--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To live is to choose." description: "\"To live is to choose.\" — Kofi Annan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/kofi-annan-799_choose_to-live-is-to-choose-3050574_3050574.png" --- # To live is to choose. ![“To live is to choose.” quote by Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/kofi-annan-799_choose_to-live-is-to-choose-3050574_3050574.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/kofi-annan-799_choose_to-live-is-to-choose-3050574_3050574.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/kofi-annan-799_choose_to-live-is-to-choose-3050574_3050574.png) > “To live is to choose.” [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is defined by the choices we make, each shaping our identity and future. **In simple terms:** Life equals choices. Key Takeaway Make conscious, values‑aligned choices. Themes choice agency identity Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career paths - relationships - health habits Key Concepts existentialism decision theory Questions to Reflect On - Which recent choice defines you? - How do you evaluate options? A Different Perspective Choices can be constrained by external pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live/) [Live Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-choose-1379024/) [Live for today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-for-today/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/to-live-is-to-choose-but-to-choose-well-you-must-know-who-you-are-and/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [I live as I choose or I will not live at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-o-riordan/i-live-as-i-choose-or-i-will-not-live-at-all/) [Dolores O'Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-o-riordan/) > [You don't choose the times you live in, but you do choose who you want to be. And you do choose how you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/you-don-t-choose-the-times-you-live-in-but-you-do-choose-who-you-want-2/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [Allow the world to live as it chooses, and allow yourself to live as you choose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/allow-the-world-to-live-as-it-chooses-and-allow-yourself-to-live-as/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Your life is yours to live as you choose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/your-life-is-yours-to-live-as-you-choose/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [You don't choose the times you live in, but you do choose who you want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/you-don-t-choose-the-times-you-live-in-but-you-do-choose-who-you-want/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [“You only have one day at a time to live, so live it and choose well!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-boniello/you-only-have-one-day-at-a-time-to-live-so-live-it-and-choose-well/) [Laura Boniello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-boniello/) > [If you live for today you can live another day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-johnson/if-you-live-for-today-you-can-live-another-day/) [Natalya Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-johnson/) > [Here on Earth, we live once and die once. So, whatever you're doing, do it like you're only gonna do it once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/here-on-earth-we-live-once-and-die-once-so-whatever-you-re-doing-do/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [Live today as if it is your last day, because in reality you never know when death is coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-elise/live-today-as-if-it-is-your-last-day-because-in-reality-you-never/) [Angelina Elise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-elise/) > [Tomorrow's life is too late. Live today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/tomorrow-s-life-is-too-late-live-today/) [Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/) > [If the Wright brother were alive today Wilbur would have to fire Orville to reduce costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/if-the-wright-brother-were-alive-today-wilbur-would-have-to-fire/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) ## More by Kofi Annan > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-were-all-children-once-and-we-all-share-the-desire-for-the-well/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [You will recall that for months after 9/11, there was incredible support and sympathy for the US. I really hoped and wished they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/you-will-recall-that-for-months-after-9-11-there-was-incredible/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [A nation has the right to defend itself, but when it comes to the broader issue of peace and security, the legitimacy rests only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/a-nation-has-the-right-to-defend-itself-but-when-it-comes-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Some have suggested that ideally there must be some international body that would treat areas like the Arctic as a global commerce, a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/some-have-suggested-that-ideally-there-must-be-some-international/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/in-an-age-of-interdependence-global-citizenship-based-on-trust-and/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [We knew the Syrian situation was complex and there were lots of divisions, particularly on the side of the opposition... This is a tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-knew-the-syrian-situation-was-complex-and-there-were-lots-of/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The question is the morning after. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? What happens in the region? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-question-is-the-morning-after-what-sort-of-iraq-do-we-wake-up-to/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [I laugh a lot inside and outside, and at myself sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/i-laugh-a-lot-inside-and-outside-and-at-myself-sometimes/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Can the state, which represents the whole of society and has the duty of protecting society, fulfill that duty by lowering itself to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/can-the-state-which-represents-the-whole-of-society-and-has-the-duty/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [As long as inequality and other social problems plague us, populists will try to exploit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/as-long-as-inequality-and-other-social-problems-plague-us-populists/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Developing and newer democracies are much more susceptible to the tactics of populists and demagogues - they often do not have strong institutions, free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/developing-and-newer-democracies-are-much-more-susceptible-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The young and dynamic and idealistic people in the square do not have the chance to organise themselves politically, to be able to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-young-and-dynamic-and-idealistic-people-in-the-square-do-not-have/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) [Explore all 366 Kofi Annan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## More Choose quotes > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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/) > [If somebody asks me to choose a biopic, it would be Narain Karthikeyan because I love racing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naga-chaitanya/if-somebody-asks-me-to-choose-a-biopic-it-would-be-narain-karthikeyan/) [Naga Chaitanya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naga-chaitanya/) > [“Either you soften your ego, or the world will do it for you. Choose!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-mccoy/either-you-soften-your-ego-or-the-world-will-do-it-for-you-choose/) [Bert McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-mccoy/) > [I'm aware of who I am and I'm comfortable with who I choose to date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shibani-dandekar/i-m-aware-of-who-i-am-and-i-m-comfortable-with-who-i-choose-to-date/) [Shibani Dandekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shibani-dandekar/) > [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [If you choose to work at a larger company over a smaller company, you are more likely to be higher paid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-sweet/if-you-choose-to-work-at-a-larger-company-over-a-smaller-company-you/) [Julie Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-sweet/) > [You can't choose what stays and what stays away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/you-can-t-choose-what-stays-and-what-stays-away/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [It's only a thought and a thought can be changed. Choose good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-s-only-a-thought-and-a-thought-can-be-changed-choose-good-ones/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime...so you gotta choose who is good for you! Be wise, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-come-into-your-life-for-a-reason-a-season-or-a-lifetime-so-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not opposed - we manufacture a lot of socks in North Carolina - I just choose not to wear them. It's a Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-burr/i-m-not-opposed-we-manufacture-a-lot-of-socks-in-north-carolina-i/) [Richard Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-burr/) > [Having too many options is bad. I want one person, just one. Not a whole bunch to choose from,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roderickthefirst/having-too-many-options-is-bad-i-want-one-person-just-one-not-a-whole/) [RoderickTheFirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roderickthefirst/) > [If I could be anyone, I'd choose the lead singer of Arcade Fire, Win Butler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-kardashian/if-i-could-be-anyone-i-d-choose-the-lead-singer-of-arcade-fire-win/) [Rob Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-kardashian/) > [People are as happy as they choose to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/people-are-as-happy-as-they-choose-to-be/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) [Browse all 3,851 Choose quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To live is to choose.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kofi Annan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/to-live-is-to-choose/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choose" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/to-live-is-to-choose/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/kofi-annan-799_choose_to-live-is-to-choose-3050574_3050574.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/kofi-annan-799_choose_to-live-is-to-choose-3050574_3050574.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/kofi-annan-799_choose_to-live-is-to-choose-3050574_3050574.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To live is to choose.” — Kofi Annan", "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": "Kofi Annan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To live is to choose.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/to-live-is-to-choose/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/to-live-is-to-choose/#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 } } ] } ```