--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You might not be able to prevent tough…" description: "\"“You might not be able to prevent tough times, but you can control how you respond to them.”\" — Frank Sonnenberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/frank-sonnenberg-2672_control_you-might-not-be-able-to-prevent-tough-t_468549.jpg" --- # You might not be able to prevent tough times, but you can… ![“You might not be able to prevent tough times, but you can control how you respond to them.” quote by Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/frank-sonnenberg-2672_control_you-might-not-be-able-to-prevent-tough-t_468549.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/frank-sonnenberg-2672_control_you-might-not-be-able-to-prevent-tough-t_468549.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/frank-sonnenberg-2672_control_you-might-not-be-able-to-prevent-tough-t_468549.jpg) > ““You might not be able to prevent tough times, but you can control how you respond to them.”” [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adversity is inevitable, but personal response is within control, highlighting resilience and agency. **In simple terms:** You control your response to hardship. Key Takeaway Focus on response, not circumstances. Themes resilience control mindset Mood motivational empowering Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - therapy - coaching - daily journaling Key Concepts stress management emotional regulation personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What response habits help you? - How do you maintain agency under pressure? A Different Perspective External factors can still limit outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able Prevent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able-prevent-560039/) [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Control Respond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-respond-2679402/) [Hard times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-times/) [Hard-times-in-your-life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-times-in-your-life-79148/) [Hard-times-quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-times-quotes/) [Prevent Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prevent-tough-4055492/) [Respond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respond/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tough times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tough-times/) [Tough-times-quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tough-times-quotes/) ## Related quotes > [“Never give up. Things may be hard, but if you quit trying they'll never get better. Stop worrying and start trusting God. It will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/never-give-up-things-may-be-hard-but-if-you-quit-trying-they-ll-never/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [“Adversities test whether we really can live for our dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/adversities-test-whether-we-really-can-live-for-our-dreams/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“To succeed in life, you have to keep moving no matter how tough and hard the situation is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/onipede-ayomide/to-succeed-in-life-you-have-to-keep-moving-no-matter-how-tough-and/) [Onipede Ayomide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/onipede-ayomide/) > [“If you are going through hard times, stop watching the clock, watch the people around you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/if-you-are-going-through-hard-times-stop-watching-the-clock-watch-the/) [P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/) > [“Tough times makes a man to be tough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/tough-times-makes-a-man-to-be-tough/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“I wonder how many times in my life I would have been able to prevent something, change something, do something different, if only I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-flinn/i-wonder-how-many-times-in-my-life-i-would-have-been-able-to-prevent/) [Alex Flinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-flinn/) > [You have to have as many defences in place as you possibly can. But even then of course - and it's important to stress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hague/you-have-to-have-as-many-defences-in-place-as-you-possibly-can-but/) [William Hague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hague/) > [I prefer granting with a good grace what I know I shan't be able to prevent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/i-prefer-granting-with-a-good-grace-what-i-know-i-shan-t-be-able-to/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [I can't control what happens to me, but I can control how I respond to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/i-can-t-control-what-happens-to-me-but-i-can-control-how-i-respond-to/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“Has anyone ever been able to prevent the dead from talking to one another?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabisankar-bal/has-anyone-ever-been-able-to-prevent-the-dead-from-talking-to-one/) [Rabisankar Bal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabisankar-bal/) > [You can't control how you feel but you can control how you respond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-kolhoff/you-can-t-control-how-you-feel-but-you-can-control-how-you-respond/) [Carson Kolhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-kolhoff/) > [“You cannot control the way people treat you, but you can control how you respond to their treatment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rohrmayer/you-cannot-control-the-way-people-treat-you-but-you-can-control-how/) [Gary Rohrmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rohrmayer/) > [We cannot always control everything that happens to us in this life, but we can control how we respond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-lionel-kendrick/we-cannot-always-control-everything-that-happens-to-us-in-this-life-2/) [L. Lionel Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-lionel-kendrick/) > [“Times of suffering will come, use them To grow into a better version of yourself. Use the dirt to grow flowers. Let the storm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-overby/times-of-suffering-will-come-use-them-to-grow-into-a-better-version/) [Eric Overby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-overby/) > [“There will be times when there is nothing you can do but survive, to place one foot after the other into the driving rain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connilyn-cossette/there-will-be-times-when-there-is-nothing-you-can-do-but-survive-to/) [Connilyn Cossette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connilyn-cossette/) ## More by Frank Sonnenberg > [“If you don’t try, you forfeit the opportunity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/if-you-don-t-try-you-forfeit-the-opportunity/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Stepping outside your comfort zone isn’t a walk in the park, but the treasures that await you are like paths paved with gold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/stepping-outside-your-comfort-zone-isn-t-a-walk-in-the-park-but-the/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Just because a person is silent doesn’t mean there’s no message.