---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There comes a moment in time when you…"
description: "\"There comes a moment in time when you realize its either brake or be broken\" — Katy Reichl"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/katy-reichl-38663_brake_there-comes-a-moment-in-time-when-you-re_2282233.jpg"
---

#  There comes a moment in time when you realize its either…

![“There comes a moment in time when you realize its either brake or be broken” quote by Katy Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/katy-reichl-38663_brake_there-comes-a-moment-in-time-when-you-re_2282233.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/katy-reichl-38663_brake_there-comes-a-moment-in-time-when-you-re_2282233.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/katy-reichl-38663_brake_there-comes-a-moment-in-time-when-you-re_2282233.jpg)

> “There comes a moment in time when you realize its either brake or be broken”

[Katy Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

You must choose between taking control or being controlled by circumstances.

**In simple terms:** Choose action over passivity.

Key Takeaway

Act before being acted upon.

Themes

control agency choice

Mood

determined urgent

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- personal crisis
- career decision
- relationship conflict

Key Concepts

self‑determination power dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What are you avoiding?
- How can you regain agency?

A Different Perspective

If you act, you may still fail; inaction guarantees loss.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Brake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brake/) [Brake Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brake-broken-5330937/) [Comes Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-moment-384040/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Moment In Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment-in-time/) [Moving on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-on/) [Realize Brake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realize-brake-5330936/) [Revenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revenge/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [It comes a moment that someone says something really small, but fits so perfect into your heart that everything start to make sense!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laylablack/it-comes-a-moment-that-someone-says-something-really-small-but-fits/)

[Laylablack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laylablack/)

> [“There comes a moment in your life when you realize that no matter how hard you try, you're never going to be fluent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gruenenfelder/there-comes-a-moment-in-your-life-when-you-realize-that-no-matter-how/)

[Kim Gruenenfelder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gruenenfelder/)

> [There comes a moment when we all must realize that life is short, and in the end the only thing that really counts is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/there-comes-a-moment-when-we-all-must-realize-that-life-is-short-and/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [In every journey comes a moment...one like no other. And in that moment, you must decide between who you are...and who you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-marino/in-every-journey-comes-a-moment-one-like-no-other-and-in-that-moment/)

[JC Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jc-marino/)

> [There Comes A Moment In life When You Pretend Not To Care About Someone You Know You Can't Go A Day Without](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabelo-lan-mashabela/there-comes-a-moment-in-life-when-you-pretend-not-to-care-about/)

[Sabelo Lan Mashabela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabelo-lan-mashabela/)

> [“Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, In the strife of truth and falsehood, for the good or evil side;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/once-to-every-man-and-nation-comes-the-moment-to-decide-in-the-strife/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/once-to-every-man-and-nation-comes-the-moment-to-decide/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [The turning point in the life of those who succeed usually comes at the moment of some crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-turning-point-in-the-life-of-those-who-succeed-usually-comes-at/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [“Wisdom comes after the moment when it is most needed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-wheeler/wisdom-comes-after-the-moment-when-it-is-most-needed/)

[Jeff Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-wheeler/)

> [There comes a moment... When imagination gives out and Reality leaps forth. It is frightful!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/there-comes-a-moment-when-imagination-gives-out-and-reality-leaps/)

[August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/)

> [“There comes a moment in our lives when some of the pieces of the puzzle come together - where all our past experiences, both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-card/there-comes-a-moment-in-our-lives-when-some-of-the-pieces-of-the/)

[Michael Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-card/)

> [“There comes a moment in life where everything you ever believed in comes crashing down, leaving you gasping for air.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahd-alshammari/there-comes-a-moment-in-life-where-everything-you-ever-believed-in/)

[Shahd Alshammari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahd-alshammari/)

> [“There comes a moment when survival is no longer enough. The soul begins demanding sovereignty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-raney/there-comes-a-moment-when-survival-is-no-longer-enough-the-soul/)

[Michelle Raney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-raney/)

> [There comes a moment, when you get lost in the woods, when the woods begin to feel like home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/there-comes-a-moment-when-you-get-lost-in-the-woods-when-the-woods/)

[Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

> [None of us are either all good or all bad – we’re all somewhere in between – but there comes a moment in each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-delaney/none-of-us-are-either-all-good-or-all-bad-we-re-all-somewhere-in/)

[Joseph Delaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-delaney/)

## More by Katy Reichl

> [And the funny thing is that a stranger from half way across the world can be a better friend than the kid next door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/and-the-funny-thing-is-that-a-stranger-from-half-way-across-the-world/)

[Katy Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/)

> [I think the hardest part about us is that I still have the letters. I still have the cards, and the bracelets and gifts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/i-think-the-hardest-part-about-us-is-that-i-still-have-the-letters-i/)

[Katy Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/)

> [And your words burned my skin like acid rain, leaving holes and dripping to the ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/and-your-words-burned-my-skin-like-acid-rain-leaving-holes-and/)

[Katy Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/)

