--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She didn't know then that life has a way…" description: "\"She didn't know then that life has a way of backing you into a corner. You make your choices when you're far too young to understand their implications..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/a-s-a-harrison-16829_careers_she-didn-t-know-then-that-life-has-a-way_125572.png" --- # She didn't know then that life has a way of backing you… ![“She didn't know then that life has a way of backing you into a corner. You make your choices when you're far too young to understand their implications, and with each choice you make the field of possibility narrows. You choose a career and other careers are lost to you. You choose a mate and…” quote by A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/a-s-a-harrison-16829_careers_she-didn-t-know-then-that-life-has-a-way_125572.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/a-s-a-harrison-16829_careers_she-didn-t-know-then-that-life-has-a-way_125572.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a5/a-s-a-harrison-16829_careers_she-didn-t-know-then-that-life-has-a-way_125572.png) > “She didn't know then that life has a way of backing you into a corner. You make your choices when you're far too young to understand their implications, and with each choice you make the field of possibility narrows. You choose a career and other careers are lost to you. You choose a mate and commit to loving no other.” [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early choices narrow future possibilities, forcing trade‑offs that shape one’s life trajectory. **In simple terms:** Youthful decisions limit later options. Key Takeaway Early commitments constrain later freedom. Themes choice consequence life path Mood cautious reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - college major selection - early career moves - first relationships Key Concepts path dependency Practical Applications - delay irreversible commitments - keep alternatives open Questions to Reflect On - How can one retain flexibility after committing? - What strategies expand options later in life? A Different Perspective Some unexpected opportunities can reopen narrowed paths, mitigating early constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [You choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you-choose/) ## Related quotes > [Life is never an easy road. But alternative routes are always available when you feel you're lost. All you have to do is choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/life-is-never-an-easy-road-but-alternative-routes-are-always/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“Love is never lost. We choose to either return it . . . or throw it away”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenora-porch/love-is-never-lost-we-choose-to-either-return-it-or-throw-it-away/) Lenora Porch > [“The friend is a human Eden But Eden is so easily lost When you choose, choose wisely Before you share, count the cost”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genieve-dawkins/the-friend-is-a-human-eden-but-eden-is-so-easily-lost-when-you-choose/) [Genieve Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genieve-dawkins/) > [1. It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning. 2. Get mad, then get over it. 3. Avoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/1-it-ain-t-as-bad-as-you-think-it-will-look-better-in-the-morning-2/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [What is the recipe for successful achievement? Choose a career you love. Give it the best there is in you. Seize your opportunities. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/what-is-the-recipe-for-successful-achievement-choose-a-career-you/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Rather than be encouraged to learn about ourselves and our interests, we are more often taught how to make decisions about what to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-kashdan/rather-than-be-encouraged-to-learn-about-ourselves-and-our-interests/) [Todd Kashdan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-kashdan/) > [I had the freedom to choose my career. I had the opportunity to choose a career in sports. It's what I'm most passionate about.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wasserman/i-had-the-freedom-to-choose-my-career-i-had-the-opportunity-to-choose/) [Casey Wasserman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wasserman/) > [As a woman WE THINK WE NEED TO choose between OUR career or our family ... OR YOU CHOOSE THAT YOU ARE SMARTER THAN THAT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livia-je-n-meth/as-a-woman-we-think-we-need-to-choose-between-our-career-or-our/) Livia JE Németh > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [I encourage others to choose a career they are passionate about and can do for the rest of their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-earhardt/i-encourage-others-to-choose-a-career-they-are-passionate-about-and/) [Ainsley Earhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-earhardt/) > [Super blessed to be in the position I'm in. To be able to inspire people to do what I'm doing and choose a career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murda-beatz/super-blessed-to-be-in-the-position-i-m-in-to-be-able-to-inspire/) [Murda Beatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murda-beatz/) > [Choose your career which quotes you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vino/choose-your-career-which-quotes-you/) Vino > [“When you choose a career that is aligned with your passion, the work becomes irrelevant because anticipation and fulfillment can outweigh everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/when-you-choose-a-career-that-is-aligned-with-your-passion-the-work/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [“I believe that no one should ever have to choose between a career