--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You only have a true choice when you know…" description: "\"You only have a true choice when you know what opportunities are out there and what qualifications you need.\" — Esther McVey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/esther-mcvey-8493_choice_you-only-have-a-true-choice-when-you-kno_2150312.jpg" --- # You only have a true choice when you know what… ![“You only have a true choice when you know what opportunities are out there and what qualifications you need.” quote by Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/esther-mcvey-8493_choice_you-only-have-a-true-choice-when-you-kno_2150312.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/esther-mcvey-8493_choice_you-only-have-a-true-choice-when-you-kno_2150312.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/esther-mcvey-8493_choice_you-only-have-a-true-choice-when-you-kno_2150312.jpg) > “You only have a true choice when you know what opportunities are out there and what qualifications you need.” [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True choice emerges when you understand both the opportunities available and the qualifications required to pursue them. **In simple terms:** Know options and skills to make real choices. Key Takeaway Research opportunities and match them to your skills. Themes career decision‑making self‑awareness opportunity qualification Mood pragmatic motivational Type advice professional When to use this quote - job search - education planning - networking - skill building Key Concepts strategic planning human resources personal development Questions to Reflect On - What qualifications do you lack for your desired role? - How can you discover hidden opportunities? A Different Perspective Limited information can still lead to poor decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Opportunities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunities/) ## Related quotes > [“To make a true choice, we must have true knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/to-make-a-true-choice-we-must-have-true-knowledge/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I know opportunities will come my way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-l-rahul/i-know-opportunities-will-come-my-way/) [K. L. Rahul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-l-rahul/) > [I know well the opportunities and the challenges of maintaining and improving infrastructure and providing good transportation choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/i-know-well-the-opportunities-and-the-challenges-of-maintaining-and/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [Each moment is a moment of choice and your commitments keep you true to yourself, choice by choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-britten/each-moment-is-a-moment-of-choice-and-your-commitments-keep-you-true/) [Rhonda Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-britten/) > [If you are serious about becoming like Christ, He is going to put you in circumstances where your only true choice is to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-frangipane/if-you-are-serious-about-becoming-like-christ-he-is-going-to-put-you/) [Francis Frangipane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-frangipane/) > [“true choice requires that a person have the ability to choose an option and not be prevented from choosing it by any external force,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/true-choice-requires-that-a-person-have-the-ability-to-choose-an-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes the best way to figure out who you are; is to get to a place where you don't have to be anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k/sometimes-the-best-way-to-figure-out-who-you-are-is-to-get-to-a-place/) K > [“But no matter what I do, it will always get me, bother me, and you know what this is, what gets me, and will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-serv/but-no-matter-what-i-do-it-will-always-get-me-bother-me-and-you-know/) Jack Serv > [I know how I was born and I know that I have no choice. I know it may not show on the color of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-quin/i-know-how-i-was-born-and-i-know-that-i-have-no-choice-i-know-it-may/) [Sara Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-quin/) > [“I don't know. I didn't have that choice. But I know what's happening now. And I'm choosing to stay with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huntley-fitzpatrick/i-don-t-know-i-didn-t-have-that-choice-but-i-know-what-s-happening/) [Huntley Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huntley-fitzpatrick/) > [I am not perfect, I am just me..love me or hate me...the choice is yours, but know that I am always going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-not-perfect-i-am-just-me-love-me-or-hate-me-the-choice-is-yours/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Industries and businesses that must operate in the marketplace of free choice know that they must change, they must adapt, they must accommodate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ruckelshaus/industries-and-businesses-that-must-operate-in-the-marketplace-of/) [William Ruckelshaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ruckelshaus/) > [Now is almost always the better choice. You never know about later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/now-is-almost-always-the-better-choice-you-never-know-about-later/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“Most ignorance is by choice, you know, and so ignorance is very telling about what really matters to people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/most-ignorance-is-by-choice-you-know-and-so-ignorance-is-very-telling/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [There are so many girls in school who don't know about the opportunities out there. As a graduate, I only realised things about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-leigh-nel-peters/there-are-so-many-girls-in-school-who-don-t-know-about-the/) [Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-leigh-nel-peters/) ## More by Esther McVey > [Where I come from, from a very different point of view, it's a Labour heartland, it's a trade union heartland, and I'll have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/where-i-come-from-from-a-very-different-point-of-view-it-s-a-labour/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [We all have dreams, whether it be about success in our careers, improving our relationship with family and friends, or sorting out our finances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/we-all-have-dreams-whether-it-be-about-success-in-our-careers/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [That is what we should be doing: liberating everyone's potential, whether it's a self-made individual, whether it's someone taking the university route, whether it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/that-is-what-we-should-be-doing-liberating-everyone-s-potential/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [Labour parades compassion for the poor, but it practised casual cruelty by consigning millions to benefits. Yet there's nothing compassionate about being trapped on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/labour-parades-compassion-for-the-poor-but-it-practised-casual/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [I've had other friends who had such a burning desire to have children: they have this biological ticking clock. I don't know what happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/i-ve-had-other-friends-who-had-such-a-burning-desire-to-have-children/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [That's what you've got to be to be an MP: a problem solver. How can I help you? How can I engage? What do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/that-s-what-you-ve-got-to-be-to-be-an-mp-a-problem-solver-how-can-i/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [Politicians themselves, every one of us, has a responsibility to make sure that we send out a message that it is a good place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/politicians-themselves-every-one-of-us-has-a-responsibility-to-make/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [We never have been closed to immigration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/we-never-have-been-closed-to-immigration/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [People shouldn't have to lose their accents to get a fair crack at the whip at a job or move up within a sector…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/people-shouldn-t-have-to-lose-their-accents-to-get-a-fair-crack-at/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [One of my best friends was the first U.K. female fighter pilot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/one-of-my-best-friends-was-the-first-u-k-female-fighter-pilot/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [My friends have always known there was this more serious side to me, and all my life, I've had Conservative values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/my-friends-have-always-known-there-was-this-more-serious-side-to-me/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [First and foremost, we have to ensure that we have to get our own kids ready for work so that employers want to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/first-and-foremost-we-have-to-ensure-that-we-have-to-get-our-own-kids/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [Universal Credit claimants who refuse to accept a zero hours contract job offer, without good reason, can be subject to a sanction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/universal-credit-claimants-who-refuse-to-accept-a-zero-hours-contract/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [Politics is all about trust. Trust is like the soul: once gone, it never returns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/politics-is-all-about-trust-trust-is-like-the-soul-once-gone-it-never/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [I guess, as a young girl growing up in Liverpool in the '80s, when unemployment was high, my ideal job would have been to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/i-guess-as-a-young-girl-growing-up-in-liverpool-in-the-80s-when/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) [Explore all 80 Esther McVey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) ## More Choice quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“Exactly. So, what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way, no matter how hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/exactly-so-what-can-t-you-take-decide-which-of-the-two-options-is/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) 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/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [I have too many options when it comes to guitars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-have-too-many-options-when-it-comes-to-guitars/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [“Amazing how a small choice can change your life forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-c-dockens/amazing-how-a-small-choice-can-change-your-life-forever/) Randy C. Dockens > [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/) > [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/) > [Since I don't outline my books very much, I feel like sometimes I don't have a choice in what the characters do; they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/since-i-don-t-outline-my-books-very-much-i-feel-like-sometimes-i-don/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) > [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/) > [Words can only have an effect on you if you choose to listen to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/words-can-only-have-an-effect-on-you-if-you-choose-to-listen-to-them/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) [Browse all 8,092 Choice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You only have a true choice when you know what opportunities are out there and what qualifications you need.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Esther McVey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/you-only-have-a-true-choice-when-you-know-what-opportunities-are-out/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/you-only-have-a-true-choice-when-you-know-what-opportunities-are-out/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/esther-mcvey-8493_choice_you-only-have-a-true-choice-when-you-kno_2150312.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/esther-mcvey-8493_choice_you-only-have-a-true-choice-when-you-kno_2150312.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/esther-mcvey-8493_choice_you-only-have-a-true-choice-when-you-kno_2150312.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You only have a true choice when you know what opportunities are out there and what qualifications you need.” — Esther McVey", "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": "Esther McVey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You only have a true choice...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/you-only-have-a-true-choice-when-you-know-what-opportunities-are-out/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/you-only-have-a-true-choice-when-you-know-what-opportunities-are-out/#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 } } ] } ```