You know the old adage: Plant an expectation, reap a disappointment.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under my jurisdiction. There are certain lottery tickets I can buy, thereby increasing my odds of finding contentment. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We can't control everything in life, but we have the power to make choices that influence our happiness.
This quote emphasizes the distinction between what is beyond our control and what we can manage in our lives. While there are elements of fate that remain unpredictable, we still hold significant power over our choices, particularly in areas such as relationships and personal fulfillment. By making conscious decisions about where to invest our time and energy, we can create opportunities for contentment and a fulfilling life, akin to buying lottery tickets that increase our chances of success.
Themes
ControlChoicesContentmentFateLifeRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech at a personal development seminar.
More from Elizabeth Gilbert
All quotes →Do not apologize for crying. Without this emotion, we are only robots.
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I had always been taught that the pursuit of happiness was my natural (even national) birthright. It is the emotional trademark of my culture to seek happiness. Not just any kind of happiness, either, but profound happiness, even soaring happiness. And what could possibly bring a person more soaring happiness than romantic love.
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When I tried this morning, after an hour or so of unhappy thinking, to dip back into my meditation, I took a new idea with me: compassion. I asked my heart if it could please infuse my soul with a more generous perspective on my mind's workings. Instead of thinking that I was a failure, could I perhaps accept that I am only a human being--and a normal one, at that?
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And when you sense a faint potentiality for happiness after such dark times you must grab onto the ankles of that happiness and not let go until it drags you face-first out of the dirt - this is not selfishness, but obligation. You were given life; it is your duty to find something beautiful within life no matter how slight.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilling yearnings.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
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