--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes, circumstances raise impossible…" description: "\"“Sometimes, circumstances raise impossible decisions. -William Pickering”\" — Dan Brown" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f7/dan-brown-203_circumstances_sometimes-circumstances-raise-impossible_2728917.png" --- # Sometimes, circumstances raise impossible decisions… ![“Sometimes, circumstances raise impossible decisions. -William Pickering” quote by Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f7/dan-brown-203_circumstances_sometimes-circumstances-raise-impossible_2728917.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f7/dan-brown-203_circumstances_sometimes-circumstances-raise-impossible_2728917.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f7/dan-brown-203_circumstances_sometimes-circumstances-raise-impossible_2728917.png) > ““Sometimes, circumstances raise impossible decisions. -William Pickering”” [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Difficult choices arise from unexpected circumstances, forcing moral or practical dilemmas. **In simple terms:** Hard choices appear when situations become extreme. Key Takeaway Prepare to evaluate options under pressure. Themes ethics decision‑making uncertainty Mood thoughtful serious Type ethical motivational When to use this quote - crisis management - leadership - personal dilemmas Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What values guide you in impossible choices? - How do you balance risk and principle? A Different Perspective Complex decisions can lack clear right answers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) [Circumstances Raise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances-raise-2939757/) [Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisions/) [Decisions William](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisions-william-2939756/) [Impossible Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible-decisions-2939755/) ## Related quotes > [I got interested in the emotions after studying patients who had lost the ability to emote and feel under certain circumstances. Many of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/i-got-interested-in-the-emotions-after-studying-patients-who-had-lost/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [I've always made my decisions based on two factors: intellectual analysis and my gut. And when they meet, that's a go from me. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ovitz/i-ve-always-made-my-decisions-based-on-two-factors-intellectual/) [Michael Ovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ovitz/) > [You've got Washington picking winners and losers. And so, all of a sudden, decisions are being made on what helps politicians, not what helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-hensarling/you-ve-got-washington-picking-winners-and-losers-and-so-all-of-a/) [Jeb Hensarling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-hensarling/) > [There are no minor decisions in movie making. Each decision will either contribute to a good piece of work or bring the whole movie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-lumet/there-are-no-minor-decisions-in-movie-making-each-decision-will/) [Sidney Lumet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-lumet/) > [A film is a chain of very difficult decisions, and I think one of them is to choose an accurate cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-camara/a-film-is-a-chain-of-very-difficult-decisions-and-i-think-one-of-them/) [Javier Camara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-camara/) > [You just try to make the best decisions you can. You just take life as it comes to you and do your best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rulon-gardner/you-just-try-to-make-the-best-decisions-you-can-you-just-take-life-as/) [Rulon Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rulon-gardner/) > [“Do you keep pace with those around you, or do you decide yourself just how you will live your life? The truth is...only you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/do-you-keep-pace-with-those-around-you-or-do-you-decide-yourself-just/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [“All you can do is make your decisions based on what you know now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malinda-lo/all-you-can-do-is-make-your-decisions-based-on-what-you-know-now/) [Malinda Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malinda-lo/) > [Decisions decide destiny, there is no action without decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/decisions-decide-destiny-there-is-no-action-without-decision/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“And so back to Cassie: who was she? 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I don't agree: we are conscious beings who have the capacity to make decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/some-might-argue-humans-are-hard-wired-to-fight-i-don-t-agree-we-are/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [“The decisions we take reflects our belief and our charachter”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajnish-borah/the-decisions-we-take-reflects-our-belief-and-our-charachter/) [Rajnish Borah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajnish-borah/) > [Love is the foundation from which your decisions about your life should be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-the-foundation-from-which-your-decisions-about-your-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## More by Dan Brown > [The more science I studied, the more I saw that physics becomes metaphysics and numbers become imaginary numbers. The farther you go into science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-more-science-i-studied-the-more-i-saw-that-physics-becomes/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [A little faith can do wonders...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/a-little-faith-can-do-wonders/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [For me, the spiritual quest will be a life-long work in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/for-me-the-spiritual-quest-will-be-a-life-long-work-in-progress/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Sometimes all it takes is a tiny shift of perspective to see something familiar in a totally new light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/sometimes-all-it-takes-is-a-tiny-shift-of-perspective-to-see/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“Leonardo believed his research had the potential to convert millions to a more spiritual life. Last year he categorically proved the existence of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/leonardo-believed-his-research-had-the-potential-to-convert-millions/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“The price of greatness...is responsibility - Winston Churchill”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-price-of-greatness-is-responsibility-winston-churchill/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [I am a completely horizontal author. I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch and with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-am-a-completely-horizontal-author-i-can-t-think-unless-i-m-lying/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [We did not have a television while I was growing up, and so I read voraciously. My earliest memory of being utterly transfixed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/we-did-not-have-a-television-while-i-was-growing-up-and-so-i-read/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“Robert,” Ambra whispered, “just remember the wise words of Disney’s Princess Elsa.” Langdon turned. “I’m sorry?” Ambra smiled softly. “Let it go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/robert-ambra-whispered-just-remember-the-wise-words-of-disney-s/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“¿Tienes enemigos? Bien. ¡Eso significa que has defendido algo!”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/tienes-enemigos-bien-eso-significa-que-has-defendido-algo/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Who will guard the guards ? If we're the guards of society, then who will watch us and make sure that we're not dangerous?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/who-will-guard-the-guards-if-we-re-the-guards-of-society-then-who/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“Dante's poem, Langdon was now reminded, was not so much about the misery of hell as it was about the power of the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/dante-s-poem-langdon-was-now-reminded-was-not-so-much-about-the/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [It's kind of a catch-22 now because since the 'Da Vinci Code,' I have access to places and people that I didn't have access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/it-s-kind-of-a-catch-22-now-because-since-the-da-vinci-code-i-have/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“The man was no stranger to deception, and yet his heart was pounding wildly now. He took another deep, throbbing breath. You've been deceiving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-man-was-no-stranger-to-deception-and-yet-his-heart-was-pounding/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“the entire operating system of the cosmos could be summed up by a single overriding command: spread energy!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-entire-operating-system-of-the-cosmos-could-be-summed-up-by-a/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) [Explore all 833 Dan Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) ## 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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometimes, circumstances raise impossible decisions. -William Pickering”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Brown" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/sometimes-circumstances-raise-impossible-decisions-william-pickering/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Circumstances" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/sometimes-circumstances-raise-impossible-decisions-william-pickering/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f7/dan-brown-203_circumstances_sometimes-circumstances-raise-impossible_2728917.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f7/dan-brown-203_circumstances_sometimes-circumstances-raise-impossible_2728917.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f7/dan-brown-203_circumstances_sometimes-circumstances-raise-impossible_2728917.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes, circumstances raise impossible decisions. -William Pickering” — Dan Brown", "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": "Dan Brown", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sometimes, circumstances raise impossible decisions. -William...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/sometimes-circumstances-raise-impossible-decisions-william-pickering/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/sometimes-circumstances-raise-impossible-decisions-william-pickering/#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 } } ] } ```