--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that I feel that I have no choice…" description: "\"I think that I feel that I have no choice but to operate under the illusion, which may be a delusion, that we can somehow get past the destruction that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/jonathon-keats-10822_choices_i-think-that-i-feel-that-i-have-no-choic_120491.jpg" --- # I think that I feel that I have no choice but to operate… ![“I think that I feel that I have no choice but to operate under the illusion, which may be a delusion, that we can somehow get past the destruction that we have brought and that we are causing today.” quote by Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/jonathon-keats-10822_choices_i-think-that-i-feel-that-i-have-no-choic_120491.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/jonathon-keats-10822_choices_i-think-that-i-feel-that-i-have-no-choic_120491.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/jonathon-keats-10822_choices_i-think-that-i-feel-that-i-have-no-choic_120491.jpg) > “I think that I feel that I have no choice but to operate under the illusion, which may be a delusion, that we can somehow get past the destruction that we have brought and that we are causing today.” [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We cling to a hopeful illusion that we can reverse environmental damage, even though that belief may be a self‑deceptive delusion. **In simple terms:** Hopeful illusion about fixing ecological harm. Key Takeaway Hope can mask denial of reality. Themes environment psychology optimism delusion Mood somber thoughtful Type philosophical environmental When to use this quote - policy debates - activist meetings - personal lifestyle choices Key Concepts cognitive bias climate denial Practical Applications - Encourage realistic mitigation strategies - Foster honest self‑assessment Questions to Reflect On - When does hope become counterproductive? - How can we balance realism with motivation? A Different Perspective Optimism can motivate action; dismissing it entirely may paralyze effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Delusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion/) [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [As always, the illusion of self-transcendence is far more facile and available than self-transcendence itself: in the vast majority of cases what human consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/as-always-the-illusion-of-self-transcendence-is-far-more-facile-and/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [“In the illusion of delusion, between madness and lawlessness I exist. I dream about dreams, about illusions and disillusions and cold and madness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-c-lemus/in-the-illusion-of-delusion-between-madness-and-lawlessness-i-exist-i/) [E.C. Lemus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-c-lemus/) > [“...normally I consider nostalgia to be a toxic impulse. It is the twinned, yearning delusion that (a) the past was better (it wasn´t) and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/normally-i-consider-nostalgia-to-be-a-toxic-impulse-it-is-the-twinned/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [Everything appears to me to be authored, in some strange way. And I wonder if this is not the spreading assumption of the psychedelic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/everything-appears-to-me-to-be-authored-in-some-strange-way-and-i/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“On Make America Great Again: The agenda of a dead body coming back to life. 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Considerably more than three parts of the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-booth/it-is-a-great-delusion-to-suppose-that-flesh-meat-of-any-kind-is/) [Catherine Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-booth/) > [Atheism Explained is a gem. It is clear, informative, well-argued, provocative, often witty, and unfailingly interesting. David Ramsay Steele ranges over so many issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-shearmur/atheism-explained-is-a-gem-it-is-clear-informative-well-argued/) Jeremy Shearmur > [“we shouldn’t surrender our real world perception to a false reality too much or we may suffer the inevitable consequences of deluded thinking. Technology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-p-neary/we-shouldn-t-surrender-our-real-world-perception-to-a-false-reality/) M.P. Neary > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The Science Delusion is the belief that science already understands the nature of reality in principle leaving only the details to be filled in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-sheldrake/the-science-delusion-is-the-belief-that-science-already-understands/) [Rupert Sheldrake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-sheldrake/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [If the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labour, entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/if-the-idea-of-having-to-change-ourselves-makes-us-uncomfortable-we/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Getting rid of a delusion makes us wiser than getting hold of a truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-borne/getting-rid-of-a-delusion-makes-us-wiser-than-getting-hold-of-a-truth/) [Ludwig Borne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-borne/) ## More by Jonathon Keats > [ \[Buckminster\] Fuller was an independent operator coming up with these madcap ways of combining things with absolutely no strings attached and the fact that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/buckminster-fuller-was-an-independent-operator-coming-up-with-these/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [ We clearly recognize the need for something that is what \[Buckminster Fuller\] represents and therefore it becomes really useful and really interesting to look… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/we-clearly-recognize-the-need-for-something-that-is-what-buckminster/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [ \[Buckminster\] Fuller said that everything at the time was basically a horse and buggy in the form of an automobile and it had that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/buckminster-fuller-said-that-everything-at-the-time-was-basically-a/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [I don't think that I am hopeful because I have some data that you don't, that I am going to share with you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-don-t-think-that-i-am-hopeful-because-i-have-some-data-that-you-don/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [I would argue that search has made the world a better place. It has done so for reasons that arbitrarily could completely change that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-would-argue-that-search-has-made-the-world-a-better-place-it-has/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [ Architects in urban planning are talking about this but they're not talking about it yet I don't think at that level that \[Buckminster\] Fuller… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/architects-in-urban-planning-are-talking-about-this-but-they-re-not/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [ I would certainly never want to inflict anything on the world exactly as \[Buckminster Fuller\] envisioned it because there is a technocratic worldview that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-would-certainly-never-want-to-inflict-anything-on-the-world-exactly/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [You have those who have been living and breathing Buckminster Fuller ever since he converted them to his cult and to be honest, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/you-have-those-who-have-been-living-and-breathing-buckminster-fuller/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [ There were other auto manufacturers that were confabulating as much as \[Buckminster Fuller\] was, making claims about how cars resembled this or that aspect… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/there-were-other-auto-manufacturers-that-were-confabulating-as-much/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [On the other hand, the way in which that car fit into this whole very roundabout way of attempting to solve the problem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/on-the-other-hand-the-way-in-which-that-car-fit-into-this-whole-very/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [I do not think that technology is our salvation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-do-not-think-that-technology-is-our-salvation/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [ Where Google and \[Buckminster\] Fuller overlap are in the potential for putting together disparate technologies in ways that can lead to something that might… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/where-google-and-buckminster-fuller-overlap-are-in-the-potential-for/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [I set my life since then attempting to figure out how to do that, basically how to have a sort of public discourse in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-set-my-life-since-then-attempting-to-figure-out-how-to-do-that/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [I was totally taken in and totally taken by that myth starting in 1999, rather carelessly writing about this archive and starting to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-was-totally-taken-in-and-totally-taken-by-that-myth-starting-in/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [It's essential for me to be working on a nonfiction sort of research project simultaneous with multiple projects that are in different realms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/it-s-essential-for-me-to-be-working-on-a-nonfiction-sort-of-research/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) [Explore all 63 Jonathon Keats quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) ## More Choices quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) Alison James > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [Clarissa," he said, "here with the vampire, I see. When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [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/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/) [Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that I feel that I have no choice but to operate under the illusion, which may be a delusion, that we can somehow get past the destruction that we have brought and that we are causing today.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathon Keats" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-think-that-i-feel-that-i-have-no-choice-but-to-operate-under-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choices" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-think-that-i-feel-that-i-have-no-choice-but-to-operate-under-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/jonathon-keats-10822_choices_i-think-that-i-feel-that-i-have-no-choic_120491.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/jonathon-keats-10822_choices_i-think-that-i-feel-that-i-have-no-choic_120491.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/jonathon-keats-10822_choices_i-think-that-i-feel-that-i-have-no-choic_120491.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that I feel that I have no choice but to operate under the illusion, which may be a delusion, that…” — Jonathon Keats", "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": "Jonathon Keats", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that I feel that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-think-that-i-feel-that-i-have-no-choice-but-to-operate-under-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-think-that-i-feel-that-i-have-no-choice-but-to-operate-under-the/#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 } } ] } ```