--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The choices one makes, not one's blood…" description: "\"“The choices one makes, not one's blood, determine one's destiny - John Steinbeck”\" — Laxmi Hariharan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/laxmi-hariharan-93748_choice_the-choices-one-makes-not-one-s-blood-de_2734531.jpg" --- # The choices one makes, not one's blood, determine one's… ![“The choices one makes, not one's blood, determine one's destiny - John Steinbeck” quote by Laxmi Hariharan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/laxmi-hariharan-93748_choice_the-choices-one-makes-not-one-s-blood-de_2734531.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/laxmi-hariharan-93748_choice_the-choices-one-makes-not-one-s-blood-de_2734531.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/laxmi-hariharan-93748_choice_the-choices-one-makes-not-one-s-blood-de_2734531.jpg) > ““The choices one makes, not one's blood, determine one's destiny - John Steinbeck”” [Laxmi Hariharan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laxmi-hariharan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choices shape destiny more than lineage; personal decisions determine life’s path. **In simple terms:** Your choices, not your blood, decide your future. Key Takeaway Make conscious choices. Themes choice destiny personal agency determinism responsibility Mood thoughtful motivational Type Choice:1 Choices:1 Destiny:1 Steinbeck:1 John Steinbeck:1 Determine Destiny:0 Choices Makes:0 When to use this quote - career planning - personal relationships - moral decisions - life coaching Key Concepts free will self‑determination ethics Questions to Reflect On - What choices define your current trajectory? - How can you align actions with desired destiny? A Different Perspective Bloodline influences but does not control outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Choices Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices-makes-2979984/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) [Determine Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determine-destiny-427834/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-steinbeck/) [Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steinbeck/) ## Related quotes > [“They have the authority of ignorance and that is something you simply cannot combat.” – John Steinbeck”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/they-have-the-authority-of-ignorance-and-that-is-something-you-simply/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I was born January 6, 1937, eight years after Wall Street crashed and two years before John Steinbeck published The Grapes of Wrath, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-holtz/i-was-born-january-6-1937-eight-years-after-wall-street-crashed-and/) [Lou Holtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-holtz/) > [One of my favorite things I read was John Steinbeck's journals while he was writing 'East of Eden,' which was so cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/one-of-my-favorite-things-i-read-was-john-steinbeck-s-journals-while/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [“Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. 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My family had immigrated to the U.S. three years before, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-remember-reading-the-grapes-of-wrath-in-high-school-in-1983-my/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I'm a big John Steinbeck fan. Cormac McCarthy. I've always loved the stories of regular people. Mark Twain, too. 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He was one of the people who turned my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/one-of-the-true-pleasures-of-my-life-has-been-the-work-of-john/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [John Steinbeck's 'The Grapes of Wrath' also speaks urgently to today's concerns: the cratered trail of dreams for Mexican immigrants seeking a promised land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-corliss/john-steinbeck-s-the-grapes-of-wrath-also-speaks-urgently-to-today-s/) [Richard Corliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-corliss/) > [John Steinbeck once wrote, 'Change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like a stealthy perfume of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-scott/john-steinbeck-once-wrote-change-comes-like-a-little-wind-that/) [Lucas Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-scott/) > [“I became aware of Jews in my early teens, as I started to pick up the signals from the Christian church. Not that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-adams/i-became-aware-of-jews-in-my-early-teens-as-i-started-to-pick-up-the/) [Phillip Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-adams/) ## More by Laxmi Hariharan > [“There is no getting away from the past or from one’s destiny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laxmi-hariharan/there-is-no-getting-away-from-the-past-or-from-one-s-destiny/) [Laxmi Hariharan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laxmi-hariharan/) [Explore all 2 Laxmi Hariharan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laxmi-hariharan/) ## More Choice 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/) > [“That’s all! 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](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/) > [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“The choices one makes, not one's blood, determine one's destiny - John Steinbeck”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laxmi Hariharan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laxmi-hariharan/the-choices-one-makes-not-one-s-blood-determine-one-s-destiny-john/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laxmi-hariharan/the-choices-one-makes-not-one-s-blood-determine-one-s-destiny-john/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/laxmi-hariharan-93748_choice_the-choices-one-makes-not-one-s-blood-de_2734531.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/laxmi-hariharan-93748_choice_the-choices-one-makes-not-one-s-blood-de_2734531.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/laxmi-hariharan-93748_choice_the-choices-one-makes-not-one-s-blood-de_2734531.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The choices one makes, not one's blood, determine one's destiny - John Steinbeck” — Laxmi Hariharan", "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": "Laxmi Hariharan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laxmi-hariharan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The choices one makes, not one's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laxmi-hariharan/the-choices-one-makes-not-one-s-blood-determine-one-s-destiny-john/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laxmi-hariharan/the-choices-one-makes-not-one-s-blood-determine-one-s-destiny-john/#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 } } ] } ```