--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can write your own history." description: "\"You can write your own history.\" — Eric McCormack" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/eric-mccormack-2915_history_you-can-write-your-own-history-594473_594473.jpg" --- # You can write your own history. ![“You can write your own history.” quote by Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/eric-mccormack-2915_history_you-can-write-your-own-history-594473_594473.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/eric-mccormack-2915_history_you-can-write-your-own-history-594473_594473.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/eric-mccormack-2915_history_you-can-write-your-own-history-594473_594473.jpg) > “You can write your own history.” [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People have agency to shape their own narratives and future. **In simple terms:** You control your own story. Key Takeaway Take charge of your life choices. Themes agency self-determination empowerment choice responsibility Mood motivational inspirational Type philosophical encouraging When to use this quote - career decisions - personal relationships - creative projects - habit formation Key Concepts personal development goal setting life planning Questions to Reflect On - What story are you writing? - How do you overcome obstacles? A Different Perspective External circumstances can limit options. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-history/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [Those in power write the history while those who suffer write the songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-harte/those-in-power-write-the-history-while-those-who-suffer-write-the/) [Frank Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-harte/) > [Creatively, it's great, because when you write your own movies, you get to create whatever you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-heslov/creatively-it-s-great-because-when-you-write-your-own-movies-you-get/) [Grant Heslov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-heslov/) > [I cannot understand why some people try to write a history of photography that is separated from the history of modern art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-chevrier/i-cannot-understand-why-some-people-try-to-write-a-history-of/) [Jean-Francois Chevrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-chevrier/) > [As a historian I understand how histories are written. My enemies will write histories that dismiss me and prove I was unimportant. My friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/as-a-historian-i-understand-how-histories-are-written-my-enemies-will/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [If you wanted to, you could write history in Haiku.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/if-you-wanted-to-you-could-write-history-in-haiku/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [“Suppose a would-be writer can't begin? I really believe there are many excellent writers who have never written because they never could begin. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-leacock/suppose-a-would-be-writer-can-t-begin-i-really-believe-there-are-many/) [Stephen Leacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-leacock/) > [If we do not, as historians, write the history of great events as well as the small stories that make up the past, others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/if-we-do-not-as-historians-write-the-history-of-great-events-as-well/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [Never make enemies of anyone younger or healthier than you are. They write your history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-m-appel/never-make-enemies-of-anyone-younger-or-healthier-than-you-are-they/) [Jacob M. Appel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-m-appel/) > [“Every woman should have a daughter to tell her stories to. Otherwise, the lessons learned are as useless as spare buttons from a discarded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-white/every-woman-should-have-a-daughter-to-tell-her-stories-to-otherwise/) [Karen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-white/) > [“You are the author of your own destiny; write yourself into history books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/you-are-the-author-of-your-own-destiny-write-yourself-into-history/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [Who will dare to write a history of human goodness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/who-will-dare-to-write-a-history-of-human-goodness/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [Great steps in human progress are made by things that don't work the way philosophy thought they should. If things always worked the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kettering/great-steps-in-human-progress-are-made-by-things-that-don-t-work-the/) [Charles Kettering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kettering/) > [I have not always been wrong. History will bear me out, particularly as I shall write that history myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-have-not-always-been-wrong-history-will-bear-me-out-particularly-as/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [ Intellectuals (in the standard sense of the term, not \[ Edward\] Said's prescriptive sense) are the people who write history. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/intellectuals-in-the-standard-sense-of-the-term-not-edward-said-s/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [To write history one must be more than a man, since the author who holds the pen of this great justiciary must be free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/to-write-history-one-must-be-more-than-a-man-since-the-author-who/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) ## More by Eric McCormack > [I got Michael Caine's book, Acting In Film, and I read it on the plane, desperately trying to glean information from him about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/i-got-michael-caine-s-book-acting-in-film-and-i-read-it-on-the-plane/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [ \[Townies\] was a great springboard, obviously, because Jenna \[Elfman\] went from that to Dharma & Greg, and a few years later, Lauren \[Graham\] went… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/townies-was-a-great-springboard-obviously-because-jenna-elfman-went/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [The Trevor Project provides crisis-intervention and suicide-prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teens and young adults. It's truly a lifeline to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/the-trevor-project-provides-crisis-intervention-and-suicide/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [We didn't, with 'Will & Grace,' set out to change the gay world. We just set out to be funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/we-didn-t-with-will-grace-set-out-to-change-the-gay-world-we-just-set/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [ I think because the show \["Grant MacLaren"\] is essentially a hopeful show. The show says that as bleak as the future is, the one… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/i-think-because-the-show-grant-maclaren-is-essentially-a-hopeful-show/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [ \[Townies\] was a huge cast. It was a bit ungainly, I think with 12 regular characters they had to keep writing for. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/townies-was-a-huge-cast-it-was-a-bit-ungainly-i-think-with-12-regular/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [It's very strange - several years ago, I was in the running for the 'Young Frankenstein' musical. Kristin Chenoweth was going to do it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/it-s-very-strange-several-years-ago-i-was-in-the-running-for-the/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [But I was ready for it and I knew I could do it. I've just turned 40, I have a son and I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/but-i-was-ready-for-it-and-i-knew-i-could-do-it-i-ve-just-turned-40-i/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [As I got older, I realized that my life experience, what I really had, was always going to be more valuable than what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/as-i-got-older-i-realized-that-my-life-experience-what-i-really-had/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [ It was a film \[The Lost World\], and it's a sequel at the same time. The first shot on the first day was from… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/it-was-a-film-the-lost-world-and-it-s-a-sequel-at-the-same-time-the/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [I started to realise that it wasn't for me. Perhaps I didn't have to give my Hamlet before I died, that the world might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/i-started-to-realise-that-it-wasn-t-for-me-perhaps-i-didn-t-have-to/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [ They \[the Travelers\] know everything about the year that they're coming into. But you can know everything and still be tripped up by the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/they-the-travelers-know-everything-about-the-year-that-they-re-coming/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [I've had to take roles that on purpose were not Will-like so that someone like 'The Hollywood Reporter' would write, 'McCormack shows great range;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/i-ve-had-to-take-roles-that-on-purpose-were-not-will-like-so-that/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [Certainly 'Lonesome Dove' would be way hard now, because, I mean, back then I wasn't married. I didn't have kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/certainly-lonesome-dove-would-be-way-hard-now-because-i-mean-back/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [My most romantic job: I was a manager at Baskin-Robbins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/my-most-romantic-job-i-was-a-manager-at-baskin-robbins/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) [Explore all 145 Eric McCormack quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can write your own history.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric McCormack" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/you-can-write-your-own-history/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/you-can-write-your-own-history/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/eric-mccormack-2915_history_you-can-write-your-own-history-594473_594473.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/eric-mccormack-2915_history_you-can-write-your-own-history-594473_594473.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/eric-mccormack-2915_history_you-can-write-your-own-history-594473_594473.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can write your own history.” — Eric McCormack", "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": "Eric McCormack", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can write your own history.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/you-can-write-your-own-history/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/you-can-write-your-own-history/#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 } } ] } ```