---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's up to Kim Jong Il to make that…"
description: "\"It's up to Kim Jong Il to make that decision, and we can't make that for him.\" — Mitchell Reiss"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/mitchell-reiss-23686_decision_it-s-up-to-kim-jong-il-to-make-that-deci_172638.jpg"
---

#  It's up to Kim Jong Il to make that decision, and we can't…

![“It's up to Kim Jong Il to make that decision, and we can't make that for him.” quote by Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/mitchell-reiss-23686_decision_it-s-up-to-kim-jong-il-to-make-that-deci_172638.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/mitchell-reiss-23686_decision_it-s-up-to-kim-jong-il-to-make-that-deci_172638.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/mitchell-reiss-23686_decision_it-s-up-to-kim-jong-il-to-make-that-deci_172638.jpg)

> “It's up to Kim Jong Il to make that decision, and we can't make that for him.”

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

## About This Quote

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

Acknowledge that some decisions belong to others and we must respect their autonomy.

**In simple terms:** Let others decide their own choices.

Key Takeaway

Respect others’ decision‑making authority.

Themes

autonomy respect political boundaries

Mood

thoughtful neutral

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- international diplomacy
- family disagreements
- personal relationships

Key Concepts

ethics leadership

Questions to Reflect On

- When should you intervene?
- How do you handle disagreement?

A Different Perspective

Sometimes in decisions impact others significantly.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Korea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/korea/)

## Related quotes

> [The Globe reports that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il raises money by selling fake Viagra pills. What it is about this guy? None of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/the-globe-reports-that-north-korean-dictator-kim-jong-il-raises-money/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Just after Kim Jong Il's death, the official news agency put out an article saying that under Kim Jong Il's rule, the people had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-after-kim-jong-il-s-death-the-official-news-agency-put-out-an/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ North Korea is a necrocracy, or a mauselocracy or a thanatocracy in which the one \[Kim Il-sung\] is diffused into being with the other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/north-korea-is-a-necrocracy-or-a-mauselocracy-or-a-thanatocracy-in/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [When I was young, I thought Kim il-Sung or Kim Jong-il is hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/when-i-was-young-i-thought-kim-il-sung-or-kim-jong-il-is-hero/)

[Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/)

> [The latest political rumor, North Korea ruler Kim Jong Il is close to naming his successor. Yeah, he said the only person with glasses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-latest-political-rumor-north-korea-ruler-kim-jong-il-is-close-to/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [The great heart of comrade Kim Jong Il has ceased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-yong-nam/the-great-heart-of-comrade-kim-jong-il-has-ceased/)

Kim Yong-nam

> [When Rick Perry was told about Kim Jong Il, he said, 'I never heard of him, but then again, I don't listen to that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/when-rick-perry-was-told-about-kim-jong-il-he-said-i-never-heard-of/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [We all know that Kim Jong-il is 'buy-yourself-a-handgun' crazy. It's pretty much a given.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-crowder/we-all-know-that-kim-jong-il-is-buy-yourself-a-handgun-crazy-it-s/)

[Steven Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-crowder/)

> [The death of dictator Kim Jong-Il has cast all eyes on North Korea, a country without literature or freedom or truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-johnson/the-death-of-dictator-kim-jong-il-has-cast-all-eyes-on-north-korea-a/)

[Adam Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-johnson/)

> [The accession to power in Pyongyang of Kim Jong Un, son of Kim Jong Il and grandson of Kim Il Sung, is a unique…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-accession-to-power-in-pyongyang-of-kim-jong-un-son-of-kim-jong-il/)

[Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/)

> [According to Kim Jong-Il's biography, they say he has been constantly accused of dishonesty, drunkenness and sexual excess. So if he lived here, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/according-to-kim-jong-il-s-biography-they-say-he-has-been-constantly/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [You have Kim Jong Il, and you have his brother, Menta Lee Il.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-have-kim-jong-il-and-you-have-his-brother-menta-lee-il/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [Kim Jong Il made his staff call him “dear” and spent the day drinking cognac. It's like I have a twin, ladies and gentlemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/kim-jong-il-made-his-staff-call-him-dear-and-spent-the-day-drinking/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [I am the only high-ranking U.S. official to ever meet with Kim Jong-il, and we are the same height and both wear high heels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/i-am-the-only-high-ranking-u-s-official-to-ever-meet-with-kim-jong-il/)

[Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/)

> [“The fervor and single-mindedness of this deification probably have no precedent in history. It's not like Duvalier or Assad passing the torch to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-fervor-and-single-mindedness-of-this-deification-probably-have-no/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

