--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The moment I understood this - that my…" description: "\"The moment I understood this - that my Parkinson's was the one thing I wasn't going to change - I started looking at the things I could change, like th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/michael-j-fox-1653_change_the-moment-i-understood-this-that-my-par_1989814.jpg" --- # The moment I understood this - that my Parkinson's was the… ![“The moment I understood this - that my Parkinson's was the one thing I wasn't going to change - I started looking at the things I could change, like the way research is funded.” quote by Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/michael-j-fox-1653_change_the-moment-i-understood-this-that-my-par_1989814.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/michael-j-fox-1653_change_the-moment-i-understood-this-that-my-par_1989814.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/michael-j-fox-1653_change_the-moment-i-understood-this-that-my-par_1989814.jpg) > “The moment I understood this - that my Parkinson's was the one thing I wasn't going to change - I started looking at the things I could change, like the way research is funded.” [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. Accepting immutable personal limits can shift focus to external systems we can influence, like research funding. **In simple terms:** Accept what you can't change; improve what you can. Key Takeaway Redirect energy to controllable domains. Themes resilience agency advocacy Mood determined hopeful Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - health policy reform - research funding strategies - public awareness campaigns - personal coping plans Key Concepts systemic change personal agency Questions to Reflect On - What external factor can you influence today? - How does acceptance empower action? A Different Perspective Changing systems is slow and may face entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parkinson/) [Parkinson 's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parkinson-s/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I think we all get our own bag of hammers. We all get our own Parkinson's. We all have our own thing. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-think-we-all-get-our-own-bag-of-hammers-we-all-get-our-own/) [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/) > [ 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/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-have-no-choice-about-whether-or-not-i-have-parkinson-s-i-have/) [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/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-have-no-choice-about-whether-or-not-i-have-parkinson-s-i-have/) [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. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) [Explore all 219 Michael J. Fox quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The moment I understood this - that my Parkinson's was the one thing I wasn't going to change - I started looking at the things I could change, like the way research is funded.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael J. 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