Quotes about Expectations

My parents thought it was nice to develop my imagination, but they never seriously thought that anything would ever come of it. They said that I couldn't be an actress because I would be taller than all my leading men, so I thought I would be a writer instead.

We carry around in our heads these pictures of what our lives are supposed to look like, painted by the brush of out intentions. It's the great, deep secret of humanity that in the end none of our lives look the way we thought they would. As much as we wish to believe otherwise, most of life is a reaction to circumstances.

Most conflict is rooted in unmet needs. Some of these needs can only be met by God. When you expect anyone — a friend, spouse, boss, or family member — to meet a need that only God can fulfill, you are setting yourself up for disappointment and bitterness. No one can meet all of your needs except God.

Sometimes we've accepted rules and codes and limits without realizing it.

What happens is our lives become so heavily oriented around the expectations of others that we become more and more like them and less and less like ourselves. We become split. I was split. I had this person I knew I was made to be, yet it was mixed in with all of these other ... people. As the lights were turned on, I saw I had all of this guilt and shame because I wasn't measuring up to the image of the perfect person I had in my head.

when people mean to be good to you, you don't mind very much when they're not quite--always.

My parents had a great marriage. Interestingly, it made it harder for me in relationships because I knew what a good relationship looked like.

When people say 'marriage' to me... It's always a means to an end. Everyone's so in a rush to define the relationship.

The universe has no restrictions. You place restrictions on the universe with your expectations.

Moreover, it might not even be desirable to follow your bliss. Should you quit your job as an accountant, office manager, or salesperson and jump immediately into opera singing, painting, or raising roses because that's what you really love? Normal life would be disrupted if everyone ran around doing only the things they loved. But that is how most people interpreted Campbell's explanation.

Because gratitude is the key to happiness, anything that undermines gratitude must undermine happiness. And nothing undermines gratitude as much as expectations. There is an inverse relationship between expectations and gratitude: The more expectations you have, the less gratitude you will have.

Leaders set high standards. Refuse to tolerate mediocrity or poor performance.