“Goals that are not written down are just wishes” is a motivational saying that has been printed on many images. “Goals that are not written down are only wishes” has been cited in print since at least 1998, and “Goals that are not written down are only wishes” was cited in print in 1999.
       
“Goals that aren’t written down are just dreams” was posted on Twitter on August 20, 2009. “‘Goals that are not written down are just dreams’... @JamesWong_CEO in response to a question at yesterday’s brown bag” was posted on Twitter on December 3, 2009. “‘Goals that are not written down are just dreams.’ - Fitzhugh Dodson” was posted on Twitter on October 27, 2017.
 
“Goals that are not written down are just wishes. Fitzhugh Dodson” was posted on Twitter on May 21, 2011. American clinical psychologist and author Fitzhugh Dodson (1923-1993) is often credited, but earlier citations than from the late 1990s have not been found. Authorship is unknown.
 
“A goal without a plan is just a wish” is a similar saying.
   
       
Google Books 
Every Teacher’s Guide to Classroom Management
By Alice Terry
Cypress, CA: Creative Teaching Press
1997  
Pg. 6:
When goals are not written down, they often dissolve into a wish list which is soon shed like an old skin.
 
Google Books
Daily Pacifiers for Busy Moms:
Lighthearted Encouragement for Mothers of Young Children
By Colleen Mountain
Camp Hill, PA: Horizon Books
1998
Pg. 168:
Goals that are not written down are only wishes.
 
Google Groups: alt.support.eating-disord
Goal(s) Sept 18, 1999 - Saturday
EARS WlTH FEET
9/18/99
‘ello my friends, (((ased)))!  I found this quote today, and thought that you all might enjoy this famous saying.  It is so true, IMHO! 
*Goals that are not written down are just wishes.*
     
Google Books
Mommy Magic:
450 Ways to Nurture Your Child
By Adria Manary
Oceanside, CA: Angel Power Press
2000    
Pg. ?:
Goals that are not written down are just wishes. - Anonymous
 
30 December 2002, Atlanta (GA) Journal-Constitution, “Make dreams come true!” by Linda Jerkins, pg. E6, col. 4:
It’s been said that goals that are not written down are just wishes.
 
Twitter
Sally McMullin
@sallymcmullin
Got a new moleskine so my goals can be in one place! ~ “Goals that are not written down are just wishes!” ~Unknown
9:45 AM - 15 Sep 2008
       
Twitter
Mervin Straughan
@MervinStraughan
Goals that aren’t written down are just dreams.
10:58 AM - 20 Aug 2009
 
Twitter 
thinkspace
@thinkspace
“Goals that are not written down are just dreams”... @JamesWong_CEO in response to a question at yesterday’s brown bag.
12:36 PM - 3 Dec 2009
 
Twitter     
Fanny Matussek
@FMatussek
Goals that are not written down are just wishes.
Fitzhugh Dodson.
12:09 AM - 21 May 2011
   
Twitter
Hoop Group
@TheHoopGroup
Goals that are not written down are just dreams. - Unknown #BeElite
8:45 PM - 28 Nov 2012
 
Google Books
Building a Culture of Support:
Strategies for School Leaders
By P. J. Caposey
New York, NY: Routledge
2013  
Pg. 27:
Goals that are not written down are just wishes. —Fitzhugh Dodson
 
Google Books 
How to Get a Raise This Week:
With Or Without Your Boss’s Permission
By Ryan Shaffer
New York, NY: Morgan James Publishing
2014
Pg. 146:
“Goals that are not written down are just wishes.” —Unknown
 
Google Books
Driving Lessons For Life:
Thoughts on Navigating Your Road to Personal Growth
By Jim R. Jacobs  
Lake Placid, NY: Aviva Publishing
2014
Pg. ?:
Psychologist, author, and lecturer, Fitzhugh Dodson once said, “Goals that are not written down are just wishes.”
 
Conejo Valley Happening
The Money Savvy Mommy: 5 Ways to Set Goals and Smash Them
By Mira Reverente on October 12, 2016
(...)
Write it down. A former boss told me this, “Goals not written down are just wishes.”
   
Twitter
Quotographed
@quotographed
“Goals that are not written down are just dreams.”
- Fitzhugh Dodson
#quotes #goals #dreams #Planning
12:46 PM - 27 Oct 2017
 
Twitter
Tim Fargo
@tim_fargo
Goals that are not written down are just wishes.
#quote
#MondayMotivation
0:48
6:30 PM - 24 Jun 2018 from Wroclaw, Poland