---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: living in an environment I can't control…"
description: "\"“living in an environment I can't control doesn't scare me. I'm partial to the surprises.”\" — Charles de Lint"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/charles-de-lint-1481_environment_living-in-an-environment-i-can-t-control_1478409.png"
---

#  living in an environment I can't control doesn't scare me…

![“living in an environment I can't control doesn't scare me. I'm partial to the surprises.” quote by Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/charles-de-lint-1481_environment_living-in-an-environment-i-can-t-control_1478409.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/charles-de-lint-1481_environment_living-in-an-environment-i-can-t-control_1478409.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/charles-de-lint-1481_environment_living-in-an-environment-i-can-t-control_1478409.png)

> ““living in an environment I can't control doesn't scare me. I'm partial to the surprises.””

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

## About This Quote

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

Embracing uncertainty, the speaker welcomes unpredictable environments, finding excitement in the unknown.

**In simple terms:** Uncertainty can be thrilling.

Key Takeaway

Accept the unknown.

Themes

uncertainty adaptation excitement

Mood

adventurous optimistic

Type

reflective inspirational

When to use this quote

- travel
- career changes
- creative projects
- personal growth

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy risk tolerance

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance surprise with stability?
- What strategies help you thrive in chaos?

A Different Perspective

Too much unpredictability can cause stress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Doesn Scare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doesn-scare-266367/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Environment Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment-control-4695544/) [Living Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-environment-957242/) [Partial Surprises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partial-surprises-5383060/) [Surprises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprises/)

## Related quotes

> [The living environment is the biosphere, the thin layer around the world of living organisms. We're part of that. Our existence is dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-living-environment-is-the-biosphere-the-thin-layer-around-the/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [There are two types of people: One strives to control his environment, the other strives not to let his environment control him. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/there-are-two-types-of-people-one-strives-to-control-his-environment-2/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [But we can’t control the environment; all we can control is the way we react to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-levine/but-we-can-t-control-the-environment-all-we-can-control-is-the-way-we/)

[Alison Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-levine/)

> [“There is currently more sprawl covering American soil than was ever intended by its inventors. While there are some people who truly enjoy living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andres-duany/there-is-currently-more-sprawl-covering-american-soil-than-was-ever/)

[Andres Duany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andres-duany/)

> [Because the living environment is what really sustains us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/because-the-living-environment-is-what-really-sustains-us/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [I like to come into my workspace and feel it's a living environment and not frozen, which is why I often change or add…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-like-to-come-into-my-workspace-and-feel-it-s-a-living-environment/)

[Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/)

> [Not since Ancient Greece have cities been thought of as the ideal living environment for humans. And that was so long ago it predates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/not-since-ancient-greece-have-cities-been-thought-of-as-the-ideal/)

[Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/)

> [A relationship doesn't scare me, neither does the commitment. It's the thought of us ending is what scares me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-relationship-doesn-t-scare-me-neither-does-the-commitment-it-s-the/)

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

> [What keeps this industry challenging as an actor is that you never know how something will turn out. The ups and downs are constant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-shue/what-keeps-this-industry-challenging-as-an-actor-is-that-you-never/)

[Elisabeth Shue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-shue/)

> [Aging doesn't scare me at all. You can handle the bumps each year. They're traumatic when you're younger, and they're hurtful, and you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maye-musk/aging-doesn-t-scare-me-at-all-you-can-handle-the-bumps-each-year-they/)

[Maye Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maye-musk/)

> [It's not brave to do something that doesn't scare you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-s-not-brave-to-do-something-that-doesn-t-scare-you/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [Why would you be afraid of death? It would be an inconvenience. I have a lot of undone things and it's bound to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-carradine/why-would-you-be-afraid-of-death-it-would-be-an-inconvenience-i-have/)

[David Carradine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-carradine/)

> [If she doesn't scare the hell out of you a little... Then she's not the One...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-she-doesn-t-scare-the-hell-out-of-you-a-little-then-she-s-not-the/)

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

> [“I don't mind not knowing. It doesn't scare me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/i-don-t-mind-not-knowing-it-doesn-t-scare-me/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [But death doesn't scare me. To know exactly when I might expect it, up close and in my face, would actually be a comfort.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/but-death-doesn-t-scare-me-to-know-exactly-when-i-might-expect-it-up/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

