--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was more about understanding that you…" description: "\"“It was more about understanding that you could give it your all, give yourself the best chances, but control is an illusion.”\" — Harlan Coben" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42b/harlan-coben-847_control_it-was-more-about-understanding-that-you_1460062.png" --- # It was more about understanding that you could give it… ![“It was more about understanding that you could give it your all, give yourself the best chances, but control is an illusion.” quote by Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42b/harlan-coben-847_control_it-was-more-about-understanding-that-you_1460062.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42b/harlan-coben-847_control_it-was-more-about-understanding-that-you_1460062.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42b/harlan-coben-847_control_it-was-more-about-understanding-that-you_1460062.png) > ““It was more about understanding that you could give it your all, give yourself the best chances, but control is an illusion.”” [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People can give their best effort, but control over outcomes is an illusion; acceptance of uncertainty is key. **In simple terms:** Effort is valuable, but control is illusory. Key Takeaway Focus on effort, not on controlling results. Themes effort control illusion acceptance Mood motivational realistic Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - sports - business projects - personal goals - creative endeavors Key Concepts psychology philosophy self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - What areas can you influence truly? - How does letting go of control affect performance? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on control can cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [It means you never know what's going to happen,' I said. 'You do your best, then take your chances. Everything else is beyond our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-van-dyke/it-means-you-never-know-what-s-going-to-happen-i-said-you-do-your/) [Dick Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-van-dyke/) > [Always be willing to look at both sides of the argument. Understanding the other side is the best way to strengthen your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/always-be-willing-to-look-at-both-sides-of-the-argument-understanding/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [My spiritual life is... sometimes I have access to it and sometimes I don't. When I do have access to it, it's usually a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/my-spiritual-life-is-sometimes-i-have-access-to-it-and-sometimes-i/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Letting go isn't giving up. It's understanding that the best is yet to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-dooley/letting-go-isn-t-giving-up-it-s-understanding-that-the-best-is-yet-to/) [Mike Dooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-dooley/) > [“There are situations where the best solution still doesn't make everyone happy. The trick is understanding what's best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/there-are-situations-where-the-best-solution-still-doesn-t-make/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [So there is going to be that balance of understanding how to get the best out of the car that day, whether it's 15th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busch/so-there-is-going-to-be-that-balance-of-understanding-how-to-get-the/) [Kurt Busch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busch/) > [To build an understanding with the best player in the world is easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordi-alba/to-build-an-understanding-with-the-best-player-in-the-world-is-easy/) [Jordi Alba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordi-alba/) > [The most perfect education ... is such an exercise of the understanding as is best calculated to strengthen the body and form the heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-most-perfect-education-is-such-an-exercise-of-the-understanding/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [“If you can let it go at not understanding, that's the best anyone could expect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-can-let-it-go-at-not-understanding-that-s-the-best-anyone/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You make plans and decisions assuming randomness and chaos are for chumps. The illusion of control is a peculiar thing because it often leads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/you-make-plans-and-decisions-assuming-randomness-and-chaos-are-for/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [Control is an illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-beattie/control-is-an-illusion/) [Melody Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-beattie/) > [“Make plans. Train your body. Follow the guiding spirits. Be ready for anything, but never seek control. It's an illusion. You control nothing. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabby-rivera/make-plans-train-your-body-follow-the-guiding-spirits-be-ready-for/) [Gabby Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabby-rivera/) > [“Although we have refined our behavior over many centuries, the basic perception that we are individual beings, separate from the rest of the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilchi-lee/although-we-have-refined-our-behavior-over-many-centuries-the-basic/) [Ilchi Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilchi-lee/) > [“An illusion of control is still only an illusion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/an-illusion-of-control-is-still-only-an-illusion/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“Having control is an illusion. Yes, you plan. Yes, you calculate the risks, but after you’ve done that, you hold your nose and jump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-lampley/having-control-is-an-illusion-yes-you-plan-yes-you-calculate-the/) [Tonya Lampley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-lampley/) ## More by Harlan Coben > [“He flipped through the music stations as he drove, searching for some nonexistent perfect song that would be, as Stevie Nicks might sing, “hauntingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/he-flipped-through-the-music-stations-as-he-drove-searching-for-some/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“The whole place had a feel and aura about as warm as a cold sore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/the-whole-place-had-a-feel-and-aura-about-as-warm-as-a-cold-sore/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [When I was seventeen, I worked as a counsellor at a co-ed sleep-away camp for eight weeks. I loved it but it could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/when-i-was-seventeen-i-worked-as-a-counsellor-at-a-co-ed-sleep-away/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [Man plans. God laughs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/man-plans-god-laughs/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“You could trust nature but not man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/you-could-trust-nature-but-not-man/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [I like to see the difference between good and evil as kind of like the foul line at a baseball game. It's very thin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/i-like-to-see-the-difference-between-good-and-evil-as-kind-of-like/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [The state of New Jersey is really two places - terrible cities and wonderful suburbs. I live in the suburbs, the final battleground of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/the-state-of-new-jersey-is-really-two-places-terrible-cities-and/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“Esperanza's side had so many colors, Crayola sent a scout.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/esperanza-s-side-had-so-many-colors-crayola-sent-a-scout/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [You know, people call mystery novels or thrillers 'puzzles.' I never understood that, because when I buy a puzzle, I already know what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/you-know-people-call-mystery-novels-or-thrillers-puzzles-i-never/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“Awareness started to creep in, clawing its way past the pain and numbness. He was lying on cold ground, his right cheek on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/awareness-started-to-creep-in-clawing-its-way-past-the-pain-and/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“Her smile shames the sun”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/her-smile-shames-the-sun/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [This is the price you pay for having a great father. You get the wonder, the joy, the tender moments - and you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/this-is-the-price-you-pay-for-having-a-great-father-you-get-the/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“The words kept landing like punches, dazing Adam, sapping his resistance, leaving him shaken and confused and ready to take a standing eight count.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/the-words-kept-landing-like-punches-dazing-adam-sapping-his/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [I'm not very happy idle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/i-m-not-very-happy-idle/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“Making friends?” Tripp asked. “I’m a people person,” Adam said. “You know he’s the VP of the board, right?” “I must remember to genuflect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/making-friends-tripp-asked-i-m-a-people-person-adam-said-you-know-he/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) [Explore all 351 Harlan Coben quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) ## 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 > [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": "“It was more about understanding that you could give it your all, give yourself the best chances, but control is an illusion.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harlan Coben" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/it-was-more-about-understanding-that-you-could-give-it-your-all-give/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Control" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/it-was-more-about-understanding-that-you-could-give-it-your-all-give/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42b/harlan-coben-847_control_it-was-more-about-understanding-that-you_1460062.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42b/harlan-coben-847_control_it-was-more-about-understanding-that-you_1460062.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42b/harlan-coben-847_control_it-was-more-about-understanding-that-you_1460062.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was more about understanding that you could give it your all, give yourself the best chances, but control…” — Harlan Coben", "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": "Harlan Coben", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It was more about understanding that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/it-was-more-about-understanding-that-you-could-give-it-your-all-give/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/it-was-more-about-understanding-that-you-could-give-it-your-all-give/#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 } } ] } ```