--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He sat where he was, on Mouse, in the…" description: "\"“He sat where he was, on Mouse, in the grip of terrible indecision. He almost wished something would happen—a sudden attack of Mexicans or something. H..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/larry-mcmurtry-2540_indecision_he-sat-where-he-was-on-mouse-in-the-grip_959143.jpg" --- # He sat where he was, on Mouse, in the grip of terrible… ![“He sat where he was, on Mouse, in the grip of terrible indecision. He almost wished something would happen—a sudden attack of Mexicans or something. He might be killed, but at least he wouldn’t have to make a choice between disobeying Mr. Gus and disobeying Lorena.” quote by Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/larry-mcmurtry-2540_indecision_he-sat-where-he-was-on-mouse-in-the-grip_959143.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/larry-mcmurtry-2540_indecision_he-sat-where-he-was-on-mouse-in-the-grip_959143.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/larry-mcmurtry-2540_indecision_he-sat-where-he-was-on-mouse-in-the-grip_959143.jpg) > ““He sat where he was, on Mouse, in the grip of terrible indecision. He almost wished something would happen—a sudden attack of Mexicans or something. He might be killed, but at least he wouldn’t have to make a choice between disobeying Mr. Gus and disobeying Lorena.”” [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Indecision can be so painful that one prefers danger over choice. **In simple terms:** Choosing is painful, sometimes we prefer risk. Key Takeaway Accept responsibility rather than avoid it. Themes decision‑making fear responsibility Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career crossroads - personal dilemmas - ethical choices Key Concepts literature psychology Questions to Reflect On - What choices are you avoiding? - How does fear shape your decisions? A Different Perspective Avoiding decisions may lead to greater harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Indecision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indecision/) ## Related quotes > [“They grow up twisted, crippled, crazy. She would probably be taken and killed. She wouldn’t even be buried. They’d be worried”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/they-grow-up-twisted-crippled-crazy-she-would-probably-be-taken-and/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“He needed instructions. I was going to be dead after he killed me and he wouldn't be able to use the recording spell. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-zoelle/he-needed-instructions-i-was-going-to-be-dead-after-he-killed-me-and/) [Anne Zoelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-zoelle/) > [“Fear, indecision, not knowing—these are the obstacles that keep you from moving forward. And they never go away. But if you are going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/fear-indecision-not-knowing-these-are-the-obstacles-that-keep-you/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [Indecision is the most unsexy thing on the planet. I dont know if Im sexy but I think decisiveness is sexy. I also lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/indecision-is-the-most-unsexy-thing-on-the-planet-i-dont-know-if-im/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [“Sounds like a great place to get killed. Hard pass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-lanzing/sounds-like-a-great-place-to-get-killed-hard-pass/) [Jackson Lanzing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-lanzing/) > [Luckily, even as a young man not yet become himself, John Bridgens had two things besides indecision that kept him from self-destruction - books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/luckily-even-as-a-young-man-not-yet-become-himself-john-bridgens-had/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“To him, a stilted geometric love of arrangement was “system,” and indefatigable and feverish interest in the pettiest facets of day-to-day bureaucracy was “industry”,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/to-him-a-stilted-geometric-love-of-arrangement-was-system-and/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“The past tense of regret is indecision.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/welcome-to-nightvale-podcast/the-past-tense-of-regret-is-indecision/) Welcome to Nightvale Podcast > [Indecision is a decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-is-a-decision/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only thing we don't do together is get in front of an actor and show any indecision at all about what we think.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-farrelly/the-only-thing-we-don-t-do-together-is-get-in-front-of-an-actor-and/) [Bobby Farrelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-farrelly/) > [ \[On being indecisive and changeable:\] On my gravestone I want inscribed: 'On the other hand, maybe I should have lived. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/on-being-indecisive-and-changeable-on-my-gravestone-i-want-inscribed/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [ “And while \[we\] do have possibilities that are vast and magnificent and almost infinite in scope, it's important to remember that our choice-rich lives… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/and-while-we-do-have-possibilities-that-are-vast-and-magnificent-and/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Follow your heart, but don't leave your brain behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-van-zyl/follow-your-heart-but-don-t-leave-your-brain-behind/) [Matthew Van Zyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-van-zyl/) > [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) ## More by Larry McMurtry > [“if you repeat a temporary answer often enough, it acquires a degree of permanency.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/if-you-repeat-a-temporary-answer-often-enough-it-acquires-a-degree-of/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [“The first difference Newt noticed about being grown up was that time didn't pass as slow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/the-first-difference-newt-noticed-about-being-grown-up-was-that-time/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [-she remembered them kindly, for there was a sweetness in boys that didn't last long, once they became men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/she-remembered-them-kindly-for-there-was-a-sweetness-in-boys-that/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [A man who wouldn't cheat for a poke don't want one bad enough. --Augustus "Gus" McCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/a-man-who-wouldn-t-cheat-for-a-poke-don-t-want-one-bad-enough/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [“Ride with an outlaw, die with him," he added. "I admit it's a harsh code. But you rode on the other side long enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/ride-with-an-outlaw-die-with-him-he-added-i-admit-it-s-a-harsh-code/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [WHEN AUGUSTUS CAME OUT on the porch the blue pigs were eating a rattlesnake—not a very big one. It had probably just been crawling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/when-augustus-came-out-on-the-porch-the-blue-pigs-were-eating-a/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [Books can accommodate the proximity of computers but it doesn't seem to work the other way around. Computers now literally drive out books from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/books-can-accommodate-the-proximity-of-computers-but-it-doesn-t-seem/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [The reason men are so awful is because some woman has spoiled them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/the-reason-men-are-so-awful-is-because-some-woman-has-spoiled-them/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [“Sometimes Sonny felt like he was the only human creature in the town. It was a bad feeling, and it usually came on him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/sometimes-sonny-felt-like-he-was-the-only-human-creature-in-the-town/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [“. . . he had learned in his years of tracking Indians that things which seemed impossible often weren't. They only became so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/he-had-learned-in-his-years-of-tracking-indians-that-things-which/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [It's a fine world, though rich in hardships at times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/it-s-a-fine-world-though-rich-in-hardships-at-times/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [Nobody run off with her,” Roscoe said. "She just run off with herself, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/nobody-run-off-with-her-roscoe-said-she-just-run-off-with-herself-i/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [Americans' lack of passion for history is well known. History may not quite be bunk, as Henry Ford suggested, but there's no denying that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/americans-lack-of-passion-for-history-is-well-known-history-may-not/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [I never met a soul in this world as normal as me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/i-never-met-a-soul-in-this-world-as-normal-as-me/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [“I figured out something, Lorie,” he said. “I figured out why you and me get along so well. You know more than you say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/i-figured-out-something-lorie-he-said-i-figured-out-why-you-and-me/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) [Explore all 162 Larry McMurtry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) ## More Indecision quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Follow your heart, but don't leave your brain behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-van-zyl/follow-your-heart-but-don-t-leave-your-brain-behind/) [Matthew Van Zyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-van-zyl/) > [ “And while \[we\] do have possibilities that are vast and magnificent and almost infinite in scope, it's important to remember that our choice-rich lives… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/and-while-we-do-have-possibilities-that-are-vast-and-magnificent-and/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [ \[On being indecisive and changeable:\] On my gravestone I want inscribed: 'On the other hand, maybe I should have lived. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/on-being-indecisive-and-changeable-on-my-gravestone-i-want-inscribed/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [The only thing we don't do together is get in front of an actor and show any indecision at all about what we think.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-farrelly/the-only-thing-we-don-t-do-together-is-get-in-front-of-an-actor-and/) [Bobby Farrelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-farrelly/) > [Indecision is a decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-is-a-decision/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The past tense of regret is indecision.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/welcome-to-nightvale-podcast/the-past-tense-of-regret-is-indecision/) Welcome to Nightvale Podcast > [“To him, a stilted geometric love of arrangement was “system,” and indefatigable and feverish interest in the pettiest facets of day-to-day bureaucracy was “industry”,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/to-him-a-stilted-geometric-love-of-arrangement-was-system-and/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Luckily, even as a young man not yet become himself, John Bridgens had two things besides indecision that kept him from self-destruction - books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/luckily-even-as-a-young-man-not-yet-become-himself-john-bridgens-had/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“Sounds like a great place to get killed. Hard pass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-lanzing/sounds-like-a-great-place-to-get-killed-hard-pass/) [Jackson Lanzing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-lanzing/) > [Indecision is the most unsexy thing on the planet. I dont know if Im sexy but I think decisiveness is sexy. I also lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/indecision-is-the-most-unsexy-thing-on-the-planet-i-dont-know-if-im/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [“Fear, indecision, not knowing—these are the obstacles that keep you from moving forward. And they never go away. But if you are going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/fear-indecision-not-knowing-these-are-the-obstacles-that-keep-you/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“ 'We cannot decide,' the Witness for the Treasury said. 'We are sorry, but it is the truth.' 'May we suggest that indecisiveness is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-addison/we-cannot-decide-the-witness-for-the-treasury-said-we-are-sorry-but/) [Katherine Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-addison/) > [“Was it a moment of indecision or was it a moment of redemption. Redemption long overdue and long unacknowledged? They didn’t know. He suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-pande/was-it-a-moment-of-indecision-or-was-it-a-moment-of-redemption/) [Vinod Pande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-pande/) [Browse all 266 Indecision quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indecision/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He sat where he was, on Mouse, in the grip of terrible indecision. He almost wished something would happen—a sudden attack of Mexicans or something. 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