--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: we can choose our own endings, joy over…" description: "\"“we can choose our own endings, joy over sorrow? Or does the cruel world just give and take, give and take, while we flounder through the wilderness?”\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/eowyn-ivey-7989_cruel-world_we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy-over-s_1872953.jpg" --- # we can choose our own endings, joy over sorrow? Or does… ![“we can choose our own endings, joy over sorrow? Or does the cruel world just give and take, give and take, while we flounder through the wilderness?” quote by Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/eowyn-ivey-7989_cruel-world_we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy-over-s_1872953.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/eowyn-ivey-7989_cruel-world_we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy-over-s_1872953.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/eowyn-ivey-7989_cruel-world_we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy-over-s_1872953.jpg) > ““we can choose our own endings, joy over sorrow? Or does the cruel world just give and take, give and take, while we flounder through the wilderness?”” [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We can shape our destiny, but the world can also overwhelm us with hardship. **In simple terms:** We choose endings, yet world can be cruel. Key Takeaway Balance hope with realism. Themes hope destiny adversity Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal goals - relationship challenges - overcoming obstacles Key Concepts choice free will existential struggle Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance personal agency with external pressures? - What role does hope play in adversity? A Different Perspective Hope may be limited by external forces. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose/) [Choose Endings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-endings-2596993/) [Cruel world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel-world/) [Endings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endings/) [Endings Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endings-joy-2596994/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [“Was it as Ada had suggested, that we can choose our own endings, joy over sorrow? Or does the cruel world just give and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/was-it-as-ada-had-suggested-that-we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“What a tragic tale! Why these stories for children always have to turn out so dreadfully is beyond me. I think if I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/what-a-tragic-tale-why-these-stories-for-children-always-have-to-turn/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“We never love a person after judging them because that's not love then, But today's life lesson is to judge a person before falling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debolina-bhawal/we-never-love-a-person-after-judging-them-because-that-s-not-love/) [Debolina Bhawal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debolina-bhawal/) > [“was asked, ‘Can you bring six million Jews to Palestine?’ I replied, ‘No.’ . . . The old ones will pass. They will bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hecht/was-asked-can-you-bring-six-million-jews-to-palestine-i-replied-no/) [Ben Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hecht/) > [“Nature has a lot to offer.But she finds her self in a cruel world.That is why there is misunderstanding and you have your share.So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanel-oppong/nature-has-a-lot-to-offer-but-she-finds-her-self-in-a-cruel-world/) [Emmanel Oppong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanel-oppong/) > [Peace is not just the mere absence of violence or disturbance. It's when there is a possibility of conflict, but you deliberately avoid violence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/peace-is-not-just-the-mere-absence-of-violence-or-disturbance-it-s/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I'm glad some people have that faith. I don't have that faith. If there is a God, a caring God, then we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews/i-m-glad-some-people-have-that-faith-i-don-t-have-that-faith-if-there/) [Dave Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews/) > [“You are a blessing in a cruel world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismaaciil-c-ubax/you-are-a-blessing-in-a-cruel-world/) [Ismaaciil C. Ubax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismaaciil-c-ubax/) > [“Envy: Instead of focusing on your own goals, your goal becomes throwing off the rails other people’s goals and at the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/envy-instead-of-focusing-on-your-own-goals-your-goal-becomes-throwing/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [We both know it's a cruel world, but I will take my chances, as long as you love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-bieber/we-both-know-it-s-a-cruel-world-but-i-will-take-my-chances-as-long-as/) [Justin Bieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-bieber/) > [People change in order to survive in this cruel world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin/people-change-in-order-to-survive-in-this-cruel-world/) [Alvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin/) > [These birds and animals and fish cannot speak, but they can suffer, and our God who created them, knows their sufferings, and will hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-q-cannon/these-birds-and-animals-and-fish-cannot-speak-but-they-can-suffer-and/) [George Q. Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-q-cannon/) > [Isn't it a cruel world, where those who risked loving deeply always get heartbroken while those who don't love at all always get away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/isn-t-it-a-cruel-world-where-those-who-risked-loving-deeply-always/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [Cruelty was the devil, and most people were, in one way or another, cruel. Tyranny, suppression, persecution, torture, slavery, war, neglect - all were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/cruelty-was-the-devil-and-most-people-were-in-one-way-or-another/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [“So forget this cruel world Where I belong I'll just sit and wait And sing my song. And if one day you should see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-drake/so-forget-this-cruel-world-where-i-belong-i-ll-just-sit-and-wait-and/) [Nick Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-drake/) ## More by Eowyn Ivey > [“It was beautiful, Mabel knew, but it was a beauty that ripped you open and scored you clean so that you were left helpless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/it-was-beautiful-mabel-knew-but-it-was-a-beauty-that-ripped-you-open/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Makes me see that there might be some sense to having children after all, just so your entire life and all your family’s contributions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/makes-me-see-that-there-might-be-some-sense-to-having-children-after/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“She and Jack had formed her of snow and birch boughs and frosty wild grass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/she-and-jack-had-formed-her-of-snow-and-birch-boughs-and-frosty-wild/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“You’ll drive yourself crazy looking for something that’s not there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/you-ll-drive-yourself-crazy-looking-for-something-that-s-not-there/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“She