## More by Charles de Lint

> [The family we choose for ourselves is more important than the one we were born into; that people have to earn our respect and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/the-family-we-choose-for-ourselves-is-more-important-than-the-one-we/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [Every time you do a good deed you shine the light a little farther into the dark. And the thing is, when you're gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/every-time-you-do-a-good-deed-you-shine-the-light-a-little-farther/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [The road leading to a goal does not separate you from the destination; it is essentially a part of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/the-road-leading-to-a-goal-does-not-separate-you-from-the-destination/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [“Maybe she couldn’t go. Maybe she wanted him to stay. But she knew enough not to try to hold him back if he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/maybe-she-couldn-t-go-maybe-she-wanted-him-to-stay-but-she-knew/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [The magic in this world seems to work in whispers and small kindnesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/the-magic-in-this-world-seems-to-work-in-whispers-and-small-kindnesses/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [You can take the woman outta the trash, but you can't take the trash out a the woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/you-can-take-the-woman-outta-the-trash-but-you-can-t-take-the-trash/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [“You hear this kind of thing, rednecks and their guys and--" "Don't call them that," I say. "They're just assholes. Most people you run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/you-hear-this-kind-of-thing-rednecks-and-their-guys-and-don-t-call/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [Fortune-telling doesn't reveal the future; it mirrors the present. It resonates against what your subconscious already knows and hauls it up out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/fortune-telling-doesn-t-reveal-the-future-it-mirrors-the-present-it/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [When you're touched by magic, nothing's ever quite the same again. What really makes me sad is all those people who never have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/when-you-re-touched-by-magic-nothing-s-ever-quite-the-same-again-what/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [There are few joys to compare with the telling of a well-told tale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/there-are-few-joys-to-compare-with-the-telling-of-a-well-told-tale/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [How hard would it be to ask children what they see in their heads? How big should the house be in comparison to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/how-hard-would-it-be-to-ask-children-what-they-see-in-their-heads-how/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [... we chase after ghosts and spirits and are left holding only memories and dreams. It's not that we want what we can't have;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/we-chase-after-ghosts-and-spirits-and-are-left-holding-only-memories/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [Writing music uses a whole different process that involves a lot of noodling and just seeing what comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/writing-music-uses-a-whole-different-process-that-involves-a-lot-of/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [The real problem is, people think life is a ladder, and it's really a wheel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/the-real-problem-is-people-think-life-is-a-ladder-and-it-s-really-a/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

> [Tattoos...are the stories in your heart, written on your skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/tattoos-are-the-stories-in-your-heart-written-on-your-skin/)

[Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

[Explore all 237 Charles de Lint quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/)

## More Environment quotes

> [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/)

[John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/)

> [This welfare for wealthy companies wastes taxpayer dollars, harms the environment, and makes a mockery of the recent reductions in federal social spending programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/this-welfare-for-wealthy-companies-wastes-taxpayer-dollars-harms-the/)

[Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/)

> [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

> [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/)

[Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/)

> [They paved paradise and put up a parkin lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot Don't it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/they-paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parkin-lot-with-a-pink-hotel-a/)

[Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [Daily life is both the subject and environment of the work I am making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-henrot/daily-life-is-both-the-subject-and-environment-of-the-work-i-am-making/)

[Camille Henrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-henrot/)

> [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/)

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

> [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/)

[Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/)

> [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/)

[Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/)

> [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/)

[Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/)

> [Of course, learning is strengthened and solidified when it occurs in a safe, secure and normal environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-bertrand-aristide/of-course-learning-is-strengthened-and-solidified-when-it-occurs-in-a/)

[Jean-Bertrand Aristide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-bertrand-aristide/)

[Browse all 8,669 Environment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“living in an environment I can't control doesn't scare me. I'm partial to the surprises.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles de Lint"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/living-in-an-environment-i-can-t-control-doesn-t-scare-me-i-m-partial/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Environment"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/living-in-an-environment-i-can-t-control-doesn-t-scare-me-i-m-partial/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/charles-de-lint-1481_environment_living-in-an-environment-i-can-t-control_1478409.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/charles-de-lint-1481_environment_living-in-an-environment-i-can-t-control_1478409.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/charles-de-lint-1481_environment_living-in-an-environment-i-can-t-control_1478409.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“living in an environment I can't control doesn't scare me. I'm partial to the surprises.” — Charles de Lint",
                "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": "Charles de Lint",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“living in an environment I can't...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/living-in-an-environment-i-can-t-control-doesn-t-scare-me-i-m-partial/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/living-in-an-environment-i-can-t-control-doesn-t-scare-me-i-m-partial/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
