--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most of us have no idea what we can do…" description: "\"Most of us have no idea what we can do because we are totally conditioned by the past. Our memories, beliefs, assumptions, prejudices, and stresses con..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/deepak-chopra-63_assumption_most-of-us-have-no-idea-what-we-can-do-b_381537.jpg" --- # Most of us have no idea what we can do because we are… ![“Most of us have no idea what we can do because we are totally conditioned by the past. Our memories, beliefs, assumptions, prejudices, and stresses conspire to trap us in one boundary after another. We need to escape from this.” quote by Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/deepak-chopra-63_assumption_most-of-us-have-no-idea-what-we-can-do-b_381537.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/deepak-chopra-63_assumption_most-of-us-have-no-idea-what-we-can-do-b_381537.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/deepak-chopra-63_assumption_most-of-us-have-no-idea-what-we-can-do-b_381537.jpg) > “Most of us have no idea what we can do because we are totally conditioned by the past. Our memories, beliefs, assumptions, prejudices, and stresses conspire to trap us in one boundary after another. We need to escape from this.” [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Past conditioning limits our perception of potential; we must release mental constraints to unlock possibilities. **In simple terms:** Our past traps us; we need freedom. Key Takeaway Identify and release limiting beliefs. Themes self‑awareness growth freedom Mood thoughtful motivational Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - personal development - career planning - creative problem solving - relationship building Key Concepts psychology mindfulness behavioral change Questions to Reflect On - What beliefs hold you back? - How can you challenge them? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑seated beliefs can be difficult and slow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Assumptions Prejudices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumptions-prejudices-3459849/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Conditioned Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditioned-past-427367/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memories Beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories-beliefs-3459848/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [No idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-idea/) [Our memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-memories/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Prejudices Stresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudices-stresses-3459847/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Traps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traps/) ## Related quotes > [“We do not need to erase our assumptions, prejudices, or biases. We must simply learn to expand our awareness beyond them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/we-do-not-need-to-erase-our-assumptions-prejudices-or-biases-we-must/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [Most people spend their entire life imprisoned within the confines of their own thoughts. They never go beyond a narrow, mind-made, personalized sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/most-people-spend-their-entire-life-imprisoned-within-the-confines-of/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Sitting quietly, doing nothing, not knowing what is next and not concerned with what was or what may be next, a new mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-packer/sitting-quietly-doing-nothing-not-knowing-what-is-next-and-not/) [Toni Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-packer/) > [The mind, conditioned as it is by the past, always seeks to re-create what it knows and is familiar with. Even if it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-mind-conditioned-as-it-is-by-the-past-always-seeks-to-re-create/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Our brains are the result of the experience of centuries. The brain is the storehouse of memory. Without that memory, without the accumulated experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/our-brains-are-the-result-of-the-experience-of-centuries-the-brain-is/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Memory weaves and traps us at the same time according to a scheme in which we do not participate: we should never speak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-cort-zar/memory-weaves-and-traps-us-at-the-same-time-according-to-a-scheme-in/) [Julio Cortazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-cort-zar/) > [Witness your thoughts, moods, and behaviors. They represent your memories of the past, and by witnessing them in the present, you liberate yourself from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/witness-your-thoughts-moods-and-behaviors-they-represent-your/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our body is the place that our memories and dreams call home for the time being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/our-body-is-the-place-that-our-memories-and-dreams-call-home-for-the/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [When we use memories, we are creators. But when our memories use us, we become victims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/when-we-use-memories-we-are-creators-but-when-our-memories-use-us-we/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [You can keep your memory intact, preserve your brain's health, and minimize the risk of aging and senile dementia, things that are greatly feared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/you-can-keep-your-memory-intact-preserve-your-brain-s-health-and/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [It's our memories that make us who we are. Without them, we're nothing. If that means we have to hurt sometimes, it's worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/it-s-our-memories-that-make-us-who-we-are-without-them-we-re-nothing/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [If you could have a famous writer, dead or alive, write an obituary for you and really puff you up to have been something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padgett-powell/if-you-could-have-a-famous-writer-dead-or-alive-write-an-obituary-for/) [Padgett Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padgett-powell/) > [What are we after all our dreams, after all our memories?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-are-we-after-all-our-dreams-after-all-our-memories/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [The mountain receives our expressions and becomes part of us; we imprint our memories upon it and trust it with out dearest divisions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barcott/the-mountain-receives-our-expressions-and-becomes-part-of-us-we/) [Bruce Barcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barcott/) > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## More by Deepak Chopra > [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/) > [“Molecules form and dissolve, returning to the primordial soup of atoms. But consciousness survives the death of the molecules on which it rides. