--- title: "1 Seek Control Quotes By David McRaney" description: "1 Seek Control quotes by David McRaney. Plus more from David McRaney and more Seek Control sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afe/david-mcraney-10077_bigger-picture_you-make-plans-and-decisions-assuming-ra_1027427.jpg" --- > [“You make plans and decisions assuming randomness and chaos are for chumps. The illusion of control is a peculiar thing because it often leads to high self-esteem and a belief your destiny is yours for the making more than it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/you-make-plans-and-decisions-assuming-randomness-and-chaos-are-for/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afe/david-mcraney-10077_bigger-picture_you-make-plans-and-decisions-assuming-ra_1027427.jpg) ## More by David McRaney > [“If you neglect your personal space and allow chaos and clutter to creep in, it will affect you, and perhaps encourage further neglect. Positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/if-you-neglect-your-personal-space-and-allow-chaos-and-clutter-to/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“Do you vote? If not, is it because you think it doesn’t matter because things never change, or politicians are evil on both sides,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/do-you-vote-if-not-is-it-because-you-think-it-doesn-t-matter-because/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“finished to raise their hands,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/finished-to-raise-their-hands/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“We reach for the same brand not because we trust its quality but because we want to reassure ourselves that we made a smart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/we-reach-for-the-same-brand-not-because-we-trust-its-quality-but/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“Even as the brain is dying, it refuses to stop generating a narrative, the scaffolding upon which it weaves cause and effect, memory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/even-as-the-brain-is-dying-it-refuses-to-stop-generating-a-narrative/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“Brand loyalty—that nebulous emotional connection people have with certain companies, which turns them into defenders and advocates for corporations who don’t give a shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/brand-loyalty-that-nebulous-emotional-connection-people-have-with/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“Women will buy products in an attempt to become the impossible goal. Men will buy products in an attempt to mate with the impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/women-will-buy-products-in-an-attempt-to-become-the-impossible-goal/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“In 1965, a psychologist named Martin Seligman started shocking dogs. He was trying to expand on the research of Pavlov--the guy who could make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/in-1965-a-psychologist-named-martin-seligman-started-shocking-dogs-he/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“In experiments at Baylor University where people were given Coke and Pepsi in unmarked cups and then hooked up to a brain scanner, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/in-experiments-at-baylor-university-where-people-were-given-coke-and/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“Don’t put people, or anything else, on pedestals, not even your children. Avoid global labels such as genius or weirdo. Realize those closest get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/don-t-put-people-or-anything-else-on-pedestals-not-even-your-children/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“In science, you move closer to the truth by seeking evidence to the contrary. Perhaps the same method should inform your opinions as well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/in-science-you-move-closer-to-the-truth-by-seeking-evidence-to-the/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“In the background, while you crochet and golf and browse cat videos, science is fighting against your stupidity. No other human enterprise is fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/in-the-background-while-you-crochet-and-golf-and-browse-cat-videos/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“You can't rage against the machine through rebellious consumption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/you-can-t-rage-against-the-machine-through-rebellious-consumption/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“Capable psychonauts who think about thinking, about states of mind, about set and setting, can get things done not because they have more willpower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/capable-psychonauts-who-think-about-thinking-about-states-of-mind/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“If you look to the downtrodden and wonder why they can’t pull themselves out of poverty and get a nice job like you, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/if-you-look-to-the-downtrodden-and-wonder-why-they-can-t-pull/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seek-control/david-mcraney/#itemlist", "name": "1 Seek Control Quotes By David McRaney", "numberOfItems": 1, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You make plans and decisions assuming randomness and chaos are for chumps. The illusion of control is a peculiar thing because it often leads to high self-esteem and a belief your destiny is yours for the making more than it really is. This over-optimistic view can translate into actual action, rolling with the punches and moving ahead no matter what. Often, this attitude helps lead to success. Eventually, though, most people get punched in the stomach by life. Sometimes, the gut-punch doesn’t come until after a long chain of wins, until you’ve accumulated enough power to do some serious damage. This is when wars go awry, stock markets crash, and political scandals spill out into the media. Power breeds certainty, and certainty has no clout against the unpredictable, whether you are playing poker or running a country. Psychologists point out these findings do not suggest you should throw up your hands and give up. Those who are not grounded in reality, oddly enough, often achieve a lot in life simply because they believe they can and try harder than others. If you focus too long on your lack of power, you can slip into a state of learned helplessness that will whirl you into a negative feedback loop of depression. Some control is necessary or else you give up altogether. Langer proved this when studying nursing homes where some patients were allowed to arrange their furniture and water plants—they lived longer than those who had had those tasks performed by others. Knowing about the illusion of control shouldn’t discourage you from attempting to carve a space for yourself out of whatever field you want to tackle. After all, doing nothing guarantees no results. But as you do so, remember most of the future is unforeseeable. Learn to coexist with chaos. Factor it into your plans. Accept that failure is always a possibility, even if you are one of the good guys; those who believe failure is not an option never plan for it. Some things are predictable and manageable, but the farther away in time an event occurs, the less power you have over it. The farther away from your body and the more people involved, the less agency you wield. Like a billion rolls of a trillion dice, the factors at play are too complex, too random to truly manage. You can no more predict the course of your life than you could the shape of a cloud. So seek to control the small things, the things that matter, and let them pile up into a heap of happiness. 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