might be curt and ungrateful, but by God she could bake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/she-might-be-curt-and-ungrateful-but-by-god-she-could-bake/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“And if it is true...that we are each inhabited by some bit of divine light, then upon death, how long before those particles dissipate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/and-if-it-is-true-that-we-are-each-inhabited-by-some-bit-of-divine/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Carry me on and on to the edge of the earth, with children's laughter like a wind - full sail, then carry me beyond”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/carry-me-on-and-on-to-the-edge-of-the-earth-with-children-s-laughter/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“When she first fell in love with Jack, she had dreamed she could fly, that on a warm, inky black night she had pushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/when-she-first-fell-in-love-with-jack-she-had-dreamed-she-could-fly/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“But what makes the question of cultural loss the most uncomfortable, and difficult for me to address, are the inherent definitions built into it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/but-what-makes-the-question-of-cultural-loss-the-most-uncomfortable/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Sewing was different. Mabel knew if she was patient and meticulous, if she carefully followed the lines, took each step as it came, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/sewing-was-different-mabel-knew-if-she-was-patient-and-meticulous-if/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“As Jack's eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he saw the ground covered in white and, in the light of Garrett"s lantern, snowflakes spinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/as-jack-s-eyes-grew-accustomed-to-the-darkness-he-saw-the-ground/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Doubt crouched over his shoulder, ready to take him by the throat, whispering in his ear, You are an old man. An old, old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/doubt-crouched-over-his-shoulder-ready-to-take-him-by-the-throat/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“All her life she had believed in something more, in the mystery that shape-shifted at the edge of her senses. It was the flutter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-something-more-in-the-mystery-that/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“In my old age, I see that life itself is often more fantastic and terrible than the stories we believed as children, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/in-my-old-age-i-see-that-life-itself-is-often-more-fantastic-and/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“I see that life itself is often more fantastic and terrible than the stories we believed as children, and that perhaps there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/i-see-that-life-itself-is-often-more-fantastic-and-terrible-than-the/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) [Explore all 84 Eowyn Ivey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) ## More Choose quotes > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [If somebody asks me to choose a biopic, it would be Narain Karthikeyan because I love racing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naga-chaitanya/if-somebody-asks-me-to-choose-a-biopic-it-would-be-narain-karthikeyan/) [Naga Chaitanya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naga-chaitanya/) > [“Either you soften your ego, or the world will do it for you. Choose!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-mccoy/either-you-soften-your-ego-or-the-world-will-do-it-for-you-choose/) [Bert McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-mccoy/) > [I'm aware of who I am and I'm comfortable with who I choose to date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shibani-dandekar/i-m-aware-of-who-i-am-and-i-m-comfortable-with-who-i-choose-to-date/) [Shibani Dandekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shibani-dandekar/) > [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/) > [If you choose to work at a larger company over a smaller company, you are more likely to be higher paid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-sweet/if-you-choose-to-work-at-a-larger-company-over-a-smaller-company-you/) [Julie Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-sweet/) > [You can't choose what stays and what stays away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/you-can-t-choose-what-stays-and-what-stays-away/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [It's only a thought and a thought can be changed. Choose good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-s-only-a-thought-and-a-thought-can-be-changed-choose-good-ones/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime...so you gotta choose who is good for you! Be wise, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-come-into-your-life-for-a-reason-a-season-or-a-lifetime-so-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not opposed - we manufacture a lot of socks in North Carolina - I just choose not to wear them. It's a Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-burr/i-m-not-opposed-we-manufacture-a-lot-of-socks-in-north-carolina-i/) [Richard Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-burr/) > [Having too many options is bad. I want one person, just one. Not a whole bunch to choose from,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roderickthefirst/having-too-many-options-is-bad-i-want-one-person-just-one-not-a-whole/) [RoderickTheFirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roderickthefirst/) > [If I could be anyone, I'd choose the lead singer of Arcade Fire, Win Butler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-kardashian/if-i-could-be-anyone-i-d-choose-the-lead-singer-of-arcade-fire-win/) [Rob Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-kardashian/) > [People are as happy as they choose to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/people-are-as-happy-as-they-choose-to-be/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) [Browse all 3,851 Choose quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“we can choose our own endings, joy over sorrow? Or does the cruel world just give and take, give and take, while we flounder through the wilderness?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eowyn Ivey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy-over-sorrow-or-does-the-cruel-world/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choose" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy-over-sorrow-or-does-the-cruel-world/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/eowyn-ivey-7989_cruel-world_we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy-over-s_1872953.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/eowyn-ivey-7989_cruel-world_we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy-over-s_1872953.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/eowyn-ivey-7989_cruel-world_we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy-over-s_1872953.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“we can choose our own endings, joy over sorrow? Or does the cruel world just give and take, give and take…” — Eowyn Ivey", "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": "Eowyn Ivey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“we can choose our own endings,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy-over-sorrow-or-does-the-cruel-world/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy-over-sorrow-or-does-the-cruel-world/#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 } } ] } ```