--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have complete choice as individuals…" description: "\"“We have complete choice as individuals: the only decisions we can take are our own. And yet so many species use the state of being an individual as an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/karen-traviss-7852_choice_we-have-complete-choice-as-individuals-t_35296.jpg" --- # We have complete choice as individuals: the only decisions… ![“We have complete choice as individuals: the only decisions we can take are our own. And yet so many species use the state of being an individual as an excuse for inaction, helplessness and irresponsibility.No situation is so overwhelming that action is pointless. Targassat of Surang.” quote by Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/karen-traviss-7852_choice_we-have-complete-choice-as-individuals-t_35296.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/karen-traviss-7852_choice_we-have-complete-choice-as-individuals-t_35296.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/karen-traviss-7852_choice_we-have-complete-choice-as-individuals-t_35296.jpg) > ““We have complete choice as individuals: the only decisions we can take are our own. And yet so many species use the state of being an individual as an excuse for inaction, helplessness and irresponsibility.No situation is so overwhelming that action is pointless. Targassat of Surang.”” [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Individual agency is absolute; people can always choose to act, even when circumstances feel daunting. The excuse of being an individual should not justify passivity. **In simple terms:** Personal responsibility overrides perceived helplessness. Key Takeaway Action is always possible. Themes responsibility agency empowerment existentialism motivation Mood determined hopeful assertive Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - facing systemic injustice - personal crisis - social activism - career crossroads Key Concepts choice individualism inaction overwhelm Practical Applications - leadership coaching - civic engagement initiatives Questions to Reflect On - What excuses do you use to avoid action? - How can you reframe feeling overwhelmed into a catalyst for change? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) ## Related quotes > [“People who wouldn't dream of drowning a puppy in a barrel full of water think nothing of killing a fish the same slow way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/people-who-wouldn-t-dream-of-drowning-a-puppy-in-a-barrel-full-of/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [“Humans have too many rights and not enough responsibilities. -Aras”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/humans-have-too-many-rights-and-not-enough-responsibilities-aras/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [“The course of history is determined not by battles, by sieges, or usurpation, but by the individuals. The strongest army is, at its most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/the-course-of-history-is-determined-not-by-battles-by-sieges-or/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [You get the choice as individuals across this land to be able to purchase the kind of coverage that's right for you and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-price/you-get-the-choice-as-individuals-across-this-land-to-be-able-to/) [Tom Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-price/) > [We cannot lead a choiceless life. Every day, every moment, every second, there is a choice. If it were not so, we would not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-holmes/we-cannot-lead-a-choiceless-life-every-day-every-moment-every-second/) [Ernest Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-holmes/) > [Unfortunately, moral beauty in art - like physical beauty in a person - is extremely perishable. It is nowhere so durable as artistic or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/unfortunately-moral-beauty-in-art-like-physical-beauty-in-a-person-is/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [Your idea of fidelity is not having more than one man in bed at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/your-idea-of-fidelity-is-not-having-more-than-one-man-in-bed-at-the/) [Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/) > [I never knew a man who deserved to be thought well of for his morals who had a slight opinion of our Sex in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/i-never-knew-a-man-who-deserved-to-be-thought-well-of-for-his-morals/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. To insist that science, or God, objectively defines moral values is to abandon our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/humans-are-as-sartre-put-it-condemned-to-be-free-to-insist-that/) Kenan Malik > [I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/) [Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Karen Traviss > [If you take a shot at someone, you keep firing until they can no longer return fire. Wound them, and you have an angry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/if-you-take-a-shot-at-someone-you-keep-firing-until-they-can-no/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [I'd probably play games obsessively if I didn't write, although I admit I don't read novels partly because I don't enjoy it, not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/i-d-probably-play-games-obsessively-if-i-didn-t-write-although-i/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [“Hope was evil. It seduced you, then it dropped you on your ass so hard and so fast that you were worse off than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/hope-was-evil-it-seduced-you-then-it-dropped-you-on-your-ass-so-hard/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [“Nowhere does it say free speech is carte blanche to be a jerk. 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He's a dead-body-ologist." \[Sev examines the body and its arm falls off\] "Yep, he's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/any-sign-of-what-killed-him-scorch-let-s-ask-sev-he-s-a-dead-body/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [Characters have changed my mind about some very fundamental moral issues, and that's the real satisfaction in the way I write - the ultimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/characters-have-changed-my-mind-about-some-very-fundamental-moral/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [People lose it when I say this, but I'm a novelist who doesn't read novels. There are lots of good reasons for not reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/people-lose-it-when-i-say-this-but-i-m-a-novelist-who-doesn-t-read/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [“Oh, you are a little ray of sunshine today, aren’t you? Now, look at your progesterone levels. Still higher than normal. Are you pregnant?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/oh-you-are-a-little-ray-of-sunshine-today-aren-t-you-now-look-at-your/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [“Sergeant Skirata said that civvies didn't have a clue, and that it was alright for them to have lofty ideas about peace and freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/sergeant-skirata-said-that-civvies-didn-t-have-a-clue-and-that-it-was/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [“So you want a knife, a nice sharp knife. You hone that blade to its limits. 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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": "“We have complete choice as individuals: the only decisions we can take are our own. 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