--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who can control his fate? asks the ruined…" description: "\"Who can control his fate? asks the ruined Othello. No one, indeed. But everyone controls his option, chooses his alternative.\" — Joseph Furphy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/joseph-furphy-69316_alternatives_who-can-control-his-fate-asks-the-ruined_3230878.png" --- # Who can control his fate? asks the ruined Othello. No one… ![“Who can control his fate? asks the ruined Othello. No one, indeed. But everyone controls his option, chooses his alternative.” quote by Joseph Furphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/joseph-furphy-69316_alternatives_who-can-control-his-fate-asks-the-ruined_3230878.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/joseph-furphy-69316_alternatives_who-can-control-his-fate-asks-the-ruined_3230878.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/joseph-furphy-69316_alternatives_who-can-control-his-fate-asks-the-ruined_3230878.png) > “Who can control his fate? asks the ruined Othello. No one, indeed. But everyone controls his option, chooses his alternative.” Joseph Furphy ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We cannot command destiny, but we can choose our responses to circumstances. **In simple terms:** We control choices, not fate. Key Takeaway Focus on the choices you can make. Themes choice responsibility agency Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal decisions - career moves - relationships - health choices Key Concepts determinism free will Questions to Reflect On - What choices can you make today? - How do you respond to unexpected events? A Different Perspective Choices are limited by external constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate/) [Othello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/othello/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [Do you believe in luck, Ludlow?" I had thought about this more than once in my life. "I believe some poeple are luckier than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-believe-in-luck-ludlow-i-had-thought-about-this-more-than-once/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The minute you start to strategize too much, the more you start to think you're in control of your own fate. And you're not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcavoy/the-minute-you-start-to-strategize-too-much-the-more-you-start-to/) [James McAvoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcavoy/) > [You are the one who makes the choices that control your fate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-rubin/you-are-the-one-who-makes-the-choices-that-control-your-fate/) [Dave Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-rubin/) > [“My name is Tess Mercer. I’m no longer weak or afraid or broken. I’ve taken control of my fate. I no longer need a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepper-winters/my-name-is-tess-mercer-i-m-no-longer-weak-or-afraid-or-broken-i-ve/) [Pepper Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pepper-winters/) > [With chess it was almost this palpable electricity that I felt. You're totally in control of your own fate. There's no luck factor. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-naroditsky/with-chess-it-was-almost-this-palpable-electricity-that-i-felt-you-re/) [Daniel Naroditsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-naroditsky/) > [You can believe in Fung Shui if you want, but ultimately people control their own fate. The most important thing is to improve yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-ka-shing/you-can-believe-in-fung-shui-if-you-want-but-ultimately-people/) [Li Ka-shing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-ka-shing/) > [“Sometimes, to cede control to fate, I realized, is to assume more control than ever before. I wasn’t just traveling anymore. I was traveling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ilgunas/sometimes-to-cede-control-to-fate-i-realized-is-to-assume-more/) [Ken Ilgunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ilgunas/) > [I'm an action player. I like to be aggressive. I don't like to be on the run. I like to feel like I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-jarvis/i-m-an-action-player-i-like-to-be-aggressive-i-don-t-like-to-be-on/) [Eugene Jarvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-jarvis/) > [“I control my fate As I stand on the edge of the cliff of destiny and tears filled with my dreams shatter below on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynette-white/i-control-my-fate-as-i-stand-on-the-edge-of-the-cliff-of-destiny-and/) Lynette White > [No individual can be in full control of his fate-our strengths come significantly from our history, our experiences largely from the vagaries of chance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/no-individual-can-be-in-full-control-of-his-fate-our-strengths-come/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [“Still, I learned something important from my short time as a market vendor: once you start trading for yourself, you start thinking for yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeonmi-park/still-i-learned-something-important-from-my-short-time-as-a-market/) [Yeonmi Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yeonmi-park/) > [Who can control his fate?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/who-can-control-his-fate/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“From this vantage point he came to a realization that everything that had happened to him before this had been a journey upward through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/from-this-vantage-point-he-came-to-a-realization-that-everything-that/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [You can work hard, do everything that you think is right, but one thing you'll never overcome in life is fate. You can't control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-petty/you-can-work-hard-do-everything-that-you-think-is-right-but-one-thing/) [Richard Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-petty/) > [We approached Yahoo and Jerry Yang and said that Hadoop is going to continue to be popular, and as it does, more