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About this quote

What does it mean?
Reaching a goal can feel anticlimactic because the drive that pushed you is gone.
In plain terms
Achieving something can feel underwhelming once you realize you reached it.
What can you take from it?
Expect the moment after success to feel quiet or empty.

Where it applies

  • after winning a competition
  • landing a job
  • completing a project

Putting it to work

  • plan for post-success feelings
  • set new goals
  • reflect on the journey

Questions to consider

  • Have you felt empty after achieving a big goal?
  • What helps you enjoy success?

Another view

Not all achievements feel anticlimactic; some bring lasting joy.

More from Maya Angelou

  1. A bizarre sensation pervades a relationship of pretense. No truth seems true. A simple morning's greeting and response appear loaded with innuendo and fraught …

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  2. All great achievements require time.

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  3. A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

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