"If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals"
About this Quote
The subtext is classic motivational discipline, with a hidden edge. Holtz isn’t validating fatigue, grief, or burnout; he’s reframing them as correctable through structure. That can read as empowering (you have agency) and also slightly accusatory (you’re responsible for your own dullness). The use of “burning” deliberately romanticizes effort, making ambition feel like an emotion rather than a chore. It’s coaching rhetoric that turns self-management into a moral posture: desire equals seriousness.
Context matters: Holtz’s world is competitive, measured, and relentless. Goals aren’t vague wishes; they’re the scoreboard, the weekly targets, the film-room corrections. In that ecosystem, boredom is a sign you’ve stopped tracking progress or stopped wanting to win. The line works because it offers a clean, portable rule for modern drift: when life feels flat, it may not be that the world has less to offer, but that you’ve stopped giving it a direction.
Quote Details
| Topic | Goal Setting |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Holtz, Lou. (n.d.). If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-youre-bored-with-life-you-dont-get-up-every-27511/
Chicago Style
Holtz, Lou. "If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals." FixQuotes. Accessed February 2, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-youre-bored-with-life-you-dont-get-up-every-27511/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-youre-bored-with-life-you-dont-get-up-every-27511/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.











