--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: in a way it doesn't matter whether you…" description: "\"in a way it doesn't matter whether you open doors or close them, you still end up in a box.\" — Marilyn French" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/marilyn-french-8026_boxes_in-a-way-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-o_2308772.png" --- # in a way it doesn't matter whether you open doors or close… ![“in a way it doesn't matter whether you open doors or close them, you still end up in a box.” quote by Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/marilyn-french-8026_boxes_in-a-way-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-o_2308772.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/marilyn-french-8026_boxes_in-a-way-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-o_2308772.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/marilyn-french-8026_boxes_in-a-way-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-o_2308772.png) > “in a way it doesn't matter whether you open doors or close them, you still end up in a box.” [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Both opening and closing opportunities lead to confinement within societal structures. **In simple terms:** Choices can trap you. Key Takeaway Question your freedom. Themes choice confinement societal roles Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical feminist When to use this quote - career decisions - relationship dynamics - political activism Key Concepts existential paradox feminist critique Questions to Reflect On - What doors have you closed unintentionally? - How to recognize limiting choices? A Different Perspective Some doors lead to liberation, not just boxes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxes/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Doesn Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doesn-matter/) [Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/door/) [Doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doors/) [Doors Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doors-close-291683/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Matter Open](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-open-2590828/) [Open doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-doors/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Age doesn't matter. An open mind does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/age-doesn-t-matter-an-open-mind-does/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We live, we love. These are the choices we are given, to open doors or to close them. It is all we have, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-white/we-live-we-love-these-are-the-choices-we-are-given-to-open-doors-or/) [Karen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-white/) > [“Doors close so others can open, you know”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-benton-frank/doors-close-so-others-can-open-you-know/) [Dorothy Benton Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-benton-frank/) > [I had always assumed that the right way to do it was to these engineers, put them in offices by themselves with doors that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/i-had-always-assumed-that-the-right-way-to-do-it-was-to-these/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [The irrevocable Hand That opes the year's fair gate, doth ope and shut The portals of our earthly destinies; We walk through blindfold, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/the-irrevocable-hand-that-opes-the-year-s-fair-gate-doth-ope-and-shut-3/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [“Maybe it’s not the doors that open in our lives, but the doors that close that define us. That guide us. Because they force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/maybe-it-s-not-the-doors-that-open-in-our-lives-but-the-doors-that/) [Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/) > [Once the doors close there can be no lie or deception and the lights will tell all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walel-watson/once-the-doors-close-there-can-be-no-lie-or-deception-and-the-lights/) [Walel Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walel-watson/) > [All the doors that I had to close. All the things I knew but I didn't know. Thank God for all I missed. 'Cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-rucker/all-the-doors-that-i-had-to-close-all-the-things-i-knew-but-i-didn-t/) [Darius Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darius-rucker/) > [The irrevocable Hand That opes the year's fair gate, doth ope and shut The portals of our earthly destinies; We walk through blindfold, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/the-irrevocable-hand-that-opes-the-year-s-fair-gate-doth-ope-and-shut-2/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [“At the end of the month, the doors will close on our little club for the last time. The end of an error.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-vladislavi/at-the-end-of-the-month-the-doors-will-close-on-our-little-club-for/) [Ivan Vladislavic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-vladislavi/) > [“Sometimes you do things you regret, but there's nothing you can do about them. Times change. Doors close behind you. You move on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/sometimes-you-do-things-you-regret-but-there-s-nothing-you-can-do/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Catching flight on them private planes, Ferrari doors I close 'em. Don't talk a mil, you ain't sold one, don't talk a pound, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/catching-flight-on-them-private-planes-ferrari-doors-i-close-em-don-t/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [Look back and thank God. Look forward and trust God. He closes the door no man can open and He opens doors no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/look-back-and-thank-god-look-forward-and-trust-god-he-closes-the-door/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We have to stand for a few minutes in the doorway of the train while the cameras gobble up our images, then we’re allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-to-stand-for-a-few-minutes-in-the-doorway-of-the-train-while/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Realize that if a door closed, it’s because what was behind it wasn’t meant for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/realize-that-if-a-door-closed-it-s-because-what-was-behind-it-wasn-t/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) ## More by Marilyn French > [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [Even disasters -- there are always disasters when you travel -- can be turned into adventures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/even-disasters-there-are-always-disasters-when-you-travel-can-be/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“The breakdown of the neighborhoods also meant the end of what was essentially an extended family…With the breakdown of the extended family, too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/the-breakdown-of-the-neighborhoods-also-meant-the-end-of-what-was/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [All men are rapists and that's all they are. They