--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know the difference between what I…" description: "\"“I know the difference between what I can't do and what I refuse to do.”\" — Leslie Feinberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c5/leslie-feinberg-23918_quote_i-know-the-difference-between-what-i-can_2163232.jpg" --- # I know the difference between what I can't do and what I… ![“I know the difference between what I can't do and what I refuse to do.” quote by Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c5/leslie-feinberg-23918_quote_i-know-the-difference-between-what-i-can_2163232.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c5/leslie-feinberg-23918_quote_i-know-the-difference-between-what-i-can_2163232.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c5/leslie-feinberg-23918_quote_i-know-the-difference-between-what-i-can_2163232.jpg) > ““I know the difference between what I can't do and what I refuse to do.”” [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It contrasts personal limits with deliberate choices, emphasizing agency in what we choose to avoid. **In simple terms:** Know what you can’t do versus what you refuse. Key Takeaway Choose actions, not excuses. Themes agency choice self‑determination Mood motivational critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - activism - habit formation Key Concepts personal responsibility ethical decision‑making Questions to Reflect On - What are you refusing to try? - How do you differentiate inability from choice? A Different Perspective Refusal can be as limiting as inability if not examined. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Difference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference/) ## Related quotes > [People instinctively know the difference between something done with a profit motive and something done with a love motive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/people-instinctively-know-the-difference-between-something-done-with/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Some people dont know the difference between thinking for yourself and thinking of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/some-people-dont-know-the-difference-between-thinking-for-yourself/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [“I can’t be that person anymore, not now that I know the difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-can-t-be-that-person-anymore-not-now-that-i-know-the-difference/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [I don't know the difference between working and not working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-zeisel/i-don-t-know-the-difference-between-working-and-not-working/) [Eva Zeisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-zeisel/) > [“You know what I am, not who I am. There is a difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kessler/you-know-what-i-am-not-who-i-am-there-is-a-difference/) [Lisa Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kessler/) > [I don't care at all. I don't know the difference from one president to the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-staples/i-don-t-care-at-all-i-don-t-know-the-difference-from-one-president-to/) [Vince Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-staples/) > [“No baby, you didn't hurt me. You wrecked me. Know the difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-anum/no-baby-you-didn-t-hurt-me-you-wrecked-me-know-the-difference/) [J.A. ANUM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-anum/) > [The greatest thing about Facebook is that you can quote anyone without actually getting it right and nobody will know the difference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-greatest-thing-about-facebook-is-that-you-can-quote-anyone/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [I've been a music fan all my life, and you know the difference when the musicians care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-ve-been-a-music-fan-all-my-life-and-you-know-the-difference-when/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [You wanna know a difference between you and me?…I make this look good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana/you-wanna-know-a-difference-between-you-and-me-i-make-this-look-good/) [Ariana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana/) > [You must know the difference between right and wrong in order to give the correct answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786-correction-by-jacobusmaximus/you-must-know-the-difference-between-right-and-wrong-in-order-to-give/) Mak\_786 Correction By Jacobusmaximus > [“I didn't know anything about anything. And the only difference between then and now is this: I may know more than I used to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mccafferty/i-didn-t-know-anything-about-anything-and-the-only-difference-between/) [Megan McCafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mccafferty/) > [Shadows are people who don't know the difference between being an individual, and being a close copy. Step out of the path, become your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/shadows-are-people-who-don-t-know-the-difference-between-being-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forever be happy, never be content, and always know the difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/forever-be-happy-never-be-content-and-always-know-the-difference/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [I've seen the bottom and I know the difference between good golf and bad golf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duval/i-ve-seen-the-bottom-and-i-know-the-difference-between-good-golf-and/) [David Duval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duval/) ## More by Leslie Feinberg > [“Strength, like height, is measured by who you're standing next to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/strength-like-height-is-measured-by-who-you-re-standing-next-to/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [People of all sexes have the right to explore femininity, masculinity-and the infinite variations between-without criticism or ridicule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/people-of-all-sexes-have-the-right-to-explore-femininity-masculinity/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [You're more than just neither, honey. There's other ways to be than either-or. It's not so simple. Otherwise there wouldn't be so many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/you-re-more-than-just-neither-honey-there-s-other-ways-to-be-than/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [I didn't want to be different. I longed to be everything grownups wanted, so they would love me. I followed all their rules, tried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/i-didn-t-want-to-be-different-i-longed-to-be-everything-grownups/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [Are you with women who only bleed monthly on their cycles?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/are-you-with-women-who-only-bleed-monthly-on-their-cycles/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [My right to be me is tied with a thousand threads to your right to be you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/my-right-to-be-me-is-tied-with-a-thousand-threads-to-your-right-to-be/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [surrenderin is unimaginably more dangerous than struggling for survival!