--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We invent ourselves out of ingredients we…" description: "\"“We invent ourselves out of ingredients we didn't choose, by a process we can't control.”\" — Lew Welch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/lew-welch-45137_control_we-invent-ourselves-out-of-ingredients-w_221829.png" --- # We invent ourselves out of ingredients we didn't choose… ![“We invent ourselves out of ingredients we didn't choose, by a process we can't control.” quote by Lew Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/lew-welch-45137_control_we-invent-ourselves-out-of-ingredients-w_221829.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/lew-welch-45137_control_we-invent-ourselves-out-of-ingredients-w_221829.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/lew-welch-45137_control_we-invent-ourselves-out-of-ingredients-w_221829.png) > ““We invent ourselves out of ingredients we didn't choose, by a process we can't control.”” [Lew Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We are shaped by circumstances beyond our control, using traits we did not select. **In simple terms:** Life is shaped by forces we don’t choose. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and adapt. Themes identity determinism self‑creation Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career choices - personal growth - relationship dynamics - creative projects Key Concepts existentialism agency circumstance Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond to forces you cannot control? - What aspects of yourself can you intentionally shape? A Different Perspective We can still influence outcomes through choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) ## Related quotes > [“Negotiation is a give-and-take process, but being in control of the process is the only way to be successful at it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celso-cukierkorn/negotiation-is-a-give-and-take-process-but-being-in-control-of-the/) [Celso Cukierkorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celso-cukierkorn/) > [“Systemization If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing. —W. EDWARDS DEMING, PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT EXPERT…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-kaufman/systemization-if-you-can-t-describe-what-you-are-doing-as-a-process/) [Josh Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-kaufman/) > [“THE BASIC CON Those who can’t find anything to live for, always invent something to die for. Then they want the rest of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/the-basic-con-those-who-can-t-find-anything-to-live-for-always-invent/) [Lew Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/) > [The answer, The answer, my friend, is not yours to invent or create. It will be decided for you. It is outside you. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-answer-the-answer-my-friend-is-not-yours-to-invent-or-create-it/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [What you dont see with your eyes, dont invent with your mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-you-dont-see-with-your-eyes-dont-invent-with-your-mouth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It gives me confidence to know that what I'm writing has a veracity of its own without me having to invent it. When I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morpurgo/it-gives-me-confidence-to-know-that-what-i-m-writing-has-a-veracity/) [Michael Morpurgo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morpurgo/) > [I don't think we have very good records about what they were thinking except, as I pointed out earlier today, that they did invent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-brower/i-don-t-think-we-have-very-good-records-about-what-they-were-thinking/) [David R. Brower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-r-brower/) > [“China it! Why invent the wheel when it has already been invented!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/china-it-why-invent-the-wheel-when-it-has-already-been-invented/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [You will never win fame and fortune unless you invent big ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/you-will-never-win-fame-and-fortune-unless-you-invent-big-ideas/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [The function of the artist is to invent, not to chronicle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-function-of-the-artist-is-to-invent-not-to-chronicle/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > ['The New Yorker' didn't invent the magazine cartoon, but it did really establish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/the-new-yorker-didn-t-invent-the-magazine-cartoon-but-it-did-really/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > [You can't invent something you have no epistemological access to. In a way, it's all recombination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/you-can-t-invent-something-you-have-no-epistemological-access-to-in-a/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“Being a pioneer can be damn lonely, too early, no money, tough, endless, stupid,” Samwer said. “And that healed us. Since then, we basically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sennett/being-a-pioneer-can-be-damn-lonely-too-early-no-money-tough-endless/) Frank Sennett > [When you have a large amount of the workforce being laid off, some of them have no other choice but to go out there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daymond-john/when-you-have-a-large-amount-of-the-workforce-being-laid-off-some-of/) [Daymond John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daymond-john/) > [My wish for humanity is to invent a way to communicate between us and whatever comes next. And in the end that we the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/my-wish-for-humanity-is-to-invent-a-way-to-communicate-between-us-and/) [Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/) ## More by Lew Welch > [Step out onto the Planet. Draw a circle a hundred feet round. Inside the circle are 300 things nobody understands, and, maybe nobody's ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/step-out-onto-the-planet-draw-a-circle-a-hundred-feet-round-inside/) [Lew Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/) > [“I am a Beginner. What the others are I don't really know. All I know is I am wiped out every six months or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/i-am-a-beginner-what-the-others-are-i-don-t-really-know-all-i-know-is/) [Lew Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/) > [“Living is made up of these little things - a day to day business punctuated with things seen, seen best when we weren't looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/living-is-made-up-of-these-little-things-a-day-to-day-business/) [Lew Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/) > [The worst Persian voluptuary could never have imagined my most ordinary day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/the-worst-persian-voluptuary-could-never-have-imagined-my-most/) [Lew Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/) > [“ALRIGHT then, be a Zen monk. But you wait and see. You'll be happy and bright. You'll laugh. People will envy and ridicule you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/alright-then-be-a-zen-monk-but-you-wait-and-see-you-ll-be-happy-and/) [Lew Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/) > [“Christ, will I ever find someone who is not crying inside?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/christ-will-i-ever-find-someone-who-is-not-crying-inside/) [Lew Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/) > [Looking for enlightenment is like looking for a flashlight when all you need the flashlight for is to find the flashlight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/looking-for-enlightenment-is-like-looking-for-a-flashlight-when-all/) [Lew Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/) > [“THE BASIC CON Those who can’t find anything to live for, always invent something to die for. Then they want the rest of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/the-basic-con-those-who-can-t-find-anything-to-live-for-always-invent/) [Lew Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/) [Explore all 9 Lew Welch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/) ## More Control quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“You can't control who loves you...you can't let someone love you anymore than you can make someone love you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/you-can-t-control-who-loves-you-you-can-t-let-someone-love-you/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) > [Don't think you can...know you can! You human body is the most impressive tool you'll ever own. Even if you can't control everything, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hardy/don-t-think-you-can-know-you-can-you-human-body-is-the-most/) [Jeff Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hardy/) > [If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/if-you-have-everything-under-control-you-re-not-moving-fast-enough/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [“Without time management, you lose control of your life and do what other people tell you to do. You lose control and become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-miller/without-time-management-you-lose-control-of-your-life-and-do-what/) Thomas Miller > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Many of us rely on our own illusion of control. But when God makes it known to you that you're not the one steering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/many-of-us-rely-on-our-own-illusion-of-control-but-when-god-makes-it/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [Some nights I'm funny with the between-song commentary, some nights I'm not. I have no control over this. I pace the stage a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berman/some-nights-i-m-funny-with-the-between-song-commentary-some-nights-i/) [David Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berman/) > [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Browse all 6,032 Control quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We invent ourselves out of ingredients we didn't choose, by a process we can't control.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lew Welch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/we-invent-ourselves-out-of-ingredients-we-didn-t-choose-by-a-process/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Control" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/we-invent-ourselves-out-of-ingredients-we-didn-t-choose-by-a-process/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/lew-welch-45137_control_we-invent-ourselves-out-of-ingredients-w_221829.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/lew-welch-45137_control_we-invent-ourselves-out-of-ingredients-w_221829.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/lew-welch-45137_control_we-invent-ourselves-out-of-ingredients-w_221829.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We invent ourselves out of ingredients we didn't choose, by a process we can't control.” — Lew Welch", "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": "Lew Welch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We invent ourselves out of ingredients...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/we-invent-ourselves-out-of-ingredients-we-didn-t-choose-by-a-process/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/we-invent-ourselves-out-of-ingredients-we-didn-t-choose-by-a-process/#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 } } ] } ```