--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not those things that have been…" description: "\"“It is not those things that have been done to us that make us who we are; it is what we choose to do with them. Live, laugh, love, and choose to be fe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c36/catherine-gayle-52424_laugh-love_it-is-not-those-things-that-have-been-do_900713.jpg" --- # It is not those things that have been done to us that make… ![“It is not those things that have been done to us that make us who we are; it is what we choose to do with them. Live, laugh, love, and choose to be fearless.” quote by Catherine Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c36/catherine-gayle-52424_laugh-love_it-is-not-those-things-that-have-been-do_900713.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c36/catherine-gayle-52424_laugh-love_it-is-not-those-things-that-have-been-do_900713.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c36/catherine-gayle-52424_laugh-love_it-is-not-those-things-that-have-been-do_900713.jpg) > ““It is not those things that have been done to us that make us who we are; it is what we choose to do with them. Live, laugh, love, and choose to be fearless.”” [Catherine Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-gayle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote asserts that personal identity is shaped not by past experiences but by the choices we make, encouraging a fearless, joyful approach to life. **In simple terms:** We become who we decide to be, not what happens to us. Key Takeaway Choose actions that define your character, not circumstances. Themes choice identity fearlessness joy self‑determination Mood inspirational empowering hopeful Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - coaching - self‑help - life planning - mental health counseling Key Concepts personal agency mindset empowerment resilience Questions to Reflect On - What choices can you make today to align with your values? - How do you balance acceptance of past events with proactive change? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on choice can ignore systemic constraints on individuals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fearless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fearless/) [Live laugh love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-laugh-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [“If you choose to be fearless, then be fearlessly authentic not an imitation of someone you envy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/if-you-choose-to-be-fearless-then-be-fearlessly-authentic-not-an/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Live, laugh, love, every day to it's fullest, for who knows, tomorrow, may not be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahrukh-khan/live-laugh-love-every-day-to-it-s-fullest-for-who-knows-tomorrow-may/) [Shahrukh Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahrukh-khan/) > [“When you're single, people ask about a girlfriend or boyfriend. When you have a fiance, they ask about a wedding. When you get married,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbret/when-you-re-single-people-ask-about-a-girlfriend-or-boyfriend-when/) Elbret > [LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE. :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/live-laugh-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Keys in life: Live, Laugh, Love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-mae-bautista/keys-in-life-live-laugh-love/) [Anna Mae Bautista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-mae-bautista/) > [“Live Laugh Love...And don't forget to breathe!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-g-kaye/live-laugh-love-and-don-t-forget-to-breathe/) D.G. Kaye > [Live, Laugh & Love 4 You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yru-saki/live-laugh-love-4-you/) Yru-Saki > [Live Laugh Love; We love to laugh, We laugh to live, We live to learn, We learn to forgive, And we forgive so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/live-laugh-love-we-love-to-laugh-we-laugh-to-live-we-live-to-learn-we/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Live, laugh, love without a doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simplydaisy/live-laugh-love-without-a-doubt/) Simplydaisy > [Life is lived the way YOU live it! So live it to the fullest and don't look back! Live, Laugh, Love, Forgive and Forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/life-is-lived-the-way-you-live-it-so-live-it-to-the-fullest-and-don-t/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain, cherish the moment, live, laugh, love, forgive & forget, life's too short to be, living with regrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laugh-your-heart-out-dance-in-the-rain-cherish-the-moment-live-laugh/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Laugh youre heart out, Dance in the rain. Cherish The Moment, Ignore the pain, Live, Laugh, Love, forgive and forget. Lifes too Short To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curly/laugh-youre-heart-out-dance-in-the-rain-cherish-the-moment-ignore-the/) [Curly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curly/) > [Life's too short :) live, laugh, Love!