and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-fenton/we-approached-yahoo-and-jerry-yang-and-said-that-hadoop-is-going-to/) [Peter Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-fenton/) ## More by Joseph Furphy > [Such is life, my fellow-mummers-just like a poor player that bluffs and feints his hour upon the stage, and then cheapens down to mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-furphy/such-is-life-my-fellow-mummers-just-like-a-poor-player-that-bluffs/) Joseph Furphy > ['English fair play' is a fine expression. It justifies the bashing of the puny draper's assistant by the big hairy blacksmith, and this to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-furphy/english-fair-play-is-a-fine-expression-it-justifies-the-bashing-of/) Joseph Furphy > [Age cannot limit him, nor use exhaust his infinite mendacity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-furphy/age-cannot-limit-him-nor-use-exhaust-his-infinite-mendacity/) Joseph Furphy Explore all 4 Joseph Furphy quotes ## More Alternatives quotes > [I am very sad that some designers are still using real fur when the fake alternatives are so effective and so easily obtainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twiggy/i-am-very-sad-that-some-designers-are-still-using-real-fur-when-the/) [Twiggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twiggy/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Conventional agriculture has never succeeded in feeding the world, and it's never produced anything good to eat. For the future, we need to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barber/conventional-agriculture-has-never-succeeded-in-feeding-the-world-and/) [Dan Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barber/) > [ \[When asked how it felt to be a female prime minister:\] I don't know: I've never experienced the alternative. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-asked-how-it-felt-to-be-a-female-prime-minister-i-don-t-know-i/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [If one could have a wish, or an alternative life, I would've liked to have been John Lennon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/if-one-could-have-a-wish-or-an-alternative-life-i-would-ve-liked-to/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [THE REAL PURPOSE OF HOLOCAUST REVISIONISM IS TO MAKE NATIONAL SOCIALISM AN ACCEPTABLE POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE AGAIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-covington/the-real-purpose-of-holocaust-revisionism-is-to-make-national/) Harold Covington > [Men since the beginning of time have sought peace...military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn have failed, leaving the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/men-since-the-beginning-of-time-have-sought-peace-military-alliances/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The mission of Christian humility in social life is not merely to edify, but to keep minds open to many alternatives. The rigidity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-mission-of-christian-humility-in-social-life-is-not-merely-to/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Maximise the alternative forms in which a user might receive a service, and the alternative sources of supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-chipp/maximise-the-alternative-forms-in-which-a-user-might-receive-a/) Don Chipp > [In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is dredged up only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-musto/in-the-last-few-years-the-very-idea-of-telling-the-truth-the-whole/) [Michael Musto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-musto/) > [Altermodern is an in-progress redefinition of modernity in the era of globalisation, stressing the experience of wandering in time, space and mediums. The term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-bourriaud/altermodern-is-an-in-progress-redefinition-of-modernity-in-the-era-of/) Nicolas Bourriaud > [If the system exhibits a structure which can be represented by a mathematical equivalent, called a mathematical model, and if the objective can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dantzig/if-the-system-exhibits-a-structure-which-can-be-represented-by-a/) [George Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dantzig/) > [We must commit ourselves to an 'all of the above' energy approach, with a major focus on increasing domestic production and expanding alternatives fuels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-roskam/we-must-commit-ourselves-to-an-all-of-the-above-energy-approach-with/) [Peter Roskam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-roskam/) Browse all 1,463 Alternatives quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Who can control his fate? asks the ruined Othello. No one, indeed. But everyone controls his option, chooses his alternative.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Furphy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-furphy/who-can-control-his-fate-asks-the-ruined-othello-no-one-indeed-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alternatives" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-furphy/who-can-control-his-fate-asks-the-ruined-othello-no-one-indeed-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/joseph-furphy-69316_alternatives_who-can-control-his-fate-asks-the-ruined_3230878.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/joseph-furphy-69316_alternatives_who-can-control-his-fate-asks-the-ruined_3230878.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/joseph-furphy-69316_alternatives_who-can-control-his-fate-asks-the-ruined_3230878.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Who can control his fate? asks the ruined Othello. No one, indeed. But everyone controls his option, chooses…” — Joseph Furphy", "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": "Joseph Furphy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-furphy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Who can control his fate? asks...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-furphy/who-can-control-his-fate-asks-the-ruined-othello-no-one-indeed-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-furphy/who-can-control-his-fate-asks-the-ruined-othello-no-one-indeed-but/#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 } } ] } ```