--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't control your mind. Why would…" description: "\"You can't control your mind. Why would you want to?\" — David Duchovny" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/david-duchovny-1754_control_you-can-t-control-your-mind-why-would-yo_2093441.jpg" --- # You can't control your mind. Why would you want to? ![“You can't control your mind. Why would you want to?” quote by David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/david-duchovny-1754_control_you-can-t-control-your-mind-why-would-yo_2093441.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/david-duchovny-1754_control_you-can-t-control-your-mind-why-would-yo_2093441.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/david-duchovny-1754_control_you-can-t-control-your-mind-why-would-yo_2093441.jpg) > “You can't control your mind. Why would you want to?” [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The mind is ungovernable; trying to control it is futile. **In simple terms:** Mind cannot be fully controlled. Key Takeaway Accept mental flow without forcing. Themes mindfulness control acceptance psychology Mood philosophical contemplative Type calm thoughtful When to use this quote - meditation - stress management - creative work Key Concepts Buddhist philosophy cognitive science self‑acceptance Questions to Reflect On - How does resisting control affect you? - Can you guide thoughts without dominating them? A Different Perspective May ignore benefits of mental discipline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Control Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-mind/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-want/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why/) [Would](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [“To control your life, control your mind. 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I was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/my-whole-life-i-ve-wanted-things-before-i-was-ready-i-was-always/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [ I would say recently I've gotten back to perusing \[Samuel\] Beckett's novels. Listening to the way Donald Trump speaks without saying anything has made… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-would-say-recently-i-ve-gotten-back-to-perusing-samuel-beckett-s/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [I got married a bit late, I agree. In any other period of history I'd have been dead at that age and they'd have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-got-married-a-bit-late-i-agree-in-any-other-period-of-history-i-d/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Our country was founded on a distrust of government. Our founding fathers gave power to the people to keep an eye on government. 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But I don't know how to use it as well as the 10-year-old daughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-like-my-computer-but-i-don-t-know-how-to-use-it-as-well-as-the-10/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Maybe the best things about celebrity are the things like being able to get that seat on the plane that you wouldn't normally get,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/maybe-the-best-things-about-celebrity-are-the-things-like-being-able/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [“Of course I’m biased, what else could I be? Bias makes the world go round, sometimes a little too fast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/of-course-i-m-biased-what-else-could-i-be-bias-makes-the-world-go/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > ['The X-Files,' as I recall, we didn't know really what we were until the middle of the first year. You know, so if we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/the-x-files-as-i-recall-we-didn-t-know-really-what-we-were-until-the/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [I always dreamt of being a basketball player. A dream that only I believed in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-always-dreamt-of-being-a-basketball-player-a-dream-that-only-i/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Well, I still write poetry, but I wouldn't call myself a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/well-i-still-write-poetry-but-i-wouldn-t-call-myself-a-poet/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [I'm not reading currently because I'm getting revisions of a novel. If I read while I'm writing I will unconsciously plagiarize and go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-m-not-reading-currently-because-i-m-getting-revisions-of-a-novel-if/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Anxiety is part of creativity, the need to get something out, the need to be rid of something or to get in touch with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/anxiety-is-part-of-creativity-the-need-to-get-something-out-the-need/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) [Explore all 211 David Duchovny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "You can't control your mind. 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