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-s-too-short-live-laugh-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Live, laugh, love. When you can feel someone else's pain and joy as if it's your own, thats when you know you really love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/live-laugh-love-when-you-can-feel-someone-else-s-pain-and-joy-as-if/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [Live, Laugh, Love. If that doesn't work, Load, Aim and Fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/live-laugh-love-if-that-doesn-t-work-load-aim-and-fire/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) ## More by Catherine Gayle > [“you could put Nick Lidström in that category. Players like that are always two or three steps ahead of everyone else on the ice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-gayle/you-could-put-nick-lidstr-m-in-that-category-players-like-that-are/) [Catherine Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-gayle/) > [“Kids always know. And sometimes, they become adults who are all too aware of the darker, shadier sides of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-gayle/kids-always-know-and-sometimes-they-become-adults-who-are-all-too/) [catherine gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-gayle/) > [“There’s nothing worse than feeling alone, and I don’t want you to feel alone. Okay?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-gayle/there-s-nothing-worse-than-feeling-alone-and-i-don-t-want-you-to-feel/) [Catherine Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-gayle/) > [“Too much had happened already. Mental and emotional exhaustion had completely taken over my life lately, and today had pushed me to the brink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-gayle/too-much-had-happened-already-mental-and-emotional-exhaustion-had/) [Catherine Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-gayle/) > [“Panic attacks are crazy beasts. They don’t care what you think you’re ready for. They don’t care what you want. They just take control,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-gayle/panic-attacks-are-crazy-beasts-they-don-t-care-what-you-think-you-re/) [Catherine Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-gayle/) > [“The beauty you have on the inside is ten times more luminous than the world could handle seeing on the outside. We'd all be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-gayle/the-beauty-you-have-on-the-inside-is-ten-times-more-luminous-than-the/) [Catherine Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-gayle/) [Explore all 7 Catherine Gayle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-gayle/) ## More Choose quotes > [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/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [If somebody asks me to choose a biopic, it would be Narain Karthikeyan because I love racing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naga-chaitanya/if-somebody-asks-me-to-choose-a-biopic-it-would-be-narain-karthikeyan/) [Naga Chaitanya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naga-chaitanya/) > [“Either you soften your ego, or the world will do it for you. Choose!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-mccoy/either-you-soften-your-ego-or-the-world-will-do-it-for-you-choose/) [Bert McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-mccoy/) > [I'm aware of who I am and I'm comfortable with who I choose to date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shibani-dandekar/i-m-aware-of-who-i-am-and-i-m-comfortable-with-who-i-choose-to-date/) [Shibani Dandekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shibani-dandekar/) > [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [If you choose to work at a larger company over a smaller company, you are more likely to be higher paid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-sweet/if-you-choose-to-work-at-a-larger-company-over-a-smaller-company-you/) [Julie Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-sweet/) > [You can't choose what stays and what stays away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/you-can-t-choose-what-stays-and-what-stays-away/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [It's only a thought and a thought can be changed. Choose good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-s-only-a-thought-and-a-thought-can-be-changed-choose-good-ones/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime...so you gotta choose who is good for you! Be wise, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-come-into-your-life-for-a-reason-a-season-or-a-lifetime-so-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not opposed - we manufacture a lot of socks in North Carolina - I just choose not to wear them. It's a Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-burr/i-m-not-opposed-we-manufacture-a-lot-of-socks-in-north-carolina-i/) [Richard Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-burr/) > [Having too many options is bad. I want one person, just one. Not a whole bunch to choose from,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roderickthefirst/having-too-many-options-is-bad-i-want-one-person-just-one-not-a-whole/) RoderickTheFirst > [If I could be anyone, I'd choose the lead singer of Arcade Fire, Win Butler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-kardashian/if-i-could-be-anyone-i-d-choose-the-lead-singer-of-arcade-fire-win/) [Rob Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-kardashian/) > [People are as happy as they choose to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/people-are-as-happy-as-they-choose-to-be/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) Browse all 3,851 Choose quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is not those things that have been done to us that make us who we are; it is what we choose to do with them. 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