18 Of The Most Powerful & Inspiring Quotes On Expectations

Do you expect things of yourself? Are there certain areas of your life where expectations are high, and others where they are low?

What creates them?

The truth is expectations are required for us to function in society.  For example, it is expected that you put on pants when you leave your house. If you didn’t things might get a little weird. People might be uncomfortable.
So expectations have their place. But problems arise when we fail to give the right significance to expectation, such as expecting more or less from others or ourselves, than we ought to. It is then that we set ourselves up for disappointment.

Here are 10 of the most powerful and inspiring quotes on expectations to help you keep yours in check.

“If you expect nothing from anybody, you’re never disappointed.” 

― Sylvia Plath

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” 

― Alexander Pope

“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.” 

― Donald Miller

“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”

― Bruce Lee

“I find my life is a lot easier the lower I keep my expectations.”

― Bill Watterson

“Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.”

― Stephen R. Covey

“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.” 

― Paulo Coelho

“My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus.”

-Stephen Hawking

“You can’t expect everyone to have the same dedication as you.” 

― Jeff Kinney

“Expectations were like fine pottery. The harder you held them, the more likely they were to crack.” 

― Brandon Sanderson

“You are your own worst enemy. If you can learn to stop expecting impossible perfection, in yourself and others, you may find the happiness that has always eluded you.” 

― Lisa Kleypas

“That was the thing about the world: it wasn’t that things were harder than you thought they were going to be, it was that they were hard in ways that you didn’t expect.” 

― Lev Grossman

“We’re wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize that it isn’t, we start looking around for the real world.” 

― Lev Grossman

“Set the standard! Stop expecting others to show you love, acceptance, commitment, & respect when you don’t even show that to yourself.” 

― Steve Maraboli

“There were two ways to be happy: improve your reality, or lower your expectations” 

― Jodi Picoult,

“A wonderful gift may not be wrapped as you expect.” 

― Jonathan Lockwood Huie

“You don’t ask nobody to give what they can’t give, or be what they can’t be. You’ve learnt that, you got a head start on heartbreak.”

― Jack Farris

“I hope you do not let anyone else’s expectations direct the course of your life.” 

― Julianne Donaldson

It’s a cliché , but use this wisdom to ‘manage your expectations’, or more accurately, give the right significance to expectation. Dance gently with hope and practice aligning yourself with that which you wish to receive.