--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We cannot control the things that may…" description: "\"We cannot control the things that may happen to us in life, but we can decide who we want to be afterward.\" — Anurag Prakash Ray" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/anurag-prakash-ray-38_control_we-cannot-control-the-things-that-may-ha_2531278.jpg" --- # We cannot control the things that may happen to us in… ![“We cannot control the things that may happen to us in life, but we can decide who we want to be afterward.” quote by Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/anurag-prakash-ray-38_control_we-cannot-control-the-things-that-may-ha_2531278.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/anurag-prakash-ray-38_control_we-cannot-control-the-things-that-may-ha_2531278.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/anurag-prakash-ray-38_control_we-cannot-control-the-things-that-may-ha_2531278.jpg) > “We cannot control the things that may happen to us in life, but we can decide who we want to be afterward.” [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We cannot control events, but we can choose our response and shape our identity after them. **In simple terms:** Control events, not outcomes; choose who you become. Key Takeaway Own your response, define yourself. Themes resilience choice identity growth agency Mood inspirational empowering Type self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - career setback - relationship loss - health challenge - social change Key Concepts existentialism psychology self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - How do you rebuild identity after adversity? - What values guide your post‑event decisions? 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You have to have something to hope for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-holtz/my-philosophy-in-life-is-decide-what-you-want-to-do-you-have-to-have/) [Lou Holtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-holtz/) > [Beware of looking for goals: look for a way of life. Decide how you want to live and then see what you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/beware-of-looking-for-goals-look-for-a-way-of-life-decide-how-you/) [Hunter S. 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It's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, who you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proudlesbian/god-determines-who-walks-into-your-life-it-s-up-to-you-to-decide-who/) ProudLesbian > [What you believe in, is the life you decide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keshia-chante/what-you-believe-in-is-the-life-you-decide/) [Keshia Chante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keshia-chante/) > [Fear is going to be a player in your life, but you get to decide how much!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/fear-is-going-to-be-a-player-in-your-life-but-you-get-to-decide-how/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) ## More by Anurag Prakash Ray > [Don't get too attached to someone you know you can't be together with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-get-too-attached-to-someone-you-know-you-can-t-be-together-with/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Even if we can't be together in the end. I'm glad that you were part of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/even-if-we-can-t-be-together-in-the-end-i-m-glad-that-you-were-part/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [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/) > [A good relationship is when two people accept each others past, support each others present, and love each other enough to encourage each others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/a-good-relationship-is-when-two-people-accept-each-others-past/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Though there may be people in your life that support you and encourage you we have to realize that people are only human, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/though-there-may-be-people-in-your-life-that-support-you-and/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Listen to everyone & learn from everyone because nobody knows everything but everyone know someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/listen-to-everyone-learn-from-everyone-because-nobody-knows/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Words will never be enough to describe how much I love you and what you mean to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/words-will-never-be-enough-to-describe-how-much-i-love-you-and-what/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Don't feel alone, because there is always someone out there who loves you more than you can imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-feel-alone-because-there-is-always-someone-out-there-who-loves/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Just be you. Do what you love. I've learned that in the end, you can't make everyone happy no matter what you say or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/just-be-you-do-what-you-love-i-ve-learned-that-in-the-end-you-can-t/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Our words are very powerful, always make sure that you use the right words, which encourages people instead of discouraging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/our-words-are-very-powerful-always-make-sure-that-you-use-the-right/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [If you need wisdom, Keep deleting few unwanted things from your mind everyday...!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/if-you-need-wisdom-keep-deleting-few-unwanted-things-from-your-mind/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Never forget what someone says to you when they're angry cause that's when the truth comes out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/never-forget-what-someone-says-to-you-when-they-re-angry-cause-that-s/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [No one ever said that love was gonna be easy; gotta take the ups and downs and in between.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/no-one-ever-said-that-love-was-gonna-be-easy-gotta-take-the-ups-and/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Love is not about being with the person you love its about being apart from them and still loving and caring for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/love-is-not-about-being-with-the-person-you-love-its-about-being/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [You never know what will be your future. So stop worrying about future. Enjoy every bit of your life forgetting about what happened in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/you-never-know-what-will-be-your-future-so-stop-worrying-about-future/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) [Explore all 2,178 Anurag Prakash Ray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) ## More Control quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“You can't control who loves you...you can't let someone love you anymore than you can make someone love you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/you-can-t-control-who-loves-you-you-can-t-let-someone-love-you/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) > [Don't think you can...know you can! You human body is the most impressive tool you'll ever own. Even if you can't control everything, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hardy/don-t-think-you-can-know-you-can-you-human-body-is-the-most/) [Jeff Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hardy/) > [If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/if-you-have-everything-under-control-you-re-not-moving-fast-enough/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [“Without time management, you lose control of your life and do what other people tell you to do. You lose control and become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-miller/without-time-management-you-lose-control-of-your-life-and-do-what/) Thomas Miller > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Many of us rely on our own illusion of control. But when God makes it known to you that you're not the one steering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/many-of-us-rely-on-our-own-illusion-of-control-but-when-god-makes-it/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [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/) > [Some nights I'm funny with the between-song commentary, some nights I'm not. I have no control over this. I pace the stage a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berman/some-nights-i-m-funny-with-the-between-song-commentary-some-nights-i/) [David Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berman/) > [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Browse all 6,032 Control quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We cannot control the things that may happen to us in life, but we can decide who we want to be afterward.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anurag Prakash Ray" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/we-cannot-control-the-things-that-may-happen-to-us-in-life-but-we-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Control" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/we-cannot-control-the-things-that-may-happen-to-us-in-life-but-we-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/anurag-prakash-ray-38_control_we-cannot-control-the-things-that-may-ha_2531278.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/anurag-prakash-ray-38_control_we-cannot-control-the-things-that-may-ha_2531278.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/anurag-prakash-ray-38_control_we-cannot-control-the-things-that-may-ha_2531278.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We cannot control the things that may happen to us in life, but we can decide who we want to be afterward.” — Anurag Prakash Ray", "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": "Anurag Prakash Ray", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We cannot control the things that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/we-cannot-control-the-things-that-may-happen-to-us-in-life-but-we-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/we-cannot-control-the-things-that-may-happen-to-us-in-life-but-we-can/#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 } } ] } ```