--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are tyrannized by our options." description: "\"We are tyrannized by our options.\" — Dani Shapiro" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/dani-shapiro-2273_choice_we-are-tyrannized-by-our-options-920438_920438.png" --- # We are tyrannized by our options. ![“We are tyrannized by our options.” quote by Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/dani-shapiro-2273_choice_we-are-tyrannized-by-our-options-920438_920438.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/dani-shapiro-2273_choice_we-are-tyrannized-by-our-options-920438_920438.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/dani-shapiro-2273_choice_we-are-tyrannized-by-our-options-920438_920438.png) > “We are tyrannized by our options.” [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Too many options can paralyze decision‑making, leading to dissatisfaction. **In simple terms:** Excess choices overwhelm us. Key Takeaway Limit options to improve decisions. Themes psych decision‑making overchoice Mood contemplative analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - shopping - career moves - dating - daily routines Key Concepts behavioral economics choice architecture Questions to Reflect On - What decisions feel overwhelming? - How can you simplify choices? A Different Perspective Too few choices can also restrict freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Options](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/options/) [Tyrannized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrannized-1420488/) [Tyrannized Options](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrannized-options-1420487/) ## Related quotes > [It was the passions about whose origin we deceived ourselves that tyrannized most strongly over us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-we-deceived-ourselves-that-2/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Being tyrannized by Levana had a way of making allies of enemies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/being-tyrannized-by-levana-had-a-way-of-making-allies-of-enemies/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [“Those who don't know history are destined to be tyrannized by it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/those-who-don-t-know-history-are-destined-to-be-tyrannized-by-it/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [You become tyrannized by this notion that women must not only be treated equally, but they must never fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/you-become-tyrannized-by-this-notion-that-women-must-not-only-be/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Art springs from life but it doesn't mean we have to be tyrannized by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-kahn/art-springs-from-life-but-it-doesn-t-mean-we-have-to-be-tyrannized-by/) [Scott Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-kahn/) > [You have no choice until you have options.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yshmael/you-have-no-choice-until-you-have-options/) [Yshmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yshmael/) > [It's nice to have options even if you can't take them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/it-s-nice-to-have-options-even-if-you-can-t-take-them/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I pick and choose what I want to do at any given time, and what not to do, importantly. My agents, I won't hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mcdonagh/i-pick-and-choose-what-i-want-to-do-at-any-given-time-and-what-not-to/) [Martin McDonagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mcdonagh/) > [We have two options, give up or fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lester/we-have-two-options-give-up-or-fight/) [Jon Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lester/) > [I have too many clothes, I have too many options.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rihanna/i-have-too-many-clothes-i-have-too-many-options/) [Rihanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rihanna/) > [There is no silver bullet. There are always options and the options have consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-horowitz/there-is-no-silver-bullet-there-are-always-options-and-the-options/) [Ben Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-horowitz/) > [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/) > [I have too many options when it comes to guitars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-have-too-many-options-when-it-comes-to-guitars/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/there-are-only-two-options-regarding-commitment-you-re-either-in-or/) [Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/) > [We want women to have options and not be forced into somebody else's idea of what their beauty needs ought to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelieu-dennis/we-want-women-to-have-options-and-not-be-forced-into-somebody-else-s/) [Richelieu Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelieu-dennis/) ## More by Dani Shapiro > [“The writer’s life requires courage, patience, empathy, openness. It requires the ability to be alone with oneself. Gentle with oneself. To be disciplined, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/the-writer-s-life-requires-courage-patience-empathy-openness-it/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I never troll for material. It simply presents itself, and is always unmistakable. This is why I want to roll my eyes when people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-never-troll-for-material-it-simply-presents-itself-and-is-always/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I had never really felt settled in Brooklyn. I think it had to do with growing up in New Jersey and being someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-had-never-really-felt-settled-in-brooklyn-i-think-it-had-to-do-with/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [When I near the end of a book, it feels as if the entire universe meets me more than halfway and supports me. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/when-i-near-the-end-of-a-book-it-feels-as-if-the-entire-universe/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Everything you need to know about life can be learned from a genuine and ongoing attempt to write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/everything-you-need-to-know-about-life-can-be-learned-from-a-genuine/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [We don't choose what's going to wake us up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-don-t-choose-what-s-going-to-wake-us-up/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Everything changes. The more I try to hold on to the moment, the more it slips through my fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/everything-changes-the-more-i-try-to-hold-on-to-the-moment-the-more/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [There is no end to the promotion. There is no end to the possibilities. You can continue to promote a book for years, literally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/there-is-no-end-to-the-promotion-there-is-no-end-to-the-possibilities/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [We can't protect ourselves from pain and heartache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-can-t-protect-ourselves-from-pain-and-heartache/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [A writer with her work needs to be like a dog with a bone all the time. She needs to know where she's hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/a-writer-with-her-work-needs-to-be-like-a-dog-with-a-bone-all-the/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [“Oh, child! Somewhere inside you, your future has already unfurled like one of those coiled-up party streamers, once shiny, shaken loose, floating gracefully for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/oh-child-somewhere-inside-you-your-future-has-already-unfurled-like/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I never feel so alive as when I'm writing and the work is going well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-never-feel-so-alive-as-when-i-m-writing-and-the-work-is-going-well/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I do strongly identify with being Jewish. I was raised Orthodox and had a childhood complicated by the fact that my father was deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-do-strongly-identify-with-being-jewish-i-was-raised-orthodox-and/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [The fact is that most husbands, regardless of religion - it's an old-fashioned gender divide where the husband wants to stay home and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/the-fact-is-that-most-husbands-regardless-of-religion-it-s-an-old/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Novels are my favorite to write and read. I do like writing personal essays, too. I'm not really a short story writer, nor do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/novels-are-my-favorite-to-write-and-read-i-do-like-writing-personal/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) [Explore all 175 Dani Shapiro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) ## More Choice quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“Exactly. So, what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way, no matter how hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/exactly-so-what-can-t-you-take-decide-which-of-the-two-options-is/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [I have too many options when it comes to guitars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-have-too-many-options-when-it-comes-to-guitars/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [“Amazing how a small choice can change your life forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-c-dockens/amazing-how-a-small-choice-can-change-your-life-forever/) [Randy C. Dockens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-c-dockens/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Since I don't outline my books very much, I feel like sometimes I don't have a choice in what the characters do; they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/since-i-don-t-outline-my-books-very-much-i-feel-like-sometimes-i-don/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Words can only have an effect on you if you choose to listen to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/words-can-only-have-an-effect-on-you-if-you-choose-to-listen-to-them/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) [Browse all 8,092 Choice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are tyrannized by our options.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dani Shapiro" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-are-tyrannized-by-our-options/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-are-tyrannized-by-our-options/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/dani-shapiro-2273_choice_we-are-tyrannized-by-our-options-920438_920438.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/dani-shapiro-2273_choice_we-are-tyrannized-by-our-options-920438_920438.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/dani-shapiro-2273_choice_we-are-tyrannized-by-our-options-920438_920438.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are tyrannized by our options.” — Dani Shapiro", "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": "Dani Shapiro", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are tyrannized by our options.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-are-tyrannized-by-our-options/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-are-tyrannized-by-our-options/#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 } } ] } ```