--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were in life rarely, if ever…" description: "\"There were in life rarely, if ever, \"right\" decisions, never perfect ones, only the best to be made under the circumstances.\" — Amy Waldman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/amy-waldman-14698_circumstances_there-were-in-life-rarely-if-ever-right_2980966.png" --- # There were in life rarely, if ever, "right" decisions… ![“There were in life rarely, if ever, "right" decisions, never perfect ones, only the best to be made under the circumstances.” quote by Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/amy-waldman-14698_circumstances_there-were-in-life-rarely-if-ever-right_2980966.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/amy-waldman-14698_circumstances_there-were-in-life-rarely-if-ever-right_2980966.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/amy-waldman-14698_circumstances_there-were-in-life-rarely-if-ever-right_2980966.png) > “There were in life rarely, if ever, "right" decisions, never perfect ones, only the best to be made under the circumstances.” [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life rarely offers perfect choices; we must choose the best possible given circumstances. **In simple terms:** No perfect decisions, only the best under given circumstances. Key Takeaway Make the best possible choice. Themes decision‑making ethics uncertainty Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career moves - personal dilemmas - crisis response - ethical debates Key Concepts trade‑offs contextual judgment Questions to Reflect On - What criteria define “best” in tough decisions? - How do you cope with regret after a choice? A Different Perspective Choosing the “best” can be subjective and contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Right decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-decision/) [Right decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-decisions/) ## Related quotes > [We have to learn how scientists arrive at decisions. Once you use the scientific method, it doesn't mean that your decisions will be perfect.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/we-have-to-learn-how-scientists-arrive-at-decisions-once-you-use-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Well, I kind of think that the opposite is true. The customer is rarely right. And that is why you must seize the control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-trotter/well-i-kind-of-think-that-the-opposite-is-true-the-customer-is-rarely/) [Charlie Trotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-trotter/) > [Nature is very rarely right, to such an extent even, that it might almost be said that nature is usually wrong...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-whistler/nature-is-very-rarely-right-to-such-an-extent-even-that-it-might/) [James Whistler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-whistler/) > [You know the old adage that the customer's always right? Well, I kind of think that the opposite is true. 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Make the right decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/your-legacy-is-being-written-by-yourself-make-the-right-decisions/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [I haven't always made the right decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steinbrenner/i-haven-t-always-made-the-right-decisions/) [George Steinbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steinbrenner/) > [We need to stop spending so much of our time trying to make the right decisions and instead start spending our time making decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-vaden/we-need-to-stop-spending-so-much-of-our-time-trying-to-make-the-right/) [Rory Vaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-vaden/) ## More by Amy Waldman > [I'm kind of a mash-up of taste - Graham Greene and Jane Austen; W.G. Sebald and Alice Munro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-m-kind-of-a-mash-up-of-taste-graham-greene-and-jane-austen-w-g/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Nothing in life gets dropped without someone else having to pick it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/nothing-in-life-gets-dropped-without-someone-else-having-to-pick-it-up/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [I wasn't sitting around years ago thinking, 'I really want to write a novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-wasn-t-sitting-around-years-ago-thinking-i-really-want-to-write-a/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [“She ate ramen noodles from the vending machine, their texture just a few molecular recombinations from the Styrofoam cup containing them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/she-ate-ramen-noodles-from-the-vending-machine-their-texture-just-a/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [My children, who are almost two: watching them develop has made me pay much closer attention to how we become who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/my-children-who-are-almost-two-watching-them-develop-has-made-me-pay/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [The rhetoric is the first step, it coarsens attitudes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/the-rhetoric-is-the-first-step-it-coarsens-attitudes/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [In life, redemption was walking up the down escalator: stop to congratulate yourself, and back you slid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/in-life-redemption-was-walking-up-the-down-escalator-stop-to/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Perhaps this was the secret to being at peace: want nothing but what is given to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/perhaps-this-was-the-secret-to-being-at-peace-want-nothing-but-what/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Eden, paradise - all the best gardens are imaginary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/eden-paradise-all-the-best-gardens-are-imaginary/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [My parents are aging and there are difficult issues. 