---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They say life is what you make it, but…"
description: "\"They say life is what you make it, but I'm just trying to make it.\" — Anonymous"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/anonymous-1_life_they-say-life-is-what-you-make-it-but-i_1153856.jpg"
---

#  They say life is what you make it, but I'm just trying to…

![“They say life is what you make it, but I'm just trying to make it.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/anonymous-1_life_they-say-life-is-what-you-make-it-but-i_1153856.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/anonymous-1_life_they-say-life-is-what-you-make-it-but-i_1153856.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/anonymous-1_life_they-say-life-is-what-you-make-it-but-i_1153856.jpg)

> “They say life is what you make it, but I'm just trying to make it.”

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker feels powerless, trying to shape life despite external expectations.

**In simple terms:** Trying to shape life despite expectations.

Key Takeaway

Accept agency over your actions.

Themes

self‑determination struggle identity

Mood

reflective determined

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- relationships
- creative projects
- daily routines

Key Concepts

existentialism personal agency

Questions to Reflect On

- What aspects of life can you truly control?
- How do expectations affect your choices?

A Different Perspective

Limited control over external circumstances can hinder progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

## Related quotes

> [You'll never get over someone if you just keep on trying to make them jealous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-never-get-over-someone-if-you-just-keep-on-trying-to-make-them/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Rather die before I fake it. They say life is what you make it, but hell I'm just trying to make it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rather-die-before-i-fake-it-they-say-life-is-what-you-make-it-but/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm just trying to be myself - make music how I make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youngboy-never-broke-again/i-m-just-trying-to-be-myself-make-music-how-i-make-music/)

YoungBoy Never Broke Again

> [I'm just trying to make the best music that I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-pearce/i-m-just-trying-to-make-the-best-music-that-i-can/)

[Carly Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-pearce/)

> [Most of the stuff I do on the show comes out of me just trying to make my friends laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/most-of-the-stuff-i-do-on-the-show-comes-out-of-me-just-trying-to/)

[Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/)

> [I'm just trying to make a buck like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-just-trying-to-make-a-buck-like-everyone-else/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [People say that life is what you make of it but most of the time life is what makes you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anmol-andore/people-say-that-life-is-what-you-make-of-it-but-most-of-the-time-life/)

[Anmol Andore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anmol-andore/)

> [“I’ve never been one to say that life will hand you what you want on a silver platter or that fate will bring you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-golland/i-ve-never-been-one-to-say-that-life-will-hand-you-what-you-want-on-a/)

[K.M. Golland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-golland/)

> [Some people will never be 'happy' don't drain yourself trying to make them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-will-never-be-happy-don-t-drain-yourself-trying-to-make/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In trying to make something new, half the undertaking lies in discovering whether it can be done. Once it has been established that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-trying-to-make-something-new-half-the-undertaking-lies-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Dont waste your time trying to make something out of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-waste-your-time-trying-to-make-something-out-of-nothing/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life is what you make it¦If one refuses to use ones imagination..it will be boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-what-you-make-it-if-one-refuses-to-use-ones-imagination-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [No where in your birth certificate did it say life would be fair .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-where-in-your-birth-certificate-did-it-say-life-would-be-fair/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [No matter what you do, bad or good, people are always gonna have something to say about it. Just remember this: If people always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-what-you-do-bad-or-good-people-are-always-gonna-have/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life means everything so don't say your life means nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-means-everything-so-don-t-say-your-life-means-nothing/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

Deanna L. Lawlis

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "They say life is what you make it, but I'm just trying to make it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-life-is-what-you-make-it-but-i-m-just-trying-to-make-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-life-is-what-you-make-it-but-i-m-just-trying-to-make-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/anonymous-1_life_they-say-life-is-what-you-make-it-but-i_1153856.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/anonymous-1_life_they-say-life-is-what-you-make-it-but-i_1153856.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/anonymous-1_life_they-say-life-is-what-you-make-it-but-i_1153856.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“They say life is what you make it, but I'm just trying to make it.” — Anonymous",
                "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": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "They say life is what you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-life-is-what-you-make-it-but-i-m-just-trying-to-make-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-life-is-what-you-make-it-but-i-m-just-trying-to-make-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
