--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: he was choosing the pace of his life…" description: "\"“he was choosing the pace of his life rather than having his life choose the pace. Being”\" — Nicholas Sparks" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/nicholas-sparks-93_life_he-was-choosing-the-pace-of-his-life-rat_2052143.jpg" --- # he was choosing the pace of his life rather than having… ![“he was choosing the pace of his life rather than having his life choose the pace. Being” quote by Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/nicholas-sparks-93_life_he-was-choosing-the-pace-of-his-life-rat_2052143.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/nicholas-sparks-93_life_he-was-choosing-the-pace-of-his-life-rat_2052143.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/nicholas-sparks-93_life_he-was-choosing-the-pace-of-his-life-rat_2052143.jpg) > ““he was choosing the pace of his life rather than having his life choose the pace. Being”” [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He decides to control his life's tempo instead of letting circumstances dictate it. **In simple terms:** He chooses his own pace of life. Key Takeaway Take charge of your life's direction. Themes self‑determination control life choices agency philosophy Mood thoughtful encouraging Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - career coaching - life planning - self‑help workshops - decision‑making sessions Key Concepts autonomy mindfulness personal agency Questions to Reflect On - What habits set your pace? - How do you respond when life feels forced? A Different Perspective External pressures may still influence outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“You will always be the most important thing in my life. I’ll always be there for you no matter what or who. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-g-bailey/you-will-always-be-the-most-important-thing-in-my-life-i-ll-always-be/) [Alison G. Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-g-bailey/) > [I hope that having my life and having an education will lengthen my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/i-hope-that-having-my-life-and-having-an-education-will-lengthen-my/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [“The first step to having something in your life is to see yourself having it in your mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-barone/the-first-step-to-having-something-in-your-life-is-to-see-yourself/) [Danielle Barone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-barone/) > [The fast pace of life doesn't give you much scope for wasting your time or wallowing in the past or regrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashami-desai/the-fast-pace-of-life-doesn-t-give-you-much-scope-for-wasting-your/) [Rashami Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashami-desai/) > [“Move at your own pace. Life is a journey worth running by God’s grace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/move-at-your-own-pace-life-is-a-journey-worth-running-by-god-s-grace/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [Each and every thing I say yes to sets the pace of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/each-and-every-thing-i-say-yes-to-sets-the-pace-of-my-life/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [I like a slower pace of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/i-like-a-slower-pace-of-life/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [I try to pace my life out and try not to be too involved with negativity and try to fix what I can fix…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ghostface-killah/i-try-to-pace-my-life-out-and-try-not-to-be-too-involved-with/) [Ghostface Killah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ghostface-killah/) > [Having someone in your life who can make you smile, even when they're not around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khallifa/having-someone-in-your-life-who-can-make-you-smile-even-when-they-re/) Wiz Khallifa > [Having a life is easy. Having a career is hard to come by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/having-a-life-is-easy-having-a-career-is-hard-to-come-by/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [When did having a life become an event you had to schedule?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/when-did-having-a-life-become-an-event-you-had-to-schedule/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“The problem is, it's just not enough to live according to the rules. Sure, you manage to live according to the rules. Sometimes it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/the-problem-is-it-s-just-not-enough-to-live-according-to-the-rules/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [It's so much more interesting having life under your belt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-gonzalez/it-s-so-much-more-interesting-having-life-under-your-belt/) [Nicholas Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-gonzalez/) > [I am on sort of a diet in terms of the Internet. It's the sheer quantity. It's the Niagara of opinion, of information. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/i-am-on-sort-of-a-diet-in-terms-of-the-internet-it-s-the-sheer/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [I don't think I've ever gone home and not been able to shake it off. I like having my own life too much!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-sharp/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-gone-home-and-not-been-able-to-shake-it-off-i/) [Lesley Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-sharp/) ## More by Nicholas Sparks > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“Nothing is ever lost nor can be lost; the body aged, sluggish,cold… the embers left from earlier fires shall dully flame again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/nothing-is-ever-lost-nor-can-be-lost-the-body-aged-sluggish-cold-the/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [I'm sure you think that I don't understand what you're going through, but I do. It's just that sometimes, our future is dictated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-m-sure-you-think-that-i-don-t-understand-what-you-re-going-through/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“You weren't out there that long, were you? I can't bear to think that no one found you right away." Noah shook his head.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/you-weren-t-out-there-that-long-were-you-i-can-t-bear-to-think-that/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“And in your smile, I will live forever”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/and-in-your-smile-i-will-live-forever/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [When we first met, I didn't want to get involved with anyone. I didn't have the time or energy, and I wasn't sure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/when-we-first-met-i-didn-t-want-to-get-involved-with-anyone-i-didn-t/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“There is something terrible in the moments after waking up, when the subconscious knows that something terrible has happened but before all the memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/there-is-something-terrible-in-the-moments-after-waking-up-when-the/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [There is nothing like love. You should try it.” Thibault shrugged. “Maybe one day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/there-is-nothing-like-love-you-should-try-it-thibault-shrugged-maybe/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“more time she’d spent with him, the more convinced she became that he was by far the sexiest guy she’d ever met. Who else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/more-time-she-d-spent-with-him-the-more-convinced-she-became-that-he/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Dear John, tell me everything. Write it all down, that way, we’ll be with each other all the time, even if we’re not with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/dear-john-tell-me-everything-write-it-all-down-that-way-we-ll-be-with/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [You were spying on us?" "It was kind of hard not to. You were right there by the workshop with Will. it looked like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/you-were-spying-on-us-it-was-kind-of-hard-not-to-you-were-right-there/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [There are lots of real men out there - men who could fall in love with you at the drop of a hat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/there-are-lots-of-real-men-out-there-men-who-could-fall-in-love-with/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [...nothing wonderful lasted forever. Joy was as fleeting as a shooting star that crossed the evening sky, ready to blink out at any moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/nothing-wonderful-lasted-forever-joy-was-as-fleeting-as-a-shooting/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [He put his arms around her. “Well, in my defense, then, whatever I did seemed to work, didn't it?” She sighed. “I suppose.” “You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/he-put-his-arms-around-her-well-in-my-defense-then-whatever-i-did/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [I don't know. I really don't. While I was in the living room, I kept asking myself what I really wanted in life." She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-don-t-know-i-really-don-t-while-i-was-in-the-living-room-i-kept/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) [Explore all 1,309 Nicholas Sparks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [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/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“he was choosing the pace of his life rather than having his life choose the pace. Being”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicholas Sparks" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/he-was-choosing-the-pace-of-his-life-rather-than-having-his-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/he-was-choosing-the-pace-of-his-life-rather-than-having-his-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/nicholas-sparks-93_life_he-was-choosing-the-pace-of-his-life-rat_2052143.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/nicholas-sparks-93_life_he-was-choosing-the-pace-of-his-life-rat_2052143.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/nicholas-sparks-93_life_he-was-choosing-the-pace-of-his-life-rat_2052143.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“he was choosing the pace of his life rather than having his life choose the pace. Being” — Nicholas Sparks", "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": "Nicholas Sparks", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“he was choosing the pace of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/he-was-choosing-the-pace-of-his-life-rather-than-having-his-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/he-was-choosing-the-pace-of-his-life-rather-than-having-his-life/#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 } } ] } ```