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You are crafting something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/imagination-it-turns-out-is-a-great-deal-like-reporting-in-your-own/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [“Don't succumb to the fear; don't mistake the absolutism of Khan's opposition for morality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/don-t-succumb-to-the-fear-don-t-mistake-the-absolutism-of-khan-s/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Fabricating reality was criminal; editing it, commonplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/fabricating-reality-was-criminal-editing-it-commonplace/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [I had been a reporter for 15 years when I set out to write my first novel. I knew how to research an article…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-had-been-a-reporter-for-15-years-when-i-set-out-to-write-my-first/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [So the premise of 'The Submission' is that there's an anonymous competition to design a 9/11 memorial and it's won by an American Muslim,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/so-the-premise-of-the-submission-is-that-there-s-an-anonymous/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) [Explore all 45 Amy Waldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) ## More Circumstances quotes > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Although under particular circumstances, the violence method - any method - can be justified, nevertheless once you commit violence, then counterviolence will be returned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/although-under-particular-circumstances-the-violence-method-any/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found, at last, to be of our own producing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-fortunate-circumstances-of-our-lives-are-generally-found-at-last/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [“The set of circumstances that justifies the use of deadly force is a situation of immediate danger of death or great bodily harm to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massad-ayoob/the-set-of-circumstances-that-justifies-the-use-of-deadly-force-is-a/) [Massad Ayoob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massad-ayoob/) > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [It's impossible to know who Donald might have been under different circumstances and with different parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-l-trump/it-s-impossible-to-know-who-donald-might-have-been-under-different/) [Mary L. Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-l-trump/) > [When we watch a play under the standard circumstances, we've lost volition and time is passing. A still play feels like an existential threat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-greenberg/when-we-watch-a-play-under-the-standard-circumstances-we-ve-lost/) [Richard Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-greenberg/) > [Being positive helps you to keep away negative thoughts. And helps you to stand in adverse circumstances with the hope that in the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/being-positive-helps-you-to-keep-away-negative-thoughts-and-helps-you/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [It seemed to me that the human beings I met reacted pretty much the same to the same stimuli. Different idioms,yes. Circumstances and conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/it-seemed-to-me-that-the-human-beings-i-met-reacted-pretty-much-the/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [I don't think you would have missed that putt, but in these circumstances, I would never give you the opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/i-don-t-think-you-would-have-missed-that-putt-but-in-these/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [I used to think I could shape the circumstances around me, but now I know Jesus uses circumstances to shape me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/i-used-to-think-i-could-shape-the-circumstances-around-me-but-now-i/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [Instead of complaining about your circumstances, get busy creating new ones. You either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-complaining-about-your-circumstances-get-busy-creating-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 4,560 Circumstances quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There were in life rarely, if ever, \"right\" decisions, never perfect ones, only the best to be made under the circumstances.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amy Waldman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/there-were-in-life-rarely-if-ever-right-decisions-never-perfect-ones/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Circumstances" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/there-were-in-life-rarely-if-ever-right-decisions-never-perfect-ones/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/amy-waldman-14698_circumstances_there-were-in-life-rarely-if-ever-right_2980966.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/amy-waldman-14698_circumstances_there-were-in-life-rarely-if-ever-right_2980966.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/amy-waldman-14698_circumstances_there-were-in-life-rarely-if-ever-right_2980966.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There were in life rarely, if ever, \"right\" decisions, never perfect ones, only the best to be made under…” — Amy Waldman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Amy Waldman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There were in life rarely, if...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/there-were-in-life-rarely-if-ever-right-decisions-never-perfect-ones/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/there-were-in-life-rarely-if-ever-right-decisions-never-perfect-ones/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```