--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you make a decision, you don't have…" description: "\"When you make a decision, you don't have to be locked into it. One of the ways that you grow is by starting over.\" — Mo Willems" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/994/mo-willems-25067_decision_when-you-make-a-decision-you-don-t-have_1245137.jpg" --- # When you make a decision, you don't have to be locked into… ![“When you make a decision, you don't have to be locked into it. One of the ways that you grow is by starting over.” quote by Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/994/mo-willems-25067_decision_when-you-make-a-decision-you-don-t-have_1245137.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/994/mo-willems-25067_decision_when-you-make-a-decision-you-don-t-have_1245137.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/994/mo-willems-25067_decision_when-you-make-a-decision-you-don-t-have_1245137.jpg) > “When you make a decision, you don't have to be locked into it. One of the ways that you grow is by starting over.” [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Decisions are not permanent; you can revise them and start anew, which fosters personal growth. **In simple terms:** You can change decisions and grow by restarting. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility and restart when needed. Themes growth flexibility decision‑making Mood hopeful reflective Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career change - relationship decisions - creative projects - learning new skills Key Concepts personal development resilience Questions to Reflect On - What decision could you revisit today? - How does starting over feel? A Different Perspective Changing direction may cause uncertainty or loss of momentum. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Grow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grow/) [Grow Starting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grow-starting-3902954/) [Make Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-decision/) [Starting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting/) [Starting over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-over/) ## Related quotes > [Once you start a business, you have to grow it and grow with it - starting a business is not just for Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-massenet/once-you-start-a-business-you-have-to-grow-it-and-grow-with-it/) [Natalie Massenet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-massenet/) > [When you make a decision, you don't have to be locked into it. One of the ways that you grow is by starting over.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/when-you-make-a-decision-you-don-t-have-to-be-locked-into-it-one-of-2/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [What's so fascinating and frustrating and great about life is that you're constantly starting over, all the time, and I love that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-crystal/what-s-so-fascinating-and-frustrating-and-great-about-life-is-that/) [Billy Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-crystal/) > [Your art kind of changes as you get older, by nature of the fact that you're hopefully gaining wisdom and you're starting to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/your-art-kind-of-changes-as-you-get-older-by-nature-of-the-fact-that/) [Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/) > [I'm always struck with writing - I constantly feel like I don't know what I'm doing and I'm starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-liebegott/i-m-always-struck-with-writing-i-constantly-feel-like-i-don-t-know/) [Ali Liebegott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-liebegott/) > [The power of the computer is starting to spread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-budge/the-power-of-the-computer-is-starting-to-spread/) [Bill Budge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-budge/) > [Commitment cannot be taught; it can only be caught. I refer to the crusading spirit. Without the crusading spirit, you may have the starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/y-c-james-yen/commitment-cannot-be-taught-it-can-only-be-caught-i-refer-to-the/) [Y. C. James Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/y-c-james-yen/) > [I don't like nobody right now, I'm starting all the way over...erasing all of you fools!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-like-nobody-right-now-i-m-starting-all-the-way-over-erasing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [With the solo stuff, it's like starting over from scratch. It's rolling up your sleeves and getting down to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-wilson/with-the-solo-stuff-it-s-like-starting-over-from-scratch-it-s-rolling/) [Cindy Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-wilson/) > [I ain't never found no place for me to fit. Seem like all I do is start over. It ain't nothing to find no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-ain-t-never-found-no-place-for-me-to-fit-seem-like-all-i-do-is/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [Еach song is like starting over. Because somehow, no song's formula works for another. And that's the beauty of it all. Each song's destiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-first/ach-song-is-like-starting-over-because-somehow-no-song-s-formula/) [David First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-first/) > [But I decided I wanted more education and I had to make a choice between starting law school, which was interesting to me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-evans/but-i-decided-i-wanted-more-education-and-i-had-to-make-a-choice/) [Daniel J. Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-evans/) > [The starting point of sanctification is the filthiness, corruption, or stain of sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ames/the-starting-point-of-sanctification-is-the-filthiness-corruption-or/) [William Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ames/) > [But I believed in starting over. There was finally, I knew, only rupture and hurt and falling short between all persons, but, Shirley, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/but-i-believed-in-starting-over-there-was-finally-i-knew-only-rupture/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) ## More by Mo Willems > [Kids are super-independent. This is the time when you don't need your parents for a story anymore. You have a great degree of agency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/kids-are-super-independent-this-is-the-time-when-you-don-t-need-your/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [I think Laurie's Keller story 'We are growing', resonates because when you have that amount of independence, you're starting to ask yourself questions that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/i-think-laurie-s-keller-story-we-are-growing-resonates-because-when/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [I've been lucky enough to have made enough of these types of children's books that while I don't necessarily know what works, I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-have-made-enough-of-these-types-of-children/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [“People think, Hey, I love kids, I want to write children’s books. But they think children are happy. That’s their first mistake. \[Messinger, Jonathan.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/people-think-hey-i-love-kids-i-want-to-write-children-s-books-but/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [A picture book is a motorcycle: small, loud, fun, and zippy. An easy reader is a chartered bus: obliged to carry a rather dull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/a-picture-book-is-a-motorcycle-small-loud-fun-and-zippy-an-easy/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [The difference between children and adults is that they're shorter - not dumber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/the-difference-between-children-and-adults-is-that-they-re-shorter/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [Elephant and Piggie have a very large input. They have a distinct aesthetic taste. They like books that are philosophical. They like books that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/elephant-and-piggie-have-a-very-large-input-they-have-a-distinct/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [An artist is waiting for the audience to understand the work. A craftsman is working to understand the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/an-artist-is-waiting-for-the-audience-to-understand-the-work-a/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [The first bowl of chocolate pudding was too hot, but Goldilocks ate it all anyway because, hey, it's chocolate pudding, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/the-first-bowl-of-chocolate-pudding-was-too-hot-but-goldilocks-ate-it/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [I bet your mom would let me." -Pigeon, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus-](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/i-bet-your-mom-would-let-me-pigeon-don-t-let-the-pigeon-drive-the-bus/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [The common thread of the series is that these are the books that Elephant and Piggie like to read. Elephant and Piggie are retired,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/the-common-thread-of-the-series-is-that-these-are-the-books-that/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [I also learn a lot about everybody else's process. People create in different ways, so that has opened me up to different processes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/i-also-learn-a-lot-about-everybody-else-s-process-people-create-in/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [“And the moral for Dinosaurs is: Lock the Back Door!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/and-the-moral-for-dinosaurs-is-lock-the-back-door/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [Aggle flabble kabble . . . snurp?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/aggle-flabble-kabble-snurp/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [A book, being a physical object, engenders a certain respect that zipping electrons cannot. Because you cannot turn a book off, because you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/a-book-being-a-physical-object-engenders-a-certain-respect-that/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) [Explore all 23 Mo Willems quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) ## 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": "When you make a decision, you don't have to be locked into it. 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