"Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor"
About this Quote
The intent is managerial: turn ambition into a tool of navigation. Goals, in this framing, aren’t inspirational posters; they’re control systems. They decide what gets measured, what gets ignored, and what counts as progress. That’s the subtext most people miss: goals don’t just organize action, they organize perception. Once you set one, you start editing reality. Random opportunities become “relevant” or “distractions.” Setbacks become “feedback.” Even boredom can be reframed as “discipline.” It’s cognitive framing disguised as productivity advice.
Context matters. Tracy comes out of late-20th-century North American business culture, where personal agency is treated as a moral virtue and planning is a kind of secular faith. The quote flatters the reader as a strategist rather than a victim. It also quietly absolves institutions: if change is inevitable and goals are the lever, then the burden shifts to the individual to adapt, hustle, optimize. That’s why it works: it offers empowerment, but with a contract attached.
Quote Details
| Topic | Goal Setting |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Tracy, Brian. (2026, January 17). Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/goals-allow-you-to-control-the-direction-of-30311/
Chicago Style
Tracy, Brian. "Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/goals-allow-you-to-control-the-direction-of-30311/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/goals-allow-you-to-control-the-direction-of-30311/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.








