--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Grace empowers us to choose rightly in…" description: "\"“Grace empowers us to choose rightly in what seem to be the most choiceless of situations, but it does not, and will not, determine that choice.8 For”\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/gerald-g-may-33169_choice_grace-empowers-us-to-choose-rightly-in-w_780016.jpg" --- # Grace empowers us to choose rightly in what seem to be the… ![“Grace empowers us to choose rightly in what seem to be the most choiceless of situations, but it does not, and will not, determine that choice.8 For” quote by Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/gerald-g-may-33169_choice_grace-empowers-us-to-choose-rightly-in-w_780016.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/gerald-g-may-33169_choice_grace-empowers-us-to-choose-rightly-in-w_780016.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/gerald-g-may-33169_choice_grace-empowers-us-to-choose-rightly-in-w_780016.jpg) > ““Grace empowers us to choose rightly in what seem to be the most choiceless of situations, but it does not, and will not, determine that choice.8 For”” [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grace gives us the capacity to act rightly even when options seem absent, but it does not dictate the decision itself. **In simple terms:** Grace enables choice but does not force it. Key Takeaway Recognize agency within constraints. Themes ethics agency grace Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - ethical dilemmas - personal crises - leadership decisions Key Concepts free will moral responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How does grace influence your decision making? - Can you act rightly without external guidance? A Different Perspective Grace may be limited by external pressures that shape perceived options. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) ## Related quotes > [“You flourish and live in a state of well-being when you can choose rightly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/you-flourish-and-live-in-a-state-of-well-being-when-you-can-choose/) Anyaele Sam Chiyson > [Ultimately, our lives hinge on the ability to make right choices and decisions. By God's grace, I made the most important decision a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-dickey/ultimately-our-lives-hinge-on-the-ability-to-make-right-choices-and/) [R.A. Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-dickey/) > [The right decision is the wrong decision if it's made too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/the-right-decision-is-the-wrong-decision-if-it-s-made-too-late/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [Cheshvan starts tonight," Rixon said, "What are you doing arsing around in a graveyard?" "Thinking." "Thinking?" "A process by which I use my brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/cheshvan-starts-tonight-rixon-said-what-are-you-doing-arsing-around/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [“Making a decision takes a moment, living a decision takes a life-time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherif-a-el-mawardy/making-a-decision-takes-a-moment-living-a-decision-takes-a-life-time/) [Sherif A. El-Mawardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherif-a-el-mawardy/) > [My best business decision was to be independent as a musician and artist. My worst was compromising on certain aspects of a deal for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/my-best-business-decision-was-to-be-independent-as-a-musician-and/) [Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/) > [“Slow down your thinking so you can note the criteria you are using to make your decision. 2. Write the criteria down as a principle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/slow-down-your-thinking-so-you-can-note-the-criteria-you-are-using-to/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/decision-is-a-risk-rooted-in-the-courage-of-being-free/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Gerald G. May > [“I do not understand my own behavior; I do not act as I mean to, but I do the things that I hate. Though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/i-do-not-understand-my-own-behavior-i-do-not-act-as-i-mean-to-but-i/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“Adapting to change, then, means going through the stress of withdrawal from the old normality and finding relief when a new normality is established.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/adapting-to-change-then-means-going-through-the-stress-of-withdrawal/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“The bare edge of freedom is insured and preserved inside us by God, and no matter what forces oppress us from without or within,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/the-bare-edge-of-freedom-is-insured-and-preserved-inside-us-by-god/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“The facts of grace are simple: grace always exists, it is always available, it is always good, and it is always victorious. For me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/the-facts-of-grace-are-simple-grace-always-exists-it-is-always/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“It is the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most human beings live only for the gratification of it. ARISTOTLE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/it-is-the-nature-of-desire-not-to-be-satisfied-and-most-human-beings/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [ “I think the greater danger is that those who think they understand the process \[of overcoming our attachments\] are likely to try to make… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/i-think-the-greater-danger-is-that-those-who-think-they-understand/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that we do the same with our deepest longings for God. God does not always come to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/perhaps-it-is-not-surprising-then-that-we-do-the-same-with-our/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“But they are trials and tests for our own growth, not for God to find out how good we are. God knows that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/but-they-are-trials-and-tests-for-our-own-growth-not-for-god-to-find/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“Grace is the most powerful force in the universe. It can transcend repression, addiction, and every other internal or external power that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/grace-is-the-most-powerful-force-in-the-universe-it-can-transcend/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“In the great spiritual traditions of the world, attachments are seen as any concerns that usurp our desire for love, anything that becomes more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/in-the-great-spiritual-traditions-of-the-world-attachments-are-seen/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“adds a strong imperative to act upon what has happened, a continuing invitation in which the one who is healed is meant to participate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/adds-a-strong-imperative-to-act-upon-what-has-happened-a-continuing/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“When my supply of success at this egotistic autonomy ran out, I became depressed. And with the depression, by means of grace, came a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/when-my-supply-of-success-at-this-egotistic-autonomy-ran-out-i-became/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“It is a good rule of thumb for spiritual directors to ask themselves, What truly constitutes our spiritual concern here? Am I really being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/it-is-a-good-rule-of-thumb-for-spiritual-directors-to-ask-themselves/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“While repression stifles desire, addiction attaches desire, bonds and enslaves the energy of desire to certain specific behaviors, things, or people. These objects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/while-repression-stifles-desire-addiction-attaches-desire-bonds-and/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) [Explore all 15 Gerald G. May quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) ## 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": "“Grace empowers us to choose rightly in what seem to be the most choiceless of situations, but it does not, and will not, determine that choice.8 For”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gerald G. May" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/grace-empowers-us-to-choose-rightly-in-what-seem-to-be-the-most/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/grace-empowers-us-to-choose-rightly-in-what-seem-to-be-the-most/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/gerald-g-may-33169_choice_grace-empowers-us-to-choose-rightly-in-w_780016.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/gerald-g-may-33169_choice_grace-empowers-us-to-choose-rightly-in-w_780016.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/gerald-g-may-33169_choice_grace-empowers-us-to-choose-rightly-in-w_780016.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Grace empowers us to choose rightly in what seem to be the most choiceless of situations, but it does not…” — Gerald G. May", "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": "Gerald G. May", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Grace empowers us to choose rightly...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/grace-empowers-us-to-choose-rightly-in-what-seem-to-be-the-most/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/grace-empowers-us-to-choose-rightly-in-what-seem-to-be-the-most/#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 } } ] } ```