--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes you don't choose the material…" description: "\"Sometimes you don't choose the material; the material chooses you.\" — James D. Houston" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/james-d-houston-59844_choice_sometimes-you-don-t-choose-the-material_2859460.jpg" --- # Sometimes you don't choose the material; the material… ![“Sometimes you don't choose the material; the material chooses you.” quote by James D. Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/james-d-houston-59844_choice_sometimes-you-don-t-choose-the-material_2859460.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/james-d-houston-59844_choice_sometimes-you-don-t-choose-the-material_2859460.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/james-d-houston-59844_choice_sometimes-you-don-t-choose-the-material_2859460.jpg) > “Sometimes you don't choose the material; the material chooses you.” [James D. Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-houston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Material often selects the creator, not the other way around. **In simple terms:** You don’t choose material; it chooses you. Key Takeaway Stay open to unexpected opportunities. Themes creativity career chance Mood thoughtful inspired Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - writing - film - visual arts - career decisions Key Concepts Serendipity artistic destiny Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt chosen by a project? - How do you respond to unexpected calls? A Different Perspective May limit proactive effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) ## Related quotes > [“Writers, to my way of thinking, are no more free in their choices than most people. Our material chooses us; certain things engage us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/writers-to-my-way-of-thinking-are-no-more-free-in-their-choices-than/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [I always try to choose material that I would want to go and see. I don't choose movies anymore to be in that other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isla-fisher/i-always-try-to-choose-material-that-i-would-want-to-go-and-see-i-don/) [Isla Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isla-fisher/) > [When I choose material for an album all these songs I grew up with pour into my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/when-i-choose-material-for-an-album-all-these-songs-i-grew-up-with/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [I choose material instinctually - at the heart of it are characters that I feel are fresh and original, and allow for an opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-bigelow/i-choose-material-instinctually-at-the-heart-of-it-are-characters/) [Kathryn Bigelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-bigelow/) > [Strong female characters - even if they don't necessarily make the same decisions that we might - make such great narrative material, especially when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/strong-female-characters-even-if-they-don-t-necessarily-make-the-same/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [Material success is a way of tightening up your life so that you can move into higher planes of attention. You should try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/material-success-is-a-way-of-tightening-up-your-life-so-that-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I know what it's like to have a bunch of material that's working that you don't care about. You want to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-know-what-it-s-like-to-have-a-bunch-of-material-that-s-working-that/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [To cover politics in Washington allows you to live in the very, very wide gap between what the actual truth is, and how people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/to-cover-politics-in-washington-allows-you-to-live-in-the-very-very/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [If you write really good material, the rest just falls into place. There's really no trick to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/if-you-write-really-good-material-the-rest-just-falls-into-place/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [Is it possible Hanukkah doesn't inspire folksy songs? Plot lines may be a part. The Christmas story has a lot of material to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matisyahu/is-it-possible-hanukkah-doesn-t-inspire-folksy-songs-plot-lines-may/) [Matisyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matisyahu/) > [Anything is good painting material once you get to know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-milne/anything-is-good-painting-material-once-you-get-to-know-it/) [David Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-milne/) > [I want the material I make to be mine; that's always the goal of the record and of the show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-talk/i-want-the-material-i-make-to-be-mine-that-s-always-the-goal-of-the/) [Girl Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-talk/) > [Nothing bad can happen to a writer. Everything is material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/nothing-bad-can-happen-to-a-writer-everything-is-material/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Defeat furnishes good material to the poets and the artists, but none of us care to have the glory of the conquered apply to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/defeat-furnishes-good-material-to-the-poets-and-the-artists-but-none/) [Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/) > [I'm currently trying to direct my own material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-skerritt/i-m-currently-trying-to-direct-my-own-material/) [Tom Skerritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-skerritt/) ## More by James D. Houston > [Words are the basic tools, if you are a writer. But why? Why do you choose one set of tools rather than another?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-houston/words-are-the-basic-tools-if-you-are-a-writer-but-why-why-do-you/) [James D. Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-houston/) > [We were so fundamental that almost everything had been stripped away from the place of worship. Think of the role words can play, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-houston/we-were-so-fundamental-that-almost-everything-had-been-stripped-away/) [James D. Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-houston/) > [“The sea, as much as the light, gives this curve of coast it's flavor. The light takes it's color from the sea, sometimes seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-houston/the-sea-as-much-as-the-light-gives-this-curve-of-coast-it-s-flavor/) [James D. Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-houston/) > [There are writers you admire, for the skill or the art, for the inventiveness or for the professionalism of a career well spent. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-houston/there-are-writers-you-admire-for-the-skill-or-the-art-for-the/) [James D. Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-houston/) [Explore all 5 James D. Houston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-houston/) ## 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": "Sometimes you don't choose the material; the material chooses you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James D. 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