--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have no choice about whether or not I…" description: "\"I have no choice about whether or not I have Parkinson's. I have nothing but choices about how I react to it. In those choices, there's freedom to do a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/087/michael-j-fox-1653_areas_i-have-no-choice-about-whether-or-not-i_164220.jpg" --- # I have no choice about whether or not I have Parkinson's… ![“I have no choice about whether or not I have Parkinson's. I have nothing but choices about how I react to it. In those choices, there's freedom to do a lot of things in areas that I wouldn't have otherwise found myself in.” quote by Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/087/michael-j-fox-1653_areas_i-have-no-choice-about-whether-or-not-i_164220.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/087/michael-j-fox-1653_areas_i-have-no-choice-about-whether-or-not-i_164220.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/087/michael-j-fox-1653_areas_i-have-no-choice-about-whether-or-not-i_164220.jpg) > “I have no choice about whether or not I have Parkinson's. I have nothing but choices about how I react to it. In those choices, there's freedom to do a lot of things in areas that I wouldn't have otherwise found myself in.” [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote distinguishes between uncontrollable circumstances and the freedom to choose one's response, emphasizing agency in adversity. **In simple terms:** You can’t control Parkinson’s, but you can control how you react. Key Takeaway Focus on responses, not circumstances. Themes agency resilience choice Mood determined hopeful Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - living with chronic illness - career decisions - personal growth Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What choices can you make today to improve your situation? - How does mindset affect health outcomes? A Different Perspective Responses are limited by external constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parkinson/) [Parkinson 's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parkinson-s/) ## Related quotes > [I often say now I don't have any choice whether or not I have Parkinson's, but surrounding that non-choice is a million other choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-often-say-now-i-don-t-have-any-choice-whether-or-not-i-have/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [I take the medication for myself so I can transact, not for anyone else. But I am aware that it is empowering for people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-take-the-medication-for-myself-so-i-can-transact-not-for-anyone/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [It’s all about control. Control is illusory. No matter what university you go to, no matter what degree you hold, if your goal is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/it-s-all-about-control-control-is-illusory-no-matter-what-university/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [Just as Parkinson's isn't a big topic of conversation in my house, neither is my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/just-as-parkinson-s-isn-t-a-big-topic-of-conversation-in-my-house/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [The moment I understood this - that my Parkinson's was the one thing I wasn't going to change - I started looking at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/the-moment-i-understood-this-that-my-parkinson-s-was-the-one-thing-i/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [ I don't think \[Parkinson's\] is Gothic nastiness. There's nothing on the surface that's horrible about someone with a shaky hand. There's nothing horrible about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-don-t-think-parkinson-s-is-gothic-nastiness-there-s-nothing-on-the/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [The way I look at life, and the way I look at the reality of Parkinson's, is that sometimes it's frustrating and sometimes it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/the-way-i-look-at-life-and-the-way-i-look-at-the-reality-of-parkinson/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [As much as Parkinson's is about movement, the end stage is being frozen. So the more I let that happen, the more I'm gonna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/as-much-as-parkinson-s-is-about-movement-the-end-stage-is-being/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [My age makes me think how valuable life is. How bad is something like Parkinson's in relation to not having life at all?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/my-age-makes-me-think-how-valuable-life-is-how-bad-is-something-like/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [I happen to be a Parkinson's patient. I'm not fearful of my condition or my future - but if someone is looking in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-happen-to-be-a-parkinson-s-patient-i-m-not-fearful-of-my-condition/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [To be brutally honest, for much of that time, I was the only person in the world with Parkinson's. Of course, I mean that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/to-be-brutally-honest-for-much-of-that-time-i-was-the-only-person-in/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [I discovered that I was part of a Parkinson's community with similar experiences and similar questions that I'd been dealing with alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-discovered-that-i-was-part-of-a-parkinson-s-community-with-similar/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [So what I say about Tracy is this: Tracy's big challenge is not having a Parkinson's patient for a husband. It's having me for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/so-what-i-say-about-tracy-is-this-tracy-s-big-challenge-is-not-having/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [With Parkinson's, it's like you're in the middle of the street and you're stuck there in cement shoes and you know a bus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/with-parkinson-s-it-s-like-you-re-in-the-middle-of-the-street-and-you/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [If you asked my kids to describe me, they'd go through a whole list of words before even thinking about Parkinson's. And honestly, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/if-you-asked-my-kids-to-describe-me-they-d-go-through-a-whole-list-of/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) ## More by Michael J. Fox > [If you allow for the possibilities of something better, you move toward it instinctively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/if-you-allow-for-the-possibilities-of-something-better-you-move/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [After all that I'd been through, after all that I'd learned and all that I'd been given, I was going to do what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/after-all-that-i-d-been-through-after-all-that-i-d-learned-and-all/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [If you asked my kids to describe me, they'd go through a whole list of words before even thinking about Parkinson's. And honestly, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/if-you-asked-my-kids-to-describe-me-they-d-go-through-a-whole-list-of/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [Zoos are becoming facsimiles - or perhaps caricatures - of how animals once were in their natural habitat. If the right policies toward nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/zoos-are-becoming-facsimiles-or-perhaps-caricatures-of-how-animals/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [“I saw, during the midterm campaign of 2006, how difficult it was for opponents of stem cell research to run against hope. And so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-saw-during-the-midterm-campaign-of-2006-how-difficult-it-was-for/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [I urge you to be challenged and inspired by what you do not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-urge-you-to-be-challenged-and-inspired-by-what-you-do-not-know/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/one-s-dignity-may-be-assaulted-vandalized-and-cruelly-mocked-but/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [“It seems to me that the quality of a moment in time is not always a reflection of the moment in and of itself—what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/it-seems-to-me-that-the-quality-of-a-moment-in-time-is-not-always-a/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [When I was younger, I was always described as happy-go-lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/when-i-was-younger-i-was-always-described-as-happy-go-lucky/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [With Parkinson's, it's like you're in the middle of the street and you're stuck there in cement shoes and you know a bus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/with-parkinson-s-it-s-like-you-re-in-the-middle-of-the-street-and-you/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [“They have hopes and dreams that may echo or overlap your own. And there's no reason why you can't make room for them. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/they-have-hopes-and-dreams-that-may-echo-or-overlap-your-own-and/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [So what I say about Tracy is this: Tracy's big challenge is not having a Parkinson's patient for a husband. It's having me for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/so-what-i-say-about-tracy-is-this-tracy-s-big-challenge-is-not-having/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [I'm kind of private and I keep things inside a lot, but it's been so wonderful to realize that people care about you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-m-kind-of-private-and-i-keep-things-inside-a-lot-but-it-s-been-so/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [I had all the usual ambition growing up. I wanted to be a writer, a musician, a hockey player. I wanted to do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-had-all-the-usual-ambition-growing-up-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-a/) [Michael J. 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