--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...but we no more choose our passions…" description: "\"“...but we no more choose our passions than our features or complexion.”\" — John Cleland" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/john-cleland-31353_complexion_but-we-no-more-choose-our-passions-than_2307137.jpg" --- # ...but we no more choose our passions than our features or… ![“...but we no more choose our passions than our features or complexion.” quote by John Cleland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/john-cleland-31353_complexion_but-we-no-more-choose-our-passions-than_2307137.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/john-cleland-31353_complexion_but-we-no-more-choose-our-passions-than_2307137.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/john-cleland-31353_complexion_but-we-no-more-choose-our-passions-than_2307137.jpg) > ““...but we no more choose our passions than our features or complexion.”” [John Cleland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suggests that physical attributes and personal preferences are beyond our control, unlike choices we can make. **In simple terms:** We cannot choose our looks or passions. Key Takeaway Accept what you cannot change. Themes identity acceptance choice Mood reflective serene Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - body image concerns - career path decisions - relationship expectations Key Concepts determinism self-acceptance social expectations Questions to Reflect On - Which aspects of your life can you actively shape? - How do you balance acceptance with ambition? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on determinism may limit personal agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Passions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passions/) ## Related quotes > [You don't choose your passions; your passions choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/you-don-t-choose-your-passions-your-passions-choose-you/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don't choose your passions; your passions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/one-of-the-huge-mistakes-people-make-is-that-they-try-to-force-an/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [Man is truly great when he can act from his passions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/man-is-truly-great-when-he-can-act-from-his-passions/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Who then is free? The wise who can command his passions, who fears not want, nor death, nor chains, firmly resisting his appetites and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/who-then-is-free-the-wise-who-can-command-his-passions-who-fears-not/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [None can be free who is a slave to, and ruled by, his passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/none-can-be-free-who-is-a-slave-to-and-ruled-by-his-passions/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) > [“…finally I see that it’s never been me, just a blanket that keeps you warm. Easily tossed along when something flashier or someone prettier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/finally-i-see-that-it-s-never-been-me-just-a-blanket-that-keeps-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My passions are the grapes that I tread out for mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adle/my-passions-are-the-grapes-that-i-tread-out-for-mankind/) Alfred Adle > [Working with other artists and sharing your passions is great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leona-lewis/working-with-other-artists-and-sharing-your-passions-is-great/) [Leona Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leona-lewis/) > [Sam loved to listen to music and make his own songs, to wear soft velvets, to play in the castle kitchen beside the cooks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sam-loved-to-listen-to-music-and-make-his-own-songs-to-wear-soft/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You know, people start things for different reasons. But ultimately it turns into pure passion and one becomes insatiate. There is no end once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhaidev/you-know-people-start-things-for-different-reasons-but-ultimately-it/) [Abhaidev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhaidev/) > [“When we are passionate about God, we can trust our passions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-raphael-mcmanus/when-we-are-passionate-about-god-we-can-trust-our-passions/) [Erwin Raphael McManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-raphael-mcmanus/) > [In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be! Passions spin the plot: We are betrayed by what is false within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/in-tragic-life-god-wot-no-villain-need-be-passions-spin-the-plot-we/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [In music the passions enjoy themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-music-the-passions-enjoy-themselves/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The life of a good man was a continual warfare with his passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/the-life-of-a-good-man-was-a-continual-warfare-with-his-passions/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) ## More by John Cleland > [“Isto é, creio, demasiado elogio próprio; mas não seria eu ingrata com a natureza, e para com uma figura a que devo as bênçãos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleland/isto-creio-demasiado-elogio-pr-prio-mas-n-o-seria-eu-ingrata-com-a/) [John Cleland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleland/) > [“(...) rapidamente cheguei à resolução de me lançar no vasto mundo, dirigindo-me a Londres para ir em busca de minha fortuna, uma frase que,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleland/rapidamente-cheguei-resolu-o-de-me-lan-ar-no-vasto-mundo-dirigindo-me/) [John Cleland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleland/) > [“He was the universe to me, and all that was not him, was nothing to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleland/he-was-the-universe-to-me-and-all-that-was-not-him-was-nothing-to-me/) [John Cleland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleland/) > [“(...) o conhecimento e a comunicação com os maus elementos do nosso próprio sexo é muitas vezes tão fatal para a inocência quanto todas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleland/o-conhecimento-e-a-comunica-o-com-os-maus-elementos-do-nosso-pr-prio/) [John Cleland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleland/) > [“Sobre a mesa ainda se viam a poncheira e as taças, espalhadas na desordem costumeira após a debandada dos ébrios.