--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To choose not to choose is still a choice…" description: "\"“To choose not to choose is still a choice for which you alone are responsible.”\" — Gary Cox" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/gary-cox-108440_choice_to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-a-choic_395194.jpg" --- # To choose not to choose is still a choice for which you… ![“To choose not to choose is still a choice for which you alone are responsible.” quote by Gary Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/gary-cox-108440_choice_to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-a-choic_395194.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/gary-cox-108440_choice_to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-a-choic_395194.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/gary-cox-108440_choice_to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-a-choic_395194.jpg) > ““To choose not to choose is still a choice for which you alone are responsible.”” [Gary Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cox/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing not to choose is still a responsibility, emphasizing that inaction is a decision with consequences. **In simple terms:** Even not deciding is a choice you own. Key Takeaway Own responsibility for all choices, including inaction. Themes responsibility choice existentialism agency decision-making Mood reflective serious motivational Type Choice:1 Choose:1 Existentialism:1 Responsible:1 Choose Choice:0 Choose Choose:0 Choice Responsible:0 When to use this quote - personal essay - motivational - philosophical Key Concepts free will moral philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does “not choosing” feel like? - How can you act despite uncertainty? A Different Perspective Choosing may be paralyzing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Choice Responsible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice-responsible-1883175/) [Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose/) [Choose Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-choice-337183/) [Choose Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-choose/) [Existentialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existentialism/) [Responsible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsible/) ## Related quotes > [“It is for you to choose. Choice is man's right, and for that I leave you free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-stewart/it-is-for-you-to-choose-choice-is-man-s-right-and-for-that-i-leave/) [Mary Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-stewart/) > [We must realize that we have a choice. We are responsible for our own good time... When you do something you are proud of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berkowitz/we-must-realize-that-we-have-a-choice-we-are-responsible-for-our-own/) [David Berkowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berkowitz/) > [God gives us the privilege to make choice, so we will be responsible for our deeds, holding someone accountable for the decisions you made,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olamiday/god-gives-us-the-privilege-to-make-choice-so-we-will-be-responsible/) [Blaze Olamiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olamiday/) > [This Budget reflects a choice - not an easy choice, but the right choice. And when you think about it, the only choice. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pataki/this-budget-reflects-a-choice-not-an-easy-choice-but-the-right-choice/) [George Pataki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pataki/) > [“But there are also problems that we aren’t at fault for, yet we are still responsible for them. For example, if you woke up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/but-there-are-also-problems-that-we-aren-t-at-fault-for-yet-we-are/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [“Part of being of a true existentialist is wanting to be what we make ourselves be by the way we choose to act, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cox/part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-is-wanting-to-be-what-we-make/) [Gary Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cox/) > [“...in the end you can't always choose what you keep. You can only choose how you let it go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-end-you-can-t-always-choose-what-you-keep-you-can-only-choose/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We do not choose what happens to us. We can only choose what we do after. What we do now. We can only choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-r-kling/we-do-not-choose-what-happens-to-us-we-can-only-choose-what-we-do/) [Heidi R. Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-r-kling/) > [This I choose to do. If there is a price, this I choose to pay. If it is my death, then I choose to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-i-choose-to-do-if-there-is-a-price-this-i-choose-to-pay-if-it-is/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Where we choose to be, where we choose to be--we have the power to determine that in our lives. We cannot reel time backward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sena-jeter-naslund/where-we-choose-to-be-where-we-choose-to-be-we-have-the-power-to/) [Sena Jeter Naslund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sena-jeter-naslund/) > [Choose well. Your choice is brief, and yet endless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/choose-well-your-choice-is-brief-and-yet-endless/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A person's looking for a simple truth to live by, there it is. CHOICE. To refuse to passively accept what we've been handed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-person-s-looking-for-a-simple-truth-to-live-by-there-it-is-choice/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“You’re not asking me to choose you. There’s no choice about it. It’s always been you. Your father once told me that we always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/you-re-not-asking-me-to-choose-you-there-s-no-choice-about-it-it-s/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [Some decisions are hard, some are easy, but either way it's our choices that matter. Who we chose to align with. What we choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisy-whitney/some-decisions-are-hard-some-are-easy-but-either-way-it-s-our-choices/) [Daisy Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisy-whitney/) > [Anywhere, anytime ordinary people are given the chance to choose, the choice is the same: freedom, not tyranny; democracy, not dictatorship; the rule of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/anywhere-anytime-ordinary-people-are-given-the-chance-to-choose-the/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) ## More by Gary Cox > [“Part of being of a true existentialist is wanting to be what we make ourselves be by the way we choose to act, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cox/part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-is-wanting-to-be-what-we-make/) [Gary Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cox/) [Explore all 2 Gary Cox quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cox/) ## 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](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/) > [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“To choose not to choose is still a choice for which you alone are responsible.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gary Cox" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cox/to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-a-choice-for-which-you-alone-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cox/to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-a-choice-for-which-you-alone-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/gary-cox-108440_choice_to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-a-choic_395194.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/gary-cox-108440_choice_to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-a-choic_395194.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/gary-cox-108440_choice_to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-a-choic_395194.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To choose not to choose is still a choice for which you alone are responsible.” — Gary Cox", "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": "Gary Cox", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cox/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“To choose not to choose is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cox/to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-a-choice-for-which-you-alone-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cox/to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-a-choice-for-which-you-alone-are/#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 } } ] } ```