we love and living our lives with authenticity and integrity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selisse-berry/i-believe-that-no-one-should-ever-have-to-choose-between-a-career-we/) Selisse Berry ## More by A.S.A. Harrison > [“It's the daily patterns that make a marriage, the habits you fall into as a couple. These become a kind of background rhythm for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/it-s-the-daily-patterns-that-make-a-marriage-the-habits-you-fall-into/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [Every shrink knows that it's not the event itself but how you respond to it that tells the story. Take ten assorted individuals, expose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/every-shrink-knows-that-it-s-not-the-event-itself-but-how-you-respond/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [“The woman who refuses to object, who doesn’t yell and scream—there’s strength in that, and power. The way she overrides sentiment, won’t enter into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/the-woman-who-refuses-to-object-who-doesn-t-yell-and-scream-there-s/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [Other people are not here to fulfill our needs or meet our expectations, nor will they always treat us well. Failure to accept this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/other-people-are-not-here-to-fulfill-our-needs-or-meet-our/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [As for herself, every morning on waking she gives thanks to the God she doesn't disbelieve in. Although she can't credit him with saving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/as-for-herself-every-morning-on-waking-she-gives-thanks-to-the-god/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [Even if you forget that´s not the same as if it never happened. The slate is not entirely wiped clean; you can´t reclaim the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/even-if-you-forget-that-s-not-the-same-as-if-it-never-happened-the/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [“deep-seated feelings of inferiority that drive him to continually prove himself. According to Adler, having a good measure of self-esteem leaves us free to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/deep-seated-feelings-of-inferiority-that-drive-him-to-continually/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [We live alone in our cluttered psyches, possessed by our entrenched beliefs, our fatuous desires, our endless contradictions - and like it or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/we-live-alone-in-our-cluttered-psyches-possessed-by-our-entrenched/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [“She’s aware of her fondness for ledger keeping, a term that marriage counselors use to castigate their clients for keeping a running tally of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/she-s-aware-of-her-fondness-for-ledger-keeping-a-term-that-marriage/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [Autumn can be glorious but menacing too - the long shadows, brisk winds, scurrying leaves, impending frost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/autumn-can-be-glorious-but-menacing-too-the-long-shadows-brisk-winds/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [“Other people are not here to fulfill our needs or meet our expectations, nor will they always treat us well. Failure to accept this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/other-people-are-not-here-to-fulfill-our-needs-or-meet-our-2/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [“Men are a race of suckers who don’t realize that having sex is the biggest risk they’ll ever take.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/men-are-a-race-of-suckers-who-don-t-realize-that-having-sex-is-the/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [“Back then they had the freedom of knowing each other barely at all; they were in gleeful possession of a leisurely future with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/back-then-they-had-the-freedom-of-knowing-each-other-barely-at-all/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [“He’s a man whose touch is always warm, a matter of animal significance for someone who is nearly always cold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/he-s-a-man-whose-touch-is-always-warm-a-matter-of-animal-significance/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [“Time hangs suspended, and yet it's about to end. Death should be a seduction, not a rape. Given one more minute he could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/time-hangs-suspended-and-yet-it-s-about-to-end-death-should-be-a/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) [Explore all 37 A.S.A. Harrison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) ## More Careers quotes > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I don't like being away from home. 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But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/there-is-so-much-temptation-to-hold-on-to-my-career-even-more-now-to/) [Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/) > [Everything I've been through, everything I'm about to go through in my career and my life, if my family wasn't with me and didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-malone/everything-i-ve-been-through-everything-i-m-about-to-go-through-in-my/) [Karl Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-malone/) > [An image has stuck for most of my career and it isn't flattering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-fowler/an-image-has-stuck-for-most-of-my-career-and-it-isn-t-flattering/) [Robbie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-fowler/) Browse all 6,154 Careers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "She didn't know then that life has a way of backing you into a corner. 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