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/just-because-a-person-is-silent-doesn-t-mean-there-s-no-message/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Compromising your principles, even one time, is a terrible mistake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/compromising-your-principles-even-one-time-is-a-terrible-mistake/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Perfection may not be possible, but striving for excellence is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/perfection-may-not-be-possible-but-striving-for-excellence-is/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“In the school of life, every experience offers a lesson.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/in-the-school-of-life-every-experience-offers-a-lesson/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Kindness is the one gift that you can keep on giving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/kindness-is-the-one-gift-that-you-can-keep-on-giving/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Your life is determined by the sum of the choices that YOU make.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/your-life-is-determined-by-the-sum-of-the-choices-that-you-make/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Mimicking a poor role model is like eating food past its due date. While it may look good on the surface, it’ll ultimately make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/mimicking-a-poor-role-model-is-like-eating-food-past-its-due-date/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Confidence is not about being in the spotlight; it’s about shining from within.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/confidence-is-not-about-being-in-the-spotlight-it-s-about-shining/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“It’s not what you have but who you are that counts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/it-s-not-what-you-have-but-who-you-are-that-counts/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Be strong enough to stand on your own two feet, but wise enough to know when to ask for help.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/be-strong-enough-to-stand-on-your-own-two-feet-but-wise-enough-to/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Those who begin things, but never complete them, accomplish nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/those-who-begin-things-but-never-complete-them-accomplish-nothing/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Confidence comes from how you live — and you’re the one grading your performance each day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/confidence-comes-from-how-you-live-and-you-re-the-one-grading-your/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“You don’t have to be rich to give; your gift can be as simple as a smile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/you-don-t-have-to-be-rich-to-give-your-gift-can-be-as-simple-as-a/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) [Explore all 155 Frank Sonnenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) ## More Control quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“You can't control who loves you...you can't let someone love you anymore than you can make someone love you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/you-can-t-control-who-loves-you-you-can-t-let-someone-love-you/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) > [Don't think you can...know you can! You human body is the most impressive tool you'll ever own. Even if you can't control everything, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hardy/don-t-think-you-can-know-you-can-you-human-body-is-the-most/) [Jeff Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hardy/) > [If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/if-you-have-everything-under-control-you-re-not-moving-fast-enough/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [“Without time management, you lose control of your life and do what other people tell you to do. You lose control and become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-miller/without-time-management-you-lose-control-of-your-life-and-do-what/) [Thomas Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-miller/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Many of us rely on our own illusion of control. But when God makes it known to you that you're not the one steering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/many-of-us-rely-on-our-own-illusion-of-control-but-when-god-makes-it/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [Some nights I'm funny with the between-song commentary, some nights I'm not. I have no control over this. I pace the stage a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berman/some-nights-i-m-funny-with-the-between-song-commentary-some-nights-i/) [David Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berman/) > [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Browse all 6,032 Control quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You might not be able to prevent tough times, but you can control how you respond to them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank Sonnenberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/you-might-not-be-able-to-prevent-tough-times-but-you-can-control-how/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Control" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/you-might-not-be-able-to-prevent-tough-times-but-you-can-control-how/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/frank-sonnenberg-2672_control_you-might-not-be-able-to-prevent-tough-t_468549.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/frank-sonnenberg-2672_control_you-might-not-be-able-to-prevent-tough-t_468549.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/frank-sonnenberg-2672_control_you-might-not-be-able-to-prevent-tough-t_468549.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You might not be able to prevent tough times, but you can control how you respond to them.” — Frank Sonnenberg", "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": "Frank Sonnenberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“You might not be able to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/you-might-not-be-able-to-prevent-tough-times-but-you-can-control-how/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/you-might-not-be-able-to-prevent-tough-times-but-you-can-control-how/#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 } } ] } ```