> [No matter what happens throughout the day when you lay down at night you will always be the same person you were when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/no-matter-what-happens-throughout-the-day-when-you-lay-down-at-night/)

[Katy Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/)

> [And no matter how many times I burn the notes and toss the gifts the memory of them still hangs around in my bedroom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/and-no-matter-how-many-times-i-burn-the-notes-and-toss-the-gifts-the/)

[Katy Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/)

> [I let you go, but not because I loved you to the point where I wanted the best for you. But because I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/i-let-you-go-but-not-because-i-loved-you-to-the-point-where-i-wanted/)

[Katy Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/)

> [If I could go back to the day we met, I'm sorry, but I would turn around and walk the other way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/if-i-could-go-back-to-the-day-we-met-i-m-sorry-but-i-would-turn/)

[Katy Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/)

> [Your my favorite mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/your-my-favorite-mistake/)

[Katy Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/)

> [The hardest thing youll ever have to do is realize that you aren't her](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/the-hardest-thing-youll-ever-have-to-do-is-realize-that-you-aren-t-her/)

[Katy Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/)

> [Sometimes when I look in the mirror I see myself. But most of the time I see you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/sometimes-when-i-look-in-the-mirror-i-see-myself-but-most-of-the-time/)

[Katy Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/)

[Explore all 11 Katy Reichl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/)

## More Brake quotes

> [It is amazing how may drivers, even at the Formula One Level, think that the brakes are for slowing the car down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/it-is-amazing-how-may-drivers-even-at-the-formula-one-level-think/)

[Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/)

> [How do you, on the one hand, not object to Hillary Clinton being elected, and then, on the other hand, tell people, "Elect me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/how-do-you-on-the-one-hand-not-object-to-hillary-clinton-being/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Common sense is the guy who tells you that you ought to have had your brakes relined last week before you smashed a front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/common-sense-is-the-guy-who-tells-you-that-you-ought-to-have-had-your/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [It's all happening too fast. I've got to put the brakes on or I'll smack into something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-gibson/it-s-all-happening-too-fast-i-ve-got-to-put-the-brakes-on-or-i-ll/)

[Mel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-gibson/)

> [You brake to fuckin easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delphine-hogue/you-brake-to-fuckin-easy/)

[Delphine Hogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delphine-hogue/)

> [The galleries are full of critics. They play no ball, they fight no fights. They make no mistakes because they attempt nothing. Down in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-shoup/the-galleries-are-full-of-critics-they-play-no-ball-they-fight-no/)

[David M. Shoup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-shoup/)

> [Newman's first law: It is useless to put on your brakes when you're upside down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/newman-s-first-law-it-is-useless-to-put-on-your-brakes-when-you-re/)

[Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/)

> [Lethal like venomous snake bites the marijuana makes my eyes bright red like brake lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/canibus/lethal-like-venomous-snake-bites-the-marijuana-makes-my-eyes-bright/)

[Canibus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/canibus/)

> [You only hear the music when your heart begins to brake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seether/you-only-hear-the-music-when-your-heart-begins-to-brake/)

[Seether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seether/)

> [It is sometimes of God's mercy that men in the eager pursuit of worldly aggrandizement are baffled; for they are very like a train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/it-is-sometimes-of-god-s-mercy-that-men-in-the-eager-pursuit-of/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [You say that I should be your teacher! See to it that I am your pinion and not your brake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/you-say-that-i-should-be-your-teacher-see-to-it-that-i-am-your-pinion/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [The daughters of God don't brake for jerks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-daughters-of-god-don-t-brake-for-jerks/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [France is ready for a European revolution and it is Germany that is pulling the brakes. For a long time, it was the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/france-is-ready-for-a-european-revolution-and-it-is-germany-that-is/)

[Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/)

> [“Some chains will never be broken, until you brake them through prayer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/some-chains-will-never-be-broken-until-you-brake-them-through-prayer/)

[Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/)

> [One of the reasons we do history, in fact, is because it acts as a brake, a control, on our otherwise unbridled enthusiasm for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/one-of-the-reasons-we-do-history-in-fact-is-because-it-acts-as-a/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

[Browse all 186 Brake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brake/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There comes a moment in time when you realize its either brake or be broken",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Katy Reichl"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/there-comes-a-moment-in-time-when-you-realize-its-either-brake-or-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Brake"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/there-comes-a-moment-in-time-when-you-realize-its-either-brake-or-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/katy-reichl-38663_brake_there-comes-a-moment-in-time-when-you-re_2282233.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/katy-reichl-38663_brake_there-comes-a-moment-in-time-when-you-re_2282233.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/katy-reichl-38663_brake_there-comes-a-moment-in-time-when-you-re_2282233.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There comes a moment in time when you realize its either brake or be broken” — Katy Reichl",
                "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": "Katy Reichl",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-reichl/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There comes a moment in time...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/there-comes-a-moment-in-time-when-you-realize-its-either-brake-or-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-reichl/there-comes-a-moment-in-time-when-you-realize-its-either-brake-or-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
