--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't do it. It would be like, say…" description: "\"I can't do it. It would be like, say, trying to fall in love with somebody, or trying to convince yourself that your favorite food is pancakes. You don..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8e/donald-miller-607_convince_i-can-t-do-it-it-would-be-like-say-tryin_1534003.png" --- # I can't do it. It would be like, say, trying to fall in… ![“I can't do it. It would be like, say, trying to fall in love with somebody, or trying to convince yourself that your favorite food is pancakes. You don't decide those things, they just happen to you. If God is real, He needs to happen to me.” quote by Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8e/donald-miller-607_convince_i-can-t-do-it-it-would-be-like-say-tryin_1534003.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8e/donald-miller-607_convince_i-can-t-do-it-it-would-be-like-say-tryin_1534003.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8e/donald-miller-607_convince_i-can-t-do-it-it-would-be-like-say-tryin_1534003.png) > “I can't do it. It would be like, say, trying to fall in love with somebody, or trying to convince yourself that your favorite food is pancakes. You don't decide those things, they just happen to you. If God is real, He needs to happen to me.” [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) ## 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 expresses that love and belief are not choices but involuntary experiences that happen to us, suggesting that divine encounters are similarly beyond personal control. **In simple terms:** Love and faith happen to you, not by choice. Key Takeaway Accept that some things happen beyond your control. Themes faith love divine acceptance volition Mood reflective contemplative hopeful Type philosophical inspirational personal. When to use this quote - personal relationships - religious conversion - self‑acceptance - seeking meaning Key Concepts spirituality free will theology Questions to Reflect On - Can you influence how you respond to involuntary experiences? - What does it mean to “let God happen” to you? A Different Perspective It may overlook the role of personal effort in shaping beliefs or relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fall in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall-in-love/) [Falling in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-in-love/) [Favorite foods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favorite-foods/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [“Now let me tell you what I know. Our God is real. Our God is coming. Our God has plans for us. Our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-allen/now-let-me-tell-you-what-i-know-our-god-is-real-our-god-is-coming-our/) [Jennie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-allen/) > [“Either God is real or he isn't; I'm ok with that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/either-god-is-real-or-he-isn-t-i-m-ok-with-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe in God. I know God is real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-evans/i-believe-in-god-i-know-god-is-real/) [Sara Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-evans/) > [God is real. You have a lot of prophets, angels; everything is real, you know. You know me - I'm a deep person, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ghostface-killah/god-is-real-you-have-a-lot-of-prophets-angels-everything-is-real-you/) [Ghostface Killah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ghostface-killah/) > [If God is real, and I believe he is, then he is outside of nature. He is, therefore, not limited by the laws of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/if-god-is-real-and-i-believe-he-is-then-he-is-outside-of-nature-he-is/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [“By the time I got to the phone and dialed John's number, I was out of breath with excitement. "You are not going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattie-mallette/by-the-time-i-got-to-the-phone-and-dialed-john-s-number-i-was-out-of/) [Pattie Mallette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattie-mallette/) > [God is Real. Ever thought of the everyday happenings? He does not need a refund, only a thankful prayer!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-quperlier/god-is-real-ever-thought-of-the-everyday-happenings-he-does-not-need/) [Simon Quperlier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-quperlier/) > [God is real. God is here now. God is this moment revealed. For the most part, we are lost in the past and future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-jacobson/god-is-real-god-is-here-now-god-is-this-moment-revealed-for-the-most/) [Leonard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-jacobson/) > [I've never read 'The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe,' but his later works are about whether God is real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-fallon/i-ve-never-read-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-but-his-later/) [Brian Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-fallon/) > [If God is real, and he did give a piece of Himself to us, it is our brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hopsin/if-god-is-real-and-he-did-give-a-piece-of-himself-to-us-it-is-our/) [Hopsin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hopsin/) > [I know God is real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/i-know-god-is-real/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [“God is real, and we are all worthy of His love and salvation because He finds us worthy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-mcvea/god-is-real-and-we-are-all-worthy-of-his-love-and-salvation-because/) [Crystal McVea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-mcvea/) > [“Yes, God is real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/yes-god-is-real/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [“God is real,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-n-joy/god-is-real/) [E.N. Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-n-joy/) > [“When my problems seem overwhelming and impossible to solve, I hold fast to these facts: God is real, He is right, and He cares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/when-my-problems-seem-overwhelming-and-impossible-to-solve-i-hold/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) ## More by Donald Miller > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [I think each of us can, through our writing, discover our super power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/i-think-each-of-us-can-through-our-writing-discover-our-super-power/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [If you don't feel free and be yourself, you can't connect. Find people who accept your quirks. They'll heal your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/if-you-don-t-feel-free-and-be-yourself-you-can-t-connect-find-people/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [And so I have come to understand that strength, inner strength, comes from receiving love as much as it comes from giving it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/and-so-i-have-come-to-understand-that-strength-inner-strength-comes/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“Humans, as a species, are constantly, and in every way, comparing themselves to one another, which, given the brief nature of their existence, seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/humans-as-a-species-are-constantly-and-in-every-way-comparing/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“alone, lonely, and loneliness are three of the most powerful words in the English language... 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It was given to you by God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/don-t-let-go-of-your-strength-or-your-beauty-it-was-given-to-you-by/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [There's a lot of letters, and a lot of people come say "hi" at book signings, but I'm amazed at how normal everybody is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-a-lot-of-letters-and-a-lot-of-people-come-say-hi-at-book/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [I am something of a recluse by nature. I am that cordless screwdriver that has to charge for twenty hours to earn ten minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/i-am-something-of-a-recluse-by-nature-i-am-that-cordless-screwdriver/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [The most important thing that happens within Christian spirituality is when a person falls in love with Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/the-most-important-thing-that-happens-within-christian-spirituality/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [Every day you live is a page. Every year, a chapter. Your life, a book. What is it about?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/every-day-you-live-is-a-page-every-year-a-chapter-your-life-a-book/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“And that’s the first time I realized that the idea a character is what he does makes as much sense in life as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/and-that-s-the-first-time-i-realized-that-the-idea-a-character-is/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) [Explore all 448 Donald Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) ## More Convince quotes > [“Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-so-badly-that-we-convince/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [The privilege of prayer to me is one of the most cherished possessions, because faith and experience alike convince me that God himself sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-grenfell/the-privilege-of-prayer-to-me-is-one-of-the-most-cherished/) [Wilfred Grenfell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-grenfell/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [The first duty of a wise advocate is to convince his opponents that he understands their arguments, and sympathies with their just feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-first-duty-of-a-wise-advocate-is-to-convince-his-opponents-that/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Once you convince people that they're victims, you really own them because you've just told them that whatever problems they have in life, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/once-you-convince-people-that-they-re-victims-you-really-own-them/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The people on the QVC shopping channel convince me that life is worth living. They see the good in everything. People who go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-vegas/the-people-on-the-qvc-shopping-channel-convince-me-that-life-is-worth/) [Johnny Vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-vegas/) > [“What can I say to convince you the Houses of Parliament dissolve night after night to become the fluid dream of the Thames? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisel-mueller/what-can-i-say-to-convince-you-the-houses-of-parliament-dissolve/) [Lisel Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisel-mueller/) > [Human beings have the incredible capacity for denial. I think they do. And although it's really hard to believe, I have my doubts. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/human-beings-have-the-incredible-capacity-for-denial-i-think-they-do/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [“If you can convince yourself, you can convince the other fellow,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/if-you-can-convince-yourself-you-can-convince-the-other-fellow/) [Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/) > [Don't lie to yourself about what you can't or can achieve. Convince yourself on a realistic level that you can do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-lie-to-yourself-about-what-you-can-t-or-can-achieve-convince/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don't ever let anyone convince you that your imagination is wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-bianco/don-t-ever-let-anyone-convince-you-that-your-imagination-is-wrong/) [Giuseppe Bianco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-bianco/) > [It's hard to convince your agents and managers to do theater, because it's not as financially rewarding and it takes up a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-helberg/it-s-hard-to-convince-your-agents-and-managers-to-do-theater-because/) [Simon Helberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-helberg/) > [I guess that is the strange part of the human brain that people have studied for eons - is hatred and self-hatred. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-guess-that-is-the-strange-part-of-the-human-brain-that-people-have/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [I knew I shouldn't like him cause I know it's not working, and everybody tells me that, and I convince myself I don't... and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/i-knew-i-shouldn-t-like-him-cause-i-know-it-s-not-working-and/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [The statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-statesmen-will-invent-cheap-lies-putting-the-blame-upon-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) Browse all 1,431 Convince quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can't do it. 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