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/surrenderin-is-unimaginably-more-dangerous-than-struggling-for/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [I reserve my right to be complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/i-reserve-my-right-to-be-complex/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [Gender is the poetry each of us makes out of the language we are taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/gender-is-the-poetry-each-of-us-makes-out-of-the-language-we-are/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [I began to feel the pleasure of the weightless state between here and there](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/i-began-to-feel-the-pleasure-of-the-weightless-state-between-here-and/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [“Some mistakes in life are not punishable, others teach you a lesson you never forget.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/some-mistakes-in-life-are-not-punishable-others-teach-you-a-lesson/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [strength, like height, is measured by who you're standin next to!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/strength-like-height-is-measured-by-who-you-re-standin-next-to/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [I think girls and boys should be able to be any way they want to be without getting picked on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/i-think-girls-and-boys-should-be-able-to-be-any-way-they-want-to-be/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [“But if theory is not the crystallized resin of experience, it ceases to be a guide to action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/but-if-theory-is-not-the-crystallized-resin-of-experience-it-ceases/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [We have not always been forced to pass, to go underground, in order to work and live. We have a right to live openly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/we-have-not-always-been-forced-to-pass-to-go-underground-in-order-to/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) [Explore all 25 Leslie Feinberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) ## More Difference quotes > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) > [There may be little practical difference between a Ford Mondeo and a BMW three series, but in terms of perceptions of who you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/there-may-be-little-practical-difference-between-a-ford-mondeo-and-a/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [I really think there's no difference between an art piece made by a man and one made by a woman. Is it a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-really-think-there-s-no-difference-between-an-art-piece-made-by-a/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [In a play, you only get one chance, and you have to get it perfect. In a film, you can change and fix it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-hayward/in-a-play-you-only-get-one-chance-and-you-have-to-get-it-perfect-in-a/) [Kara Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-hayward/) > [I like candidates who tell me something that is going to make a difference to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/i-like-candidates-who-tell-me-something-that-is-going-to-make-a/) [Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/) > [There's a difference between watching a film and watching a bit of cinema and enjoying a film as a piece of cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-frost/there-s-a-difference-between-watching-a-film-and-watching-a-bit-of/) [Nick Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-frost/) > [“THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ME AND YOU When I hold a rose, I see the soft, velvety petals and smile, because tucked between those precious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-schroeder/the-difference-between-me-and-you-when-i-hold-a-rose-i-see-the-soft/) [Lisa Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-schroeder/) > [If you ask why I do what I do - I want to make a difference. I don't just want to maintain the status…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/if-you-ask-why-i-do-what-i-do-i-want-to-make-a-difference-i-don-t/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [When I came back, after all those stories about Hitler and his snub, I came back to my native country, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-came-back-after-all-those-stories-about-hitler-and-his-snub-i/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [To make a big difference in the world show a little love.to know love open your heart to Jesus,to show love open your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohlatsane-nicole/to-make-a-big-difference-in-the-world-show-a-little-love-to-know-love/) Mohlatsane Nicole > [The biggest difference between us is in our thoughts. You do not want to know the truth and I cannot forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/the-biggest-difference-between-us-is-in-our-thoughts-you-do-not-want/) Mak\_786 > [“Between depriving a man of one hour from his life and depriving him of his life there exists only a difference of degree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/between-depriving-a-man-of-one-hour-from-his-life-and-depriving-him/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“it makes such difference where you read”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/it-makes-such-difference-where-you-read/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [What's the difference between beautiful and ugly?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-s-the-difference-between-beautiful-and-ugly/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) [Browse all 1,876 Difference quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I know the difference between what I can't do and what I refuse to do.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leslie Feinberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/i-know-the-difference-between-what-i-can-t-do-and-what-i-refuse-to-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Difference" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/i-know-the-difference-between-what-i-can-t-do-and-what-i-refuse-to-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c5/leslie-feinberg-23918_quote_i-know-the-difference-between-what-i-can_2163232.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c5/leslie-feinberg-23918_quote_i-know-the-difference-between-what-i-can_2163232.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c5/leslie-feinberg-23918_quote_i-know-the-difference-between-what-i-can_2163232.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I know the difference between what I can't do and what I refuse to do.” — Leslie Feinberg", "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": "Leslie Feinberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I know the difference between what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/i-know-the-difference-between-what-i-can-t-do-and-what-i-refuse-to-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/i-know-the-difference-between-what-i-can-t-do-and-what-i-refuse-to-do/#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 } } ] } ```