Quotes about Expectations

The vast majority of us go to our graves without knowing who we are. We unconsciously live someone else's life, or at least someone else's expectations for us. This does violence to ourselves, our relationship with God, and ultimately to others.

Stage One: "You are wrong for changing and here are the reasons why." Stage Two: "Change back and we will accept you again." Stage Three: "If you don't change back, these are the consequences" (which are then listed).21

Sadly, some of our misguided Christian beliefs and expectations have, as Thomas Merton wrote, "merely deadened our humanity, instead of setting it free to develop richly, in all its capacities, under the influence of grace.

We tend to think, 'Life should be fair because God is fair.' But God is not life. And if I confuse God with the physical reality of life- by expecting constant good health for example- then I set myself up for crashing disappointment.

Being the number one seed, you're thinking you don't want to lose in the second round.

Each year, I write out a goal sheet with what I expect. If I showed anybody else my goal sheet, they would have said I was crazy.

I only really set short-term goals because I don't want to put too much pressure on myself.

The baggage of celebrity can be very heavy.

When our motivation to obey becomes an oppressive pressure to do the right thing, to do what's expected of us as Christians, then it breeds serious problems. Obedience that is only seen as rule-keeping ruins the love relationship between us and the Lord. Why? Even though the rules may be biblically based, we will end up obeying them rather than God. Concern with the letter of the law will cause us to lose the spirit of love.

Lonely men seek companionship. Lonely women sit at home and wait. They never meet.

They have seen in his [Senator Stephen A. Douglas's] round, jolly, fruitful face, post offices, land offices, marshalships, and cabinet appointments, chargeships and foreign missions, bursting and sprouting out in wonderful exuberance ready to be laid hold of by their greedy hands. . . . Nobody has ever expected me to be President. In my poor, lean, lank face nobody has ever seen that any cabbages were sprouting out.

Perfectionists demand perfection from themselves first and foremost.