Expectations quotes
1.7K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
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Browse quotes that often appear alongside expectations — connected by shared ideas and recurring themes.
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"When you drop your expectations that a person, a situation, a place, or an object should fulfill you, it's easier to be present in this moment because you're no longer looking to the next one. Most people want to get what they want, whereas the secret is to want what you get at this moment."
"(memory is) A strange echo, which stores its replicas according to some other acoustic than consciousness or expectation."
"Life is so constructed, that the event does not, cannot, will not, match the expectation."
"Habit may lead us to belief and expectation but not to the knowledge, and still less to the understanding, of lawful relations."
"Even if we're in a state of hopelessness, a sense of expectation is an integral part of our relationship to time. Hopelessness is possible only because we do hope that some good, loving someone could come. If that's what Heidegger meant, then I agree with him."
"I learned that you can't have any expectations with life. You never know what's going to happen."
"When you have expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment."
"The quality of your life is a direct reflection of the expectations of your peer group."
"If you love anything in this world more than God, you will crush that object under the weight of your expectations."
"We will always tend to fulfill our own expectation of ourselves."
"So top grade's O for 'Outstanding,'" Hermione was saying, "and then there's A-" "No, E," George corrected her, "E for 'Exceeds Expectations.' And I've always thought Fred and I should've got E in everything, because we exceeded expectations just by turning up for the exams."
"It isn't expectations that carry us forward, it's our desire to go on."
"Its a call-to-action to rise from the dead and actually live. Were born spiritually dead, and Im calling for everyone to become spiritually alive. Secondly, dont wait until later to live the way you were created. God created you to honor Him, find joy, and serve others. Dont sleep on that. Lastly, rise above the low expectations people have."
"Needing nothing attracts everything."
"A woman's hopes are woven of sunbeams; a shadow annihilates them."
"Unfortunately, in today's world we have to be reminded that the power of an oath derives from the fact that in it we ask God to bear witness to the promises we make with the implicit expectation that He will hold us accountable for the manner in which we honor them."
"I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be."
"Wisdom means understanding without any doubt that circumstances do not rise to meet our expectations. Events happen as they may. People behave as they will."
"Expectations make people miserable, so whatever yours are, lower them. You'll definitely be happier."
"People will say to me, ‘You’ve played so many strong women,’ and I’ll say, ‘Have you ever said to a man, “You’ve played so many strong men?”’ No! Because the expectation is [men] are varied. Why can’t we have that expectation about women?"
