--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not saying we have power over…" description: "\"I'm not saying we have power over everything in our lives - if that were true, my hair would look so, so different - but I am saying that there's no ci..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/martha-beck-961_am_i-m-not-saying-we-have-power-over-everyt_2877082.jpg" --- # I'm not saying we have power over everything in our lives… ![“I'm not saying we have power over everything in our lives - if that were true, my hair would look so, so different - but I am saying that there's no circumstance in which we are completely powerless.” quote by Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/martha-beck-961_am_i-m-not-saying-we-have-power-over-everyt_2877082.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/martha-beck-961_am_i-m-not-saying-we-have-power-over-everyt_2877082.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfd/martha-beck-961_am_i-m-not-saying-we-have-power-over-everyt_2877082.jpg) > “I'm not saying we have power over everything in our lives - if that were true, my hair would look so, so different - but I am saying that there's no circumstance in which we are completely powerless.” [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We lack total control, yet we always retain some agency to influence outcomes. **In simple terms:** We are never completely powerless. Key Takeaway Recognize and use your agency. Themes agency empowerment realism Mood empowering realistic Type self‑help motivational When to use this quote - career planning - health decisions - relationship choices Key Concepts personal development decision making Questions to Reflect On - In what areas do you feel most empowered? - How can you expand your influence? A Different Perspective External forces can limit options. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Circumstance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstance/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Powerless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerless/) ## Related quotes > [Television has tremendous power over our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-nixon-eisenhower/television-has-tremendous-power-over-our-lives/) [Julie Nixon Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-nixon-eisenhower/) > [One can become completely powerless when their ideology is based on insufficient thought processes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cervantes/one-can-become-completely-powerless-when-their-ideology-is-based-on/) [Andrew Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cervantes/) > [After the tragic events of Manchester, with the senseless loss of life and the fear that came from knowing my family was unsafe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-grande/after-the-tragic-events-of-manchester-with-the-senseless-loss-of-life/) [Frankie Grande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-grande/) > [“Who would have ever though that a person could be so powerful, then so completely powerless, all in the same lifetime?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/firoozeh-dumas/who-would-have-ever-though-that-a-person-could-be-so-powerful-then-so/) [Firoozeh Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/firoozeh-dumas/) > [The power of saying no is so much more than the power of saying yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-margulies/the-power-of-saying-no-is-so-much-more-than-the-power-of-saying-yes/) [Julianna Margulies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-margulies/) > [Only In Law School: Will someone hit on you by saying 'We could be a power couple.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-in-law-school-will-someone-hit-on-you-by-saying-we-could-be-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In saying that without the power of the state, evil men would rule over the good. It is taken for granted that the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/in-saying-that-without-the-power-of-the-state-evil-men-would-rule/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [When we complain we are saying we do not have the power to make a difference in the situation and we make ourselves small...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefroy-hanson/when-we-complain-we-are-saying-we-do-not-have-the-power-to-make-a/) [Jefroy Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefroy-hanson/) > [People keep saying, How'd you get power? Nobody gives you power. I'll tell you what power is. Power in my estimation is if people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-miscavige/people-keep-saying-how-d-you-get-power-nobody-gives-you-power-i-ll/) David Miscavige > [One reason most people never stop thinking is that mental frenzy keeps us from having to see the upsetting aspects of our lives. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/one-reason-most-people-never-stop-thinking-is-that-mental-frenzy/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/circumstance-does-not-make-me-it-reveals-me/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Man liveth from hour to hour, and knoweth not what may happen; Influences circle him on all sides, and yet must he answer for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/man-liveth-from-hour-to-hour-and-knoweth-not-what-may-happen/) [Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/) > [You just try to get the best jobs that you can get. Sometimes I produce my own movies, so that's your own sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cusack/you-just-try-to-get-the-best-jobs-that-you-can-get-sometimes-i/) [John Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cusack/) > [“God never tells me to get over something and just get past it. Never. Instead, He asks me to trust Him with every circumstance.10”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-s-lynch/god-never-tells-me-to-get-over-something-and-just-get-past-it-never/) [John S. Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-s-lynch/) > [The Circumstance of your life don't have to dictate the outcome of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-wilmont/the-circumstance-of-your-life-don-t-have-to-dictate-the-outcome-of/) [Teresa Wilmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-wilmont/) ## More by Martha Beck > [Imagine what you'd do if it absolutely didn't matter what people thought of you. Got it? Good. Never go back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/imagine-what-you-d-do-if-it-absolutely-didn-t-matter-what-people/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [If I tell a man he needs to quit his soul-sucking job, he has to go home and fight with his wife or fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/if-i-tell-a-man-he-needs-to-quit-his-soul-sucking-job-he-has-to-go/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [I was learning to track rhinoceroses in Africa and tracked right up on an animal that really I thought was going to kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/i-was-learning-to-track-rhinoceroses-in-africa-and-tracked-right-up/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [There has never been, and never will be, anyone who sees, thinks, or responds exactly the way you do. Whether you’re revolutionizing physics or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/there-has-never-been-and-never-will-be-anyone-who-sees-thinks-or/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Loneliness is proof that your innate search for connection is intact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/loneliness-is-proof-that-your-innate-search-for-connection-is-intact/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Most of my clients don't realize that the way they look and the way they think about their looks are two separate issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/most-of-my-clients-don-t-realize-that-the-way-they-look-and-the-way/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [The power to bring me out of solitude - or to push me back into it - had never belonged to another person. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-power-to-bring-me-out-of-solitude-or-to-push-me-back-into-it-had/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Learning to quit while you're not ahead, when the dull ooze of depression tells you things are not going to get any better, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/learning-to-quit-while-you-re-not-ahead-when-the-dull-ooze-of/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [The important thing is to tell yourself a life story in which you, the hero, are primarily a problem solver rather than a helpless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-important-thing-is-to-tell-yourself-a-life-story-in-which-you-the/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [A joyful life isn’t about others; it’s about the brightness that is associated with being alive. Your path to it is through anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/a-joyful-life-isn-t-about-others-it-s-about-the-brightness-that-is/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Fear is the raw material from which courage is manufactured. Without it, we wouldn't even know what it means to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/fear-is-the-raw-material-from-which-courage-is-manufactured-without/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Many people think passion is a fuzzy feeling that makes taking action effortless. In fact, it's the gritty courage and tenacity to forge onward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/many-people-think-passion-is-a-fuzzy-feeling-that-makes-taking-action/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Angels come in many shapes and sizes, and most of them are not invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/angels-come-in-many-shapes-and-sizes-and-most-of-them-are-not/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Truth itself is something you live, not something you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/truth-itself-is-something-you-live-not-something-you-think/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) [Explore all 318 Martha Beck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) ## More Am quotes > [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/) [Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/) > [I think I am against stereotype. Generally, Asian guys are more quiet - they study and have a good work ethic. Generally, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-lee/i-think-i-am-against-stereotype-generally-asian-guys-are-more-quiet/) [Bobby Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-lee/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Any incarnation of 'Batman' I am delighted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/any-incarnation-of-batman-i-am-delighted-to-do/) [Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I am on sabbatical as of right now, been too busy to think of about my OWN needs as of late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-diamond/i-am-on-sabbatical-as-of-right-now-been-too-busy-to-think-of-about-my/) [Jim Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-diamond/) > [I am strongly opposed to any form of amnesty, including, especially, executive amnesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-scalise/i-am-strongly-opposed-to-any-form-of-amnesty-including-especially/) [Steve Scalise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-scalise/) > [I am no different from a lot of people. I am concerned for the future of my children and concerned for the future of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/i-am-no-different-from-a-lot-of-people-i-am-concerned-for-the-future/) [John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/) > [I won't be managing the Mets. I am closing the door on managing the Mets and probably everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-torre/i-won-t-be-managing-the-mets-i-am-closing-the-door-on-managing-the/) [Joe Torre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-torre/) > [I know who I am. I know what I represent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cora/i-know-who-i-am-i-know-what-i-represent/) [Alex Cora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cora/) > [I am fortunate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-westheimer/i-am-fortunate/) [Ruth Westheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-westheimer/) > [I will support my party when they are right on an issue, but am not afraid to stand up to party bosses who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-senger/i-will-support-my-party-when-they-are-right-on-an-issue-but-am-not/) Darlene Senger > [Acting is what I do with who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/acting-is-what-i-do-with-who-i-am/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [I am a big outliner. 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