--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We will live reactive lives instead of…" description: "\"“We will live reactive lives instead of proactive.”\" — Lysa TerKeurst" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/lysa-terkeurst-1076_life_we-will-live-reactive-lives-instead-of-p_1959991.png" --- # We will live reactive lives instead of proactive. ![“We will live reactive lives instead of proactive.” quote by Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/lysa-terkeurst-1076_life_we-will-live-reactive-lives-instead-of-p_1959991.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/lysa-terkeurst-1076_life_we-will-live-reactive-lives-instead-of-p_1959991.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/lysa-terkeurst-1076_life_we-will-live-reactive-lives-instead-of-p_1959991.png) > ““We will live reactive lives instead of proactive.”” [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often react to events rather than shaping them in advance. **In simple terms:** We react instead of shaping. Key Takeaway Choose proactive habits. Themes proactivity mindset agency Mood motivational reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - personal planning - career decisions - relationship management Key Concepts psychology behavioral change Questions to Reflect On - What area of your life needs a proactive shift? - How can you anticipate challenges? A Different Perspective Proactivity can be limited by unforeseen circumstances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Instead Proactive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instead-proactive-3230345/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Live Reactive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-reactive-3230346/) [Lives Instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-instead-3182590/) [Proactive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proactive/) [Reactive Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reactive-lives-3230344/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of times, we tend to be reactive instead of proactive. I encourage my readers to be proactive with their life and health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabitha-brown/a-lot-of-times-we-tend-to-be-reactive-instead-of-proactive-i/) [Tabitha Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabitha-brown/) > [Drinking is another way of thinking, another way of living. It gives you two lives instead of one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/drinking-is-another-way-of-thinking-another-way-of-living-it-gives/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [What's wrong with living our own lives instead of other peoples lives?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naquitta-faith/what-s-wrong-with-living-our-own-lives-instead-of-other-peoples-lives/) [Naquitta Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naquitta-faith/) > [One never knows what each day is going to bring. The important thing is to be open and ready for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-moore/one-never-knows-what-each-day-is-going-to-bring-the-important-thing/) [Henry Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-moore/) > [“You can overcome your circumstances or you can let your circumstances overcome you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/you-can-overcome-your-circumstances-or-you-can-let-your-circumstances/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) > [We need to really be careful to not just be responsive to whatever happens with Trump, but to be proactive on things people elected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hill/we-need-to-really-be-careful-to-not-just-be-responsive-to-whatever/) [Katie Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hill/) > [Be proactive. Ask yourself, "Are my actions based on self-chosen values or on my moods, feelings and circumstances?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/be-proactive-ask-yourself-are-my-actions-based-on-self-chosen-values/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [The security world needs to take a more proactive approach. A lot of companies will know an exploit exists and they'll release the software…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-demon-calce/the-security-world-needs-to-take-a-more-proactive-approach-a-lot-of/) [Michael Demon Calce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-demon-calce/) > [To be a proactive person, you must learn to say no to most ideas and opportunities so you have the mental and physical bandwidth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-clark/to-be-a-proactive-person-you-must-learn-to-say-no-to-most-ideas-and/) [Clay Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-clark/) > [I am proactive in every duty, except that which requires action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/i-am-proactive-in-every-duty-except-that-which-requires-action/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [Especially in the world of comedy, it feels like you have to be proactive, in terms of pitching and trying to sell and being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-faris/especially-in-the-world-of-comedy-it-feels-like-you-have-to-be/) [Anna Faris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-faris/) > [Never aim to be proactive with your day. That way, if you end up getting stuff done, you’re never disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-blagden/never-aim-to-be-proactive-with-your-day-that-way-if-you-end-up/) [George Blagden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-blagden/) > [A proactive person needs no pressure to perform and an ineffective person offloads his pressure onto others to deform the positive work culture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/a-proactive-person-needs-no-pressure-to-perform-and-an-ineffective/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [Highly proactive people don't blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/highly-proactive-people-don-t-blame-circumstances-conditions-or/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [“Idleness is seductive. Just relax and do nothing, it says.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innocent-mwatsikesimbe/idleness-is-seductive-just-relax-and-do-nothing-it-says/) [Innocent Mwatsikesimbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innocent-mwatsikesimbe/) ## More by Lysa TerKeurst > [A woman who is careful with her words is a gift to all who know her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-is-careful-with-her-words-is-a-gift-to-all-who-know-her/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-lives-with-the-stress-of-an-overwhelmed-schedule-will/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [When we have the same thought again, the line of the original thought is deepened, causing what's called a memory trace. With each repetition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/when-we-have-the-same-thought-again-the-line-of-the-original-thought/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“We must not confuse the command to love with the disease to please.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/we-must-not-confuse-the-command-to-love-with-the-disease-to-please/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [The decisions we make dictate the schedules we keep. The schedules we keep determine the lives we live. The lives we live determine how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/the-decisions-we-make-dictate-the-schedules-we-keep-the-schedules-we/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“It is good to be honest with God, but we must be careful that we don’t become whiners. There is nothing that aggravates my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/it-is-good-to-be-honest-with-god-but-we-must-be-careful-that-we-don-t/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Jesus, I don't want to be a secret keeper with my faith. I want to be a bold and gracious truth proclaimer. For You.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/jesus-i-don-t-want-to-be-a-secret-keeper-with-my-faith-i-want-to-be-a/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to your goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/make-every-effort-to-add-to-your-faith-goodness-and-to-your-goodness/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [You've never gone too far that God can't redeem you, restore you, forgive you, and give you a second chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/you-ve-never-gone-too-far-that-god-can-t-redeem-you-restore-you/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“What happened yesterday can’t be changed, but it can be forgiven. That’s your miracle in the mess. The voices of condemnation, shame, and rejection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/what-happened-yesterday-can-t-be-changed-but-it-can-be-forgiven-that/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“I have discovered that if I can change the way I think about something, I can change the way I react to it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-have-discovered-that-if-i-can-change-the-way-i-think-about/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Whenever an opportunity comes your way, challenge yourself to first thank God and then quickly follow up with the question, “God, who else is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/whenever-an-opportunity-comes-your-way-challenge-yourself-to-first/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“What happens when you delete “com” from the word compromise? You’re left with a “promise.” We were made for more than compromise. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/what-happens-when-you-delete-com-from-the-word-compromise-you-re-left/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“I had allowed to settle into the core of who I am. I talked about myself in ways I would never let another person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-had-allowed-to-settle-into-the-core-of-who-i-am-i-talked-about/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“When I don’t have peace physically, I don’t have peace spiritually. I can’t separate the two. Nor should I.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/when-i-don-t-have-peace-physically-i-don-t-have-peace-spiritually-i/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) [Explore all 293 Lysa TerKeurst quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We will live reactive lives instead of proactive.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lysa TerKeurst" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/we-will-live-reactive-lives-instead-of-proactive/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/we-will-live-reactive-lives-instead-of-proactive/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/lysa-terkeurst-1076_life_we-will-live-reactive-lives-instead-of-p_1959991.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/lysa-terkeurst-1076_life_we-will-live-reactive-lives-instead-of-p_1959991.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/lysa-terkeurst-1076_life_we-will-live-reactive-lives-instead-of-p_1959991.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We will live reactive lives instead of proactive.” — Lysa TerKeurst", "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": "Lysa TerKeurst", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We will live reactive lives instead...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/we-will-live-reactive-lives-instead-of-proactive/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/we-will-live-reactive-lives-instead-of-proactive/#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 } } ] } ```