## More by Mitchell Reiss

> [Everyone I have spoken with so far recognises the need for the IRA to respond positively and every has said sooner is better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/everyone-i-have-spoken-with-so-far-recognises-the-need-for-the-ira-to/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [I'm not sure you can do anything quickly or easily with the North.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/i-m-not-sure-you-can-do-anything-quickly-or-easily-with-the-north/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [Again, I think we have much greater diplomatic weight by having all of us sit on the same side of the table wanting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/again-i-think-we-have-much-greater-diplomatic-weight-by-having-all-of/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [You have to play the cards you are dealt and if it has made it harder, it doesn't matter, you still have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/you-have-to-play-the-cards-you-are-dealt-and-if-it-has-made-it-harder/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [We need to do a lot more thinking about how the regime is going to evolve, how the bad guys are going to adapt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/we-need-to-do-a-lot-more-thinking-about-how-the-regime-is-going-to/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [It's time for the IRA to go out of business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/it-s-time-for-the-ira-to-go-out-of-business/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [We have a model that we're following, and it's the Libya model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/we-have-a-model-that-we-re-following-and-it-s-the-libya-model/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [And so there has been a lot of diplomatic movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/and-so-there-has-been-a-lot-of-diplomatic-movement/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [First of all we have to recognize that despite all the problems - and in some cases failures - that this regime has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/first-of-all-we-have-to-recognize-that-despite-all-the-problems-and/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [Sometimes we tend to focus more on the personalities and the conflicts, and it really caricatures the issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/sometimes-we-tend-to-focus-more-on-the-personalities-and-the/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [What we can do is to explain as clearly as possible what the benefits would be of him going down one path, and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/what-we-can-do-is-to-explain-as-clearly-as-possible-what-the-benefits/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [There is a different future that is available to North Korea, if they choose differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/there-is-a-different-future-that-is-available-to-north-korea-if-they/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [We are hopeful that the North Koreans can show a little bit more realism, a little bit more flexibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/we-are-hopeful-that-the-north-koreans-can-show-a-little-bit-more/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [So, in a sense, the verification piece is irrelevant to the format issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/so-in-a-sense-the-verification-piece-is-irrelevant-to-the-format-issue/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

> [So the president set out the policy guidance and said it had to take place in a multilateral fashion so that other countries in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/so-the-president-set-out-the-policy-guidance-and-said-it-had-to-take/)

[Mitchell Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

[Explore all 25 Mitchell Reiss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/)

## More Decision quotes

> [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/)

[Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/)

> [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/)

[Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/)

> [Love is the foundation from which your decisions about your life should be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-the-foundation-from-which-your-decisions-about-your-life/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [It was a conscious decision on my part to take up fewer films. And if you're not seen that often on screen, nobody calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-lever/it-was-a-conscious-decision-on-my-part-to-take-up-fewer-films-and-if/)

[Johnny Lever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-lever/)

> [Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/decision-is-a-risk-rooted-in-the-courage-of-being-free/)

[Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/)

> [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/)

[Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/)

> [“it is either you happen to life or life happens to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sesan-kareem/it-is-either-you-happen-to-life-or-life-happens-to-you/)

[Sesan Kareem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sesan-kareem/)

> [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [I am encouraged President Obama now says he will fulfill his constitutional obligation to seek authorization for any potential military action in Syria. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-am-encouraged-president-obama-now-says-he-will-fulfill-his/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [In New York, you are constantly faced with this very urgent decision that you have to make, about every twenty minutes...you have to decide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/in-new-york-you-are-constantly-faced-with-this-very-urgent-decision/)

[David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/)

[Browse all 9,145 Decision quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's up to Kim Jong Il to make that decision, and we can't make that for him.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mitchell Reiss"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/it-s-up-to-kim-jong-il-to-make-that-decision-and-we-can-t-make-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Decision"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/it-s-up-to-kim-jong-il-to-make-that-decision-and-we-can-t-make-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/mitchell-reiss-23686_decision_it-s-up-to-kim-jong-il-to-make-that-deci_172638.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/mitchell-reiss-23686_decision_it-s-up-to-kim-jong-il-to-make-that-deci_172638.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/mitchell-reiss-23686_decision_it-s-up-to-kim-jong-il-to-make-that-deci_172638.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's up to Kim Jong Il to make that decision, and we can't make that for him.” — Mitchell Reiss",
                "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": "Mitchell Reiss",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-reiss/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's up to Kim Jong Il...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/it-s-up-to-kim-jong-il-to-make-that-decision-and-we-can-t-make-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-reiss/it-s-up-to-kim-jong-il-to-make-that-decision-and-we-can-t-make-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
