/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) [Explore all 64 Winifred Holtby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) ## More Worth Doing quotes > [Anything worth doing is probably not easy, but the rewards are worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anything-worth-doing-is-probably-not-easy-but-the-rewards-are-worth-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In a sport that's as close as tennis, I feel like anything that you can do to give yourself an edge is definitely worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-anderson/in-a-sport-that-s-as-close-as-tennis-i-feel-like-anything-that-you/) [Kevin Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-anderson/) > [“Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/anything-worth-doing-is-worth-doing-badly/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Anything worth doing is going to be difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fauja-singh/anything-worth-doing-is-going-to-be-difficult/) [Fauja Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fauja-singh/) > [ The thing most worth doing in this modern world \[is to\] create jobs that men can work at, and be proud of, and make… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevil-shute/the-thing-most-worth-doing-in-this-modern-world-is-to-create-jobs/) [Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/) > [An experiment not worth doing is not worth doing well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/an-experiment-not-worth-doing-is-not-worth-doing-well/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [Things that are worth doing are never easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jericho/things-that-are-worth-doing-are-never-easy/) [Chris Jericho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jericho/) > [There's only one thing more important... and that is, after you've done what you set out to do, to feel that it's been worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/there-s-only-one-thing-more-important-and-that-is-after-you-ve-done/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [To do anything truly worth doing, I must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in with gusto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/to-do-anything-truly-worth-doing-i-must-not-stand-back-shivering-and/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-it-s-worth-doing-it-s-worth-doing-well/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [All I would say is that when I've been very down or having kind of a tough time in my life, certain films or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-friend/all-i-would-say-is-that-when-i-ve-been-very-down-or-having-kind-of-a/) [Rupert Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-friend/) > [Anything worth doing does not have to be done perfectly - at first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/anything-worth-doing-does-not-have-to-be-done-perfectly-at-first/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [Anything worth doing hurts a little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/anything-worth-doing-hurts-a-little/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [Something worth doing might take a while, so really flesh out the potential of the business and be honest about whether it's worth doing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-heiferman/something-worth-doing-might-take-a-while-so-really-flesh-out-the/) [Scott Heiferman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-heiferman/) > [What is worth doing is worth the trouble of asking somebody to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/what-is-worth-doing-is-worth-the-trouble-of-asking-somebody-to-do-it/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) Browse all 250 Worth Doing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The things that one most wants to do are the things that are probably most worth doing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Winifred Holtby" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/the-things-that-one-most-wants-to-do-are-the-things-that-are-probably/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Worth Doing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/the-things-that-one-most-wants-to-do-are-the-things-that-are-probably/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/winifred-holtby-10595_worth-doing_the-things-that-one-most-wants-to-do-are_1270779.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/winifred-holtby-10595_worth-doing_the-things-that-one-most-wants-to-do-are_1270779.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/winifred-holtby-10595_worth-doing_the-things-that-one-most-wants-to-do-are_1270779.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The things that one most wants to do are the things that are probably most worth doing.” — Winifred Holtby", "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": "Winifred Holtby", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The things that one most wants...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/the-things-that-one-most-wants-to-do-are-the-things-that-are-probably/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/the-things-that-one-most-wants-to-do-are-the-things-that-are-probably/#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 } } ] } ```