---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Things don't spiral out of control when…"
description: "\"Things don't spiral out of control when we surrender them; they spiral out of control when we try to control them!\" — Marianne Williamson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/marianne-williamson-90_control_things-don-t-spiral-out-of-control-when_95636.png"
---

#  Things don't spiral out of control when we surrender them…

![“Things don't spiral out of control when we surrender them; they spiral out of control when we try to control them!” quote by Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/marianne-williamson-90_control_things-don-t-spiral-out-of-control-when_95636.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/marianne-williamson-90_control_things-don-t-spiral-out-of-control-when_95636.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/marianne-williamson-90_control_things-don-t-spiral-out-of-control-when_95636.png)

> “Things don't spiral out of control when we surrender them; they spiral out of control when we try to control them!”

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Attempting to dominate situations creates chaos; surrendering reduces resistance and restores order.

**In simple terms:** Control breeds chaos; surrender calms.

Key Takeaway

Let go to regain stability.

Themes

control surrender chaos order psychology

Mood

calm insightful

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- project management
- personal relationships
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

stress management leadership

Practical Applications

- mindful delegation
- stress‑reduction techniques

Questions to Reflect On

- What areas of your life are you over‑controlling?
- How might surrender improve outcomes?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Deep thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-thought/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Never surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-surrender/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Stay strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-strong/) [Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender/)

## Related quotes

> [Rockets often spiral out of control if you put too much propellant in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jurvetson/rockets-often-spiral-out-of-control-if-you-put-too-much-propellant-in/)

[Steve Jurvetson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jurvetson/)

> [Control and surrender have to be kept in balance. That's what surfers do - take control of the situation, then be carried, then take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/control-and-surrender-have-to-be-kept-in-balance-that-s-what-surfers/)

[Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/)

> [Dreams require down payments. Dreams are free, but the journey isn't. There is a price to pay. When you find your why you'll find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/dreams-require-down-payments-dreams-are-free-but-the-journey-isn-t/)

[John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/)

> [Never surrender to cynicism, even if you suspect it would get the critics on your side.Never surrender to cynicism, even if you suspect it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roselyne-bosch/never-surrender-to-cynicism-even-if-you-suspect-it-would-get-the/)

[Roselyne Bosch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roselyne-bosch/)

> [NEVER SURRENDER DREAMS If we are to be who we are; if we are to accomplish great things; then we must learn the heart's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-michael-straczynski/never-surrender-dreams-if-we-are-to-be-who-we-are-if-we-are-to/)

[J. Michael Straczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-michael-straczynski/)

> [There are moments in life where it gets so hectic that time becomes a blur. Keep calm and never give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cena/there-are-moments-in-life-where-it-gets-so-hectic-that-time-becomes-a/)

[John Cena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cena/)

> [The other day the grass was brown, now its green cuz I ain't give up. Never surrender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/the-other-day-the-grass-was-brown-now-its-green-cuz-i-ain-t-give-up/)

[DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/)

> [Living with faith and courage is something that life requires of each of us. Never, absolutely never, give up! Never give in no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-kuhlman/living-with-faith-and-courage-is-something-that-life-requires-of-each/)

[Kathryn Kuhlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-kuhlman/)

> [Capture a shadow, dance with the wind, stand in a rainbow, begin at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-radmacher/capture-a-shadow-dance-with-the-wind-stand-in-a-rainbow-begin-at-the/)

[Mary Anne Radmacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-radmacher/)

> [Hard things take time to do. Impossible things take a little longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-cerutty/hard-things-take-time-to-do-impossible-things-take-a-little-longer/)

[Percy Cerutty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-cerutty/)

> [Never give in, never surrender, Never allow despair to overcome your spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/never-give-in-never-surrender-never-allow-despair-to-overcome-your/)

[Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/)

> [When you hear that something can’t be done, ignore that advice and push forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/when-you-hear-that-something-can-t-be-done-ignore-that-advice-and/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [If life knocks you down, try to land on your back. Because if you can look up, you can get up. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/if-life-knocks-you-down-try-to-land-on-your-back-because-if-you-can/)

[Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/)

> [All my life I've believed in myself. And I have never given up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-pride/all-my-life-i-ve-believed-in-myself-and-i-have-never-given-up/)

Curtis Pride

> [Never surrender, it's all about the faith that you got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/never-surrender-it-s-all-about-the-faith-that-you-got/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

## More by Marianne Williamson

> [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Great people are not people who have never fallen down. Greatness has to do with how you get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/great-people-are-not-people-who-have-never-fallen-down-greatness-has/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [I feel that if your soul was branded by the sixties, you never lost the brand. It's like going into a nightclub and having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-feel-that-if-your-soul-was-branded-by-the-sixties-you-never-lost/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Until we have met the monsters in ourselves, we keep trying to slay them in the outer world. And we find that we cannot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/until-we-have-met-the-monsters-in-ourselves-we-keep-trying-to-slay/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [No matter how sad we might be, the universe is still planning our happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/no-matter-how-sad-we-might-be-the-universe-is-still-planning-our/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Love is who we are, and when we deviate from that love we're deviating from our ultimate, essential, eternal reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/love-is-who-we-are-and-when-we-deviate-from-that-love-we-re-deviating/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [For many, many people, getting married is one of the most important things they will ever do in the pursuit of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/for-many-many-people-getting-married-is-one-of-the-most-important/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [As all of us are only too aware, the loud and frantic voices of the outer world easily drown out the small, still loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/as-all-of-us-are-only-too-aware-the-loud-and-frantic-voices-of-the/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [It is not too late. You are not too old. You are right on time-And you are better than you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/it-is-not-too-late-you-are-not-too-old-you-are-right-on-time-and-you/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [I tell my mother I went to God in spite of my religious education. I feel that my religious education was inadequate, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-tell-my-mother-i-went-to-god-in-spite-of-my-religious-education-i/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [You don't have to be a spiritual seeker, you can be a businessman dealing with the revolution in computers. You could be a congressman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-spiritual-seeker-you-can-be-a-businessman/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Dear God, I surrender this thought to you, for I would see the miracle that lies behind it. Amen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/dear-god-i-surrender-this-thought-to-you-for-i-would-see-the-miracle/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Sex is not the ultimate high, but the ultimate high hangs out around sex. The ultimate high is the dance with another person, played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/sex-is-not-the-ultimate-high-but-the-ultimate-high-hangs-out-around/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

[Explore all 1,347 Marianne Williamson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

## 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": "Things don't spiral out of control when we surrender them; they spiral out of control when we try to control them!",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marianne Williamson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/things-don-t-spiral-out-of-control-when-we-surrender-them-they-spiral/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Control"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/things-don-t-spiral-out-of-control-when-we-surrender-them-they-spiral/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/marianne-williamson-90_control_things-don-t-spiral-out-of-control-when_95636.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/marianne-williamson-90_control_things-don-t-spiral-out-of-control-when_95636.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/marianne-williamson-90_control_things-don-t-spiral-out-of-control-when_95636.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Things don't spiral out of control when we surrender them; they spiral out of control when we try to control…” — Marianne Williamson",
                "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": "Marianne Williamson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Things don't spiral out of control...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/things-don-t-spiral-out-of-control-when-we-surrender-them-they-spiral/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/things-don-t-spiral-out-of-control-when-we-surrender-them-they-spiral/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
