--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can either own our circumstances and…" description: "\"“We can either own our circumstances and be creative in them, or we can throw up our hands and say, I cannot be held accountable because the conditions..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf9/patti-digh-19842_artists-life_we-can-either-own-our-circumstances-and_429400.jpg" --- # We can either own our circumstances and be creative in… ![“We can either own our circumstances and be creative in them, or we can throw up our hands and say, I cannot be held accountable because the conditions are not ideal.” quote by Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf9/patti-digh-19842_artists-life_we-can-either-own-our-circumstances-and_429400.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf9/patti-digh-19842_artists-life_we-can-either-own-our-circumstances-and_429400.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf9/patti-digh-19842_artists-life_we-can-either-own-our-circumstances-and_429400.jpg) > ““We can either own our circumstances and be creative in them, or we can throw up our hands and say, I cannot be held accountable because the conditions are not ideal.”” [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. You must choose responsibility and creativity over blame for imperfect conditions. **In simple terms:** Choose responsibility, be creative. Key Takeaway Own circumstances, act creatively. Themes responsibility creativity accountability Mood determined empowering Type advice motivational When to use this quote - leadership - personal development - team projects - crisis management Key Concepts agency mindset self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - How can you reframe a difficult situation as an opportunity? - What small creative step can you take now? A Different Perspective Blaming external factors can hinder growth and solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accountable Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accountable-conditions-3788250/) [Artists-life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists-life/) [Choose-our-own-destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-our-own-destiny/) [Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) [Circumstances Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances-creative-2718066/) [Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create/) [Hands Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands-say-441685/) [Held Accountable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/held-accountable-387074/) [Keep on going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keep-on-going/) ## Related quotes > [“We are always - always- in choice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/we-are-always-always-in-choice/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [Even under the most difficult circumstances you can have creative flexibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-m-mulcahy/even-under-the-most-difficult-circumstances-you-can-have-creative/) [Anne M. Mulcahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-m-mulcahy/) > [We're living in a different world now in terms of employee needs, and companies have to offer alternative methods for getting the work done.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-m-mulcahy/we-re-living-in-a-different-world-now-in-terms-of-employee-needs-and/) [Anne M. Mulcahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-m-mulcahy/) > [“What if your art could provide everything you ever needed or wanted in life?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/what-if-your-art-could-provide-everything-you-ever-needed-or-wanted/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“The choice to make good choices is the best choice you can choose. 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If tomorrow comes, choose wisely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-herath/every-choice-we-have-ever-made-equals-who-we-are-in-this-moment-if/) [Willie Herath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-herath/) > [“A brick could be used to assuage your sense that life isn't real. Hold it in your hands and say, This is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-assuage-your-sense-that-life-isn-t-real-hold/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I can definitely hold my hands up and say wrestling wasn't something that I grew up watching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-pugh/i-can-definitely-hold-my-hands-up-and-say-wrestling-wasn-t-something/) [Florence Pugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-pugh/) > [“I have no idea why this is. I’m sure somebody with a beard and too much time on their hands would say it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-spalding/i-have-no-idea-why-this-is-i-m-sure-somebody-with-a-beard-and-too/) [Nick Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-spalding/) ## More by Patti Digh > [“It was about more fully inhabiting the life I have, not creating a new one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/it-was-about-more-fully-inhabiting-the-life-i-have-not-creating-a-new/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“Don't be afraid to fall in love with ideas, with places, with subjects, with people. You'll fall in and out of love many times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/don-t-be-afraid-to-fall-in-love-with-ideas-with-places-with-subjects/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“We are always - always- in choice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/we-are-always-always-in-choice/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“Watch other people for clues about who they are, not just clues about how much they are or are not like you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/watch-other-people-for-clues-about-who-they-are-not-just-clues-about/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“What few rules appear to be in place are all made up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/what-few-rules-appear-to-be-in-place-are-all-made-up/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“Great change doesn't come with official endorsement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/great-change-doesn-t-come-with-official-endorsement/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“We can create a different future - one simple, beautifully mundane, daily decision at a time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/we-can-create-a-different-future-one-simple-beautifully-mundane-daily/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“Don't separate 'real' life from 'creative' life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/don-t-separate-real-life-from-creative-life/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“Perhaps we can recognize our way out of patterns rather than repeating our way out of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/perhaps-we-can-recognize-our-way-out-of-patterns-rather-than/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“Take yourself out of the center of other people's universe - it will free you up and let the universe turn more easily.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/take-yourself-out-of-the-center-of-other-people-s-universe-it-will/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“Name your intention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/name-your-intention/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“If I stop judging other people, I free myself from being judged, and I can dance!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/if-i-stop-judging-other-people-i-free-myself-from-being-judged-and-i/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“Change occurs at the edges, without permission.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/change-occurs-at-the-edges-without-permission/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“Equip yourself for your own needs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/equip-yourself-for-your-own-needs/) [Patti Digh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/) > [“Don't say you're a writer if you're not writing. Even if you're writing, don't call yourself a writer. Say instead, 'I write.' 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Lapping the black watery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/fueled-by-my-inspiration-i-ran-across-the-room-to-steal-the-cup-of/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [“Since you are chosen by the Muse, your mind is always pregnant with an unstable roller-coaster of the creative itches. The utopian conjectures and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/since-you-are-chosen-by-the-muse-your-mind-is-always-pregnant-with-an/) [Himmilicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himmilicious/) > [“The greatest artists express their inner self; an artist paints her rage; a writer pens his fear; a dancer expresses her sadness through movement;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-de-marigny/the-greatest-artists-express-their-inner-self-an-artist-paints-her/) [Gerard de Marigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-de-marigny/) > [“Women born works of art, men doomed to spend entire lifetimes trying to create just one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-andrew-schrecker/women-born-works-of-art-men-doomed-to-spend-entire-lifetimes-trying/) [J. Andrew Schrecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-andrew-schrecker/) > [“Its not enough to just own a camera. Everyone owns a camera. To be a photographer you must understand, appreciate and harness the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-denman/its-not-enough-to-just-own-a-camera-everyone-owns-a-camera-to-be-a/) [Mark Denman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-denman/) > [“I want to live a creative life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaye-gray/i-want-to-live-a-creative-life/) [Jaye Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaye-gray/) > [“Taffy bounds up to him and gives him a sloppy, drunken hug. “Oh my God, I knew your art would be awesome!” she gushes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitsy-clare/taffy-bounds-up-to-him-and-gives-him-a-sloppy-drunken-hug-oh-my-god-i/) [Kitsy Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitsy-clare/) > [“Ai is not a threat to artists; it's merely a reflection of your genius, a machine's attempt to copy your mastery. — Raigon Stanley”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raigon-stanley/ai-is-not-a-threat-to-artists-it-s-merely-a-reflection-of-your-genius/) [Raigon Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raigon-stanley/) > [“I was lucky to live in New York when it was dangerous and edgy and cheap enough to play host to young, penniless artists.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/i-was-lucky-to-live-in-new-york-when-it-was-dangerous-and-edgy-and/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) [Browse all 44 Artists-life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We can either own our circumstances and be creative in them, or we can throw up our hands and say, I cannot be held accountable because the conditions are not ideal.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patti Digh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/we-can-either-own-our-circumstances-and-be-creative-in-them-or-we-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artists-life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/we-can-either-own-our-circumstances-and-be-creative-in-them-or-we-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf9/patti-digh-19842_artists-life_we-can-either-own-our-circumstances-and_429400.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf9/patti-digh-19842_artists-life_we-can