--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are three choices in this life: be…" description: "\"“There are three choices in this life: be good, get good, or give up.”\" — David Shore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/david-shore-29274_choices_there-are-three-choices-in-this-life-be_3124913.png" --- # There are three choices in this life: be good, get good… ![“There are three choices in this life: be good, get good, or give up.” quote by David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/david-shore-29274_choices_there-are-three-choices-in-this-life-be_3124913.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/david-shore-29274_choices_there-are-three-choices-in-this-life-be_3124913.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/david-shore-29274_choices_there-are-three-choices-in-this-life-be_3124913.png) > ““There are three choices in this life: be good, get good, or give up.”” [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) ## 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 presents three life paths: moral integrity, skill mastery, or surrender. **In simple terms:** Choose virtue, skill, or quit. Key Takeaway Pick growth over resignation. Themes morality self‑development choices Mood determined reflective Type advice motivational When to use this quote - career decisions - education - relationships - health goals Key Concepts ethics personal agency resilience Questions to Reflect On - Which path aligns with your values? - How can you avoid the 'give up' option? A Different Perspective It oversimplifies complex life circumstances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Choices Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices-life/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Determination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determination/) [Good Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-good/) [House-md](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-md-84764/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-good/) [Perserverance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perserverance/) [Struggling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggling/) ## Related quotes > [“You got three choices in life: be good, get good or give up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/house/you-got-three-choices-in-life-be-good-get-good-or-give-up/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/house/) > [“Did you come for my feelings? Because I left 'em in my other pants. -Greg House”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/house/did-you-come-for-my-feelings-because-i-left-em-in-my-other-pants-greg/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/house/) > [“You spend your whole life looking for answers because you think the next answer will solve all your problems: make you a little less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/house/you-spend-your-whole-life-looking-for-answers-because-you-think-the/) [house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/house/) > [“I love how everyone thinks it's so quaint and childlike of me to expect a modicum of privacy around here. -Remy "Thirteen" Hadley”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/house/i-love-how-everyone-thinks-it-s-so-quaint-and-childlike-of-me-to/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/house/) > [“People don't get what they deserve. They just get what they get. 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Fear or pain is almost as big of a motivator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/house/pain-makes-us-make-bad-decisions-fear-or-pain-is-almost-as-big-of-a/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/house/) > [“I teach you to lie, cheat, and steal, and as soon as my back's turned you wait in line? -Greg House”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/house/i-teach-you-to-lie-cheat-and-steal-and-as-soon-as-my-back-s-turned/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/house/) > [“I don't ask why patients lie, I just assume they all do. -Greg House”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/house/i-don-t-ask-why-patients-lie-i-just-assume-they-all-do-greg-house/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/house/) > [Life is good when you have a good sandwich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keanu-reeves/life-is-good-when-you-have-a-good-sandwich/) [Keanu Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keanu-reeves/) > [But I can say that life is good to me. Has been and is good. So I think my task is to be good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/but-i-can-say-that-life-is-good-to-me-has-been-and-is-good-so-i-think/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [“I now bless everyone, everything, and every situation in my life now, as good, good, and very good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-shumsky/i-now-bless-everyone-everything-and-every-situation-in-my-life-now-as/) [Susan Shumsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-shumsky/) > [All of us have bad luck and good luck. The man who persists through the bad luck - who keeps right on going -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-collier/all-of-us-have-bad-luck-and-good-luck-the-man-who-persists-through/) [Robert Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-collier/) > [If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the field, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-devos/if-i-had-to-select-one-quality-one-personal-characteristic-that-i/) [Richard DeVos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-devos/) > [“There's something outrageously simple about extending yourself toward a goal the way a plant seeks the sun's rays or a gopher the crunch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/there-s-something-outrageously-simple-about-extending-yourself-toward/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [“Never be afraid to offer a smile; sure the risk is that a few foolish people may misinterpret your kindness as weakness, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/never-be-afraid-to-offer-a-smile-sure-the-risk-is-that-a-few-foolish/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) ## More by David Shore > [You have to make changes before people are clamoring for changes. If people are asking for changes, it's too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/you-have-to-make-changes-before-people-are-clamoring-for-changes-if/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [The saying within the writer's room, which were my words of wisdom, if you will, was, "The punishment doesn't have to fit the crime,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/the-saying-within-the-writer-s-room-which-were-my-words-of-wisdom-if/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [You have to be driven by the stories that you want to tell. You can't simply be responding, or there won't be any real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/you-have-to-be-driven-by-the-stories-that-you-want-to-tell-you-can-t/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [Shorten the runway and you have fewer takeoffs and landings, shorten the runway and you enhance safety and reduce the noise, ... It also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/shorten-the-runway-and-you-have-fewer-takeoffs-and-landings-shorten/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [Directing is a very all-consuming job. What you want to do there, as you're coming down the final road, is to just sit back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/directing-is-a-very-all-consuming-job-what-you-want-to-do-there-as/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [Doing what you love means dealing with things you don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/doing-what-you-love-means-dealing-with-things-you-don-t/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [Like I always say, there's no 'I' in team. There is a 'me', though, if you jumble it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/like-i-always-say-there-s-no-i-in-team-there-is-a-me-though-if-you/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [If we were to care about every person suffering on this planet, life would shut down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/if-we-were-to-care-about-every-person-suffering-on-this-planet-life/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [You make decisions and choices, and you're never going to know if they're the ideal choices, but you make them and you make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/you-make-decisions-and-choices-and-you-re-never-going-to-know-if-they/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [There are a lot of explorations on TV of romantic relationships, and some are good and some are bad. I think there are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/there-are-a-lot-of-explorations-on-tv-of-romantic-relationships-and/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [Only two things you ignore: things that aren't important and things you wish weren't important, and wishing never works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/only-two-things-you-ignore-things-that-aren-t-important-and-things/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [I think you have to do the stories that interest you and hope an audience likes it, rather than doing stories that you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/i-think-you-have-to-do-the-stories-that-interest-you-and-hope-an/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [You're supposed to trust friends. You have no reason to be his friend? That is part of the pleasure of friendship: trusting without absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/you-re-supposed-to-trust-friends-you-have-no-reason-to-be-his-friend/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [People choose the paths that grant them the greatest rewards for the least amount of effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/people-choose-the-paths-that-grant-them-the-greatest-rewards-for-the-2/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) > [“If you are not willing to look stupid, nothing great is ever going to happen to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/if-you-are-not-willing-to-look-stupid-nothing-great-is-ever-going-to/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) [Explore all 18 David Shore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) ## More Choices quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) [Alison James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-james/) > [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/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [Clarissa," he said, "here with the vampire, I see. When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [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/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/) [Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There are three choices in this life: be good, get good, or give up.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Shore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/there-are-three-choices-in-this-life-be-good-get-good-or-give-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choices" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/there-are-three-choices-in-this-life-be-good-get-good-or-give-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/david-shore-29274_choices_there-are-three-choices-in-this-life-be_3124913.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/david-shore-29274_choices_there-are-three-choices-in-this-life-be_3124913.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/david-shore-29274_choices_there-are-three-choices-in-this-life-be_3124913.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are three choices in this life: be good, get good, or give up.” — David Shore", "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": "David Shore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There are three choices in this...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/there-are-three-choices-in-this-life-be-good-get-good-or-give-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/there-are-three-choices-in-this-life-be-good-get-good-or-give-up/#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 } } ] } ```