--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People can't do much about the fate part…" description: "\"People can't do much about the fate part, but we can certainly do a lot about the man part.\" — Malcolm Gladwell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/malcolm-gladwell-348_certainly_people-can-t-do-much-about-the-fate-part_1684540.png" --- # People can't do much about the fate part, but we can… ![“People can't do much about the fate part, but we can certainly do a lot about the man part.” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/malcolm-gladwell-348_certainly_people-can-t-do-much-about-the-fate-part_1684540.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/malcolm-gladwell-348_certainly_people-can-t-do-much-about-the-fate-part_1684540.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/malcolm-gladwell-348_certainly_people-can-t-do-much-about-the-fate-part_1684540.png) > “People can't do much about the fate part, but we can certainly do a lot about the man part.” [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We have limited control over destiny, but we can shape our character and actions. **In simple terms:** We can’t change fate, but we can change ourselves. Key Takeaway Focus on personal growth. Themes self‑improvement agency character Mood reflective motivational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career development - relationship building - health habits Key Concepts determinism free will psychology Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of yourself can you improve today? - How do you balance acceptance of fate with personal effort? A Different Perspective Self‑change is constrained by external circumstances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [The Jewish people and their fate are the living witness for the absence of redemption. This, one could say, is the meaning of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-strauss/the-jewish-people-and-their-fate-are-the-living-witness-for-the/) [Leo Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-strauss/) > [the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-leader-of-armies-is-the-arbiter-of-the-people-s-fate-the-man-on/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Love the people with whom fate brings you together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/love-the-people-with-whom-fate-brings-you-together/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Hmmmm...There certainly are a lot of pretty boys in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-meyer/hmmmm-there-certainly-are-a-lot-of-pretty-boys-in-this-world/) [L.A. Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-meyer/) > ['Hannah Montana' gets no disrespect from me because it's certainly done me a lot of favors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-till/hannah-montana-gets-no-disrespect-from-me-because-it-s-certainly-done/) [Lucas Till](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-till/) > [I won't say that 'shotgun' is the word I'd prefer to use, but we certainly do a lot of investments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mcclure/i-won-t-say-that-shotgun-is-the-word-i-d-prefer-to-use-but-we/) [Dave McClure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mcclure/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [Fate is the same for the man who holds back, the same if he fights hard. We are all held in a single honor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/fate-is-the-same-for-the-man-who-holds-back-the-same-if-he-fights/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I've certainly seen a lot of my cartoonist friends embrace 'Little Lulu' in a much deeper way because their kids love it so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/i-ve-certainly-seen-a-lot-of-my-cartoonist-friends-embrace-little/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [If we can send a guy to the moon we can certainly go a quarter of a mile and not get hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-prudhomme/if-we-can-send-a-guy-to-the-moon-we-can-certainly-go-a-quarter-of-a/) Don Prudhomme > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. 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Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Malcolm Gladwell > [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“The scholars who research happiness suggest that more money stops making people happier at a family income of around seventy-five thousand dollars a year.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-scholars-who-research-happiness-suggest-that-more-money-stops/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [We need to be clear when we venerate entrepreneurs what we are venerating.They are not moral leaders. If they were moral leaders, they wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/we-need-to-be-clear-when-we-venerate-entrepreneurs-what-we-are/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Some people look like they sound better than they actually sound, because they look confident and have good posture," once musician, a veteran of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/some-people-look-like-they-sound-better-than-they-actually-sound/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [A handicap is like trying to race and you have a ten pound weight stuck to your waist. That is a handicap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/a-handicap-is-like-trying-to-race-and-you-have-a-ten-pound-weight/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“neighborhood was filled with engineers from Hewlett-Packard, then as now one of”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/neighborhood-was-filled-with-engineers-from-hewlett-packard-then-as/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“People are ruined by challenged economic lives. 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They are famously "the people of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-conventional-explanation-for-jewish-success-of-course-is-that/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“An archway to one side leads to a church, the Madonna del Carmine—Our Lady of Mount Carmine. Narrow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/an-archway-to-one-side-leads-to-a-church-the-madonna-del-carmine-our/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [People are experience-rich and theory-poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-experience-rich-and-theory-poor/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Most psychologists believe that nature—genetics—accounts for about half of the reason why we tend to act the way we do. His point is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/most-psychologists-believe-that-nature-genetics-accounts-for-about/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) [Explore all 647 Malcolm Gladwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## More Certainly quotes > [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [I'm certainly not a perfect mother, but I'm trying to be what my mother wasn't for me. My mother's battled depression, so I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-hamill/i-m-certainly-not-a-perfect-mother-but-i-m-trying-to-be-what-my/) [Dorothy Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-hamill/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [If we can send a guy to the moon we can certainly go a quarter of a mile and not get hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-prudhomme/if-we-can-send-a-guy-to-the-moon-we-can-certainly-go-a-quarter-of-a/) Don Prudhomme > [I've certainly seen a lot of my cartoonist friends embrace 'Little Lulu' in a much deeper way because their kids love it so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/i-ve-certainly-seen-a-lot-of-my-cartoonist-friends-embrace-little/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [Righteousness and faith certainly are instrumental in moving mountains - if moving mountains accomplishes God's purposes and is in accordance with His will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/righteousness-and-faith-certainly-are-instrumental-in-moving/) [David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/) > [I have never really been fond of animals. I certainly wasn't an 'animal lover' when I became involved in the movement. I just came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-have-never-really-been-fond-of-animals-i-certainly-wasn-t-an-animal/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Certainly it is not a democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-ibrahim/certainly-it-is-not-a-democracy/) [Anwar Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-ibrahim/) > [Spain are certainly one of the best teams in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kieran-trippier/spain-are-certainly-one-of-the-best-teams-in-the-world/) [Kieran Trippier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kieran-trippier/) > [I'm certainly not a white supremacist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-stewart/i-m-certainly-not-a-white-supremacist/) [Corey Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-stewart/) > [I certainly know that on our first tour of America in 1968, David Crosby came to see us backstage at the Fillmore East in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-hayward/i-certainly-know-that-on-our-first-tour-of-america-in-1968-david/) [Justin Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-hayward/) > [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) Browse all 1,298 Certainly quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People can't do much about the fate part, but we can certainly do a lot about the man part.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Gladwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-can-t-do-much-about-the-fate-part-but-we-can-certainly-do-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certainly" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-can-t-do-much-about-the-fate-part-but-we-can-certainly-do-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/malcolm-gladwell-348_certainly_people-can-t-do-much-about-the-fate-part_1684540.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/malcolm-gladwell-348_certainly_people-can-t-do-much-about-the-fate-part_1684540.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/malcolm-gladwell-348_certainly_people-can-t-do-much-about-the-fate-part_1684540.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People can't do much about the fate part, but we can certainly do a lot about the man part.” — Malcolm Gladwell", "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": "Malcolm Gladwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People can't do much about the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-can-t-do-much-about-the-fate-part-but-we-can-certainly-do-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-can-t-do-much-about-the-fate-part-but-we-can-certainly-do-a/#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 } } ] } ```