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleland/sobre-a-mesa-ainda-se-viam-a-poncheira-e-as-ta-as-espalhadas-na/) [John Cleland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleland/) [Explore all 6 John Cleland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleland/) ## More Complexion quotes > [White lies always introduce others of a darker complexion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-paley/white-lies-always-introduce-others-of-a-darker-complexion/) [William S. Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-paley/) > [Nearly all the Gauls are of a lofty stature, white, and of ruddy complexion; terrible from the sternness of their eyes, very quarrelsome, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ammianus-marcellinus/nearly-all-the-gauls-are-of-a-lofty-stature-white-and-of-ruddy/) [Ammianus Marcellinus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ammianus-marcellinus/) > [We often see discrimination on the basis of color and complexion in society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binnu-dhillon/we-often-see-discrimination-on-the-basis-of-color-and-complexion-in/) [Binnu Dhillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binnu-dhillon/) > [But for real, for me, I feel like with the red lipstick thing it all depends on the pair of complexion. I'm just being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asap-rocky/but-for-real-for-me-i-feel-like-with-the-red-lipstick-thing-it-all/) [ASAP Rocky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asap-rocky/) > [Courage, my boy! that is the complexion of virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes-laertius/courage-my-boy-that-is-the-complexion-of-virtue/) [Diogenes Laertius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes-laertius/) > [My complexion is delicate, so I have to use things that won't irritate it. I switch moisturisers often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gisele-bundchen/my-complexion-is-delicate-so-i-have-to-use-things-that-won-t-irritate/) [Gisele Bundchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gisele-bundchen/) > [“Bunny Sue was nineteen. She had honey-bobbed hair and candid, near-insolent green eyes. She had a snub, delightful nose, a cool, regal, and tapering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-exley/bunny-sue-was-nineteen-she-had-honey-bobbed-hair-and-candid-near/) [Frederick Exley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-exley/) > [Great geniuses have the shortest biographies. Their cousins can tell you nothing about them. They lived in their writings, and sotheir house and street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/great-geniuses-have-the-shortest-biographies-their-cousins-can-tell/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [running is the right thing to do! I am free, healthy with a good complexion. It is that automobile addict who should be ashamed:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-ueland/running-is-the-right-thing-to-do-i-am-free-healthy-with-a-good/) [Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-ueland/) > [The dragon-fly is dancing,— Is on the water glancing, She flits about with nimble wing, The flickering, fluttering, restless thing. Besotted chafers all admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/the-dragon-fly-is-dancing-is-on-the-water-glancing-she-flits-about/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [His name is 'Mr. Spock.' And the first view of him can be almost frightening - a face so heavy-lidded and satanic you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-roddenberry/his-name-is-mr-spock-and-the-first-view-of-him-can-be-almost/) [Gene Roddenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-roddenberry/) > [Good humor, like the jaundice, makes every one of its own complexion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-inchbald/good-humor-like-the-jaundice-makes-every-one-of-its-own-complexion/) [Elizabeth Inchbald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-inchbald/) > [I made the decision to turn pro, and I remember what Ali said to me: 'Get Angelo Dundee. He's the right complexion with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-leonard/i-made-the-decision-to-turn-pro-and-i-remember-what-ali-said-to-me/) [Sugar Ray Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-leonard/) > [Getting the blood moving through your body does do wonders for your complexion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/getting-the-blood-moving-through-your-body-does-do-wonders-for-your/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-no-beautifier-of-complexion-or-form-or-behavior-like-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) Browse all 140 Complexion quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...but we no more choose our passions than our features or complexion.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Cleland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleland/but-we-no-more-choose-our-passions-than-our-features-or-complexion/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complexion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleland/but-we-no-more-choose-our-passions-than-our-features-or-complexion/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/john-cleland-31353_complexion_but-we-no-more-choose-our-passions-than_2307137.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/john-cleland-31353_complexion_but-we-no-more-choose-our-passions-than_2307137.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/john-cleland-31353_complexion_but-we-no-more-choose-our-passions-than_2307137.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...but we no more choose our passions than our features or complexion.” — John Cleland", "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": "John Cleland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...but we no more choose our...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleland/but-we-no-more-choose-our-passions-than-our-features-or-complexion/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleland/but-we-no-more-choose-our-passions-than-our-features-or-complexion/#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 } } ] } ```