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/molecules-form-and-dissolve-returning-to-the-primordial-soup-of-atoms/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Unbounded awareness is the reservoir of possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/unbounded-awareness-is-the-reservoir-of-possibilities/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Spiritual awareness is not only one of the keys to the healing process. Spiritual awareness is the only way that healing can occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/spiritual-awareness-is-not-only-one-of-the-keys-to-the-healing/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [All experiences are either positive for your brain or negative. If you maximize the positive ones, you are shaping the brain you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/all-experiences-are-either-positive-for-your-brain-or-negative-if-you/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [There are only 2 responses to the world, fear or love. Your life depends on which one you choose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/there-are-only-2-responses-to-the-world-fear-or-love-your-life/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [If you take the the insults of your fellow human beings personally, you will be offended for the rest of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/if-you-take-the-the-insults-of-your-fellow-human-beings-personally/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [A person desperately searching for love," Merlin said, "reminds me of a fish desperately searching for water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/a-person-desperately-searching-for-love-merlin-said-reminds-me-of-a/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Fighting your ego is a melodrama of the ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/fighting-your-ego-is-a-melodrama-of-the-ego/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The same faint song is heard in everything: "Behold yourself".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-same-faint-song-is-heard-in-everything-behold-yourself/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“All creativity is based on quantum leaps and uncertainty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/all-creativity-is-based-on-quantum-leaps-and-uncertainty/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The soul knows everything. Be who you are and your life will transform forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-soul-knows-everything-be-who-you-are-and-your-life-will-transform/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The willingness to reach inside every part of yourself opens the door to total understanding. You place your entire identity on the line, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-willingness-to-reach-inside-every-part-of-yourself-opens-the-door/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Be willing to redefine yourself every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/be-willing-to-redefine-yourself-every-day/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [To have weakness is not to be flawed--it's to be complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/to-have-weakness-is-not-to-be-flawed-it-s-to-be-complete/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) [Explore all 1,675 Deepak Chopra quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) ## More Assumption quotes > [Next to the assumption of power was the responsibility of relinquishing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/next-to-the-assumption-of-power-was-the-responsibility-of/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) [Richard Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-doll/) > [Fortunately, the mind is restless; when it uncovers a layer of its own deception, gives up an illusion, exposes a lie, it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chernin/fortunately-the-mind-is-restless-when-it-uncovers-a-layer-of-its-own/) [Kim Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chernin/) > [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/) [Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/) > [She spent hours drawing on her own, trying to perfect her craft. And when she got into music, she had that same diligence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/she-spent-hours-drawing-on-her-own-trying-to-perfect-her-craft-and/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [If they are, then the only ultimate truths are the particulars of concrete experience, and no postulate or general assumption is inherent in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-wright/if-they-are-then-the-only-ultimate-truths-are-the-particulars-of/) [Chauncey Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-wright/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Leadership, pure and simple, is the assumption of responsibility for the pursuit of excellence in group life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-selznick/leadership-pure-and-simple-is-the-assumption-of-responsibility-for/) [Philip Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-selznick/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [When I see a fan coming over, I can't help but make an assumption about what they want to talk about. A middle-aged American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/when-i-see-a-fan-coming-over-i-can-t-help-but-make-an-assumption/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) [Browse all 1,277 Assumption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most of us have no idea what we can do because we are totally conditioned by the past. Our memories, beliefs, assumptions, prejudices, and stresses conspire to trap us in one boundary after another. We need to escape from this.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Deepak Chopra" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/most-of-us-have-no-idea-what-we-can-do-because-we-are-totally/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assumption" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/most-of-us-have-no-idea-what-we-can-do-because-we-are-totally/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/deepak-chopra-63_assumption_most-of-us-have-no-idea-what-we-can-do-b_381537.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/deepak-chopra-63_assumption_most-of-us-have-no-idea-what-we-can-do-b_381537.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/deepak-chopra-63_assumption_most-of-us-have-no-idea-what-we-can-do-b_381537.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most of us have no idea what we can do because we are totally conditioned by the past. Our memories…” — Deepak Chopra", "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": "Deepak Chopra", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Most of us have no idea...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/most-of-us-have-no-idea-what-we-can-do-because-we-are-totally/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/most-of-us-have-no-idea-what-we-can-do-because-we-are-totally/#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 } } ] } ```