rape us with their eyes, their laws, and their codes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/all-men-are-rapists-and-that-s-all-they-are-they-rape-us-with-their/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [I can only tell you one thing I've learned. Enjoy the walk along the path you've chosen. Don't count down the days. Make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/i-can-only-tell-you-one-thing-i-ve-learned-enjoy-the-walk-along-the/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [Control over a woman is the only form of dominance most men possess, for most men are merely subjects of more powerful men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/control-over-a-woman-is-the-only-form-of-dominance-most-men-possess/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [Men seem unable to feel equal to women: they must be superior or they are inferior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/men-seem-unable-to-feel-equal-to-women-they-must-be-superior-or-they/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [All the women I know feel a little like outlaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/all-the-women-i-know-feel-a-little-like-outlaws/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [Women are afraid in a world in which almost half the population bears the guise of the predator, in which no factor - age,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/women-are-afraid-in-a-world-in-which-almost-half-the-population-bears/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“She could envision Shakespeare's sister. But she imagined a violent, an apocalyptic end for Shakespeare's sister, whereas I know that isn't what happened. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/she-could-envision-shakespeare-s-sister-but-she-imagined-a-violent-an/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [My goal in life is to change the entire social and economic structure of western civilization, to make it a feminist world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/my-goal-in-life-is-to-change-the-entire-social-and-economic-structure/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [There was no justice, there was only life. And life she had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/there-was-no-justice-there-was-only-life-and-life-she-had/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“All my life I've read that the life of the mind is preeminent, and that it can transcend all bodily degradation. But that's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/all-my-life-i-ve-read-that-the-life-of-the-mind-is-preeminent-and/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“and I'd die of his emptiness even more than I'm dying of my own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/and-i-d-die-of-his-emptiness-even-more-than-i-m-dying-of-my-own/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [Whatever they may be in public life, whatever their relations with men, in their relations with women, all men are rapists and that's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/whatever-they-may-be-in-public-life-whatever-their-relations-with-men/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) [Explore all 84 Marilyn French quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) ## More Boxes quotes > [ The best way to marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood \[in Egypt\] is in the ballot box, not through arrests and killing people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/the-best-way-to-marginalize-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-egypt-is-in-the/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/) [Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/) > [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I have nothing but praise for the boy. He is easily the best player in the world. His contribution as a goal threat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/i-have-nothing-but-praise-for-the-boy-he-is-easily-the-best-player-in/) [Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/) > [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The library is the biggest cracker box factory in the world. The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader & an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/) [Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/) > [Unpleasant questions are being raised about Mother's Day. Is this day necessary? . . . Isn't it bad public policy? . . . No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/unpleasant-questions-are-being-raised-about-mother-s-day-is-this-day/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [I could party in a cardboard box with people who are funny and don't care. For me, it's really about who I surround myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesha/i-could-party-in-a-cardboard-box-with-people-who-are-funny-and-don-t/) [Kesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesha/) > [The minister's brain is often the "poor-box" of the church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/the-minister-s-brain-is-often-the-poor-box-of-the-church/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A token of love comes in a box because love itself cannot be contained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binnie-kirshenbaum/a-token-of-love-comes-in-a-box-because-love-itself-cannot-be-contained/) [Binnie Kirshenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binnie-kirshenbaum/) > [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/) [Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/) [Browse all 2,146 Boxes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "in a way it doesn't matter whether you open doors or close them, you still end up in a box.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marilyn French" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/in-a-way-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-open-doors-or-close-them-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boxes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/in-a-way-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-open-doors-or-close-them-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/marilyn-french-8026_boxes_in-a-way-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-o_2308772.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/marilyn-french-8026_boxes_in-a-way-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-o_2308772.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/marilyn-french-8026_boxes_in-a-way-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-o_2308772.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“in a way it doesn't matter whether you open doors or close them, you still end up in a box.” — Marilyn French", "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": "Marilyn French", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "in a way it doesn't matter...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/in-a-way-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-open-doors-or-close-them-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/in-a-way-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-open-doors-or-close-them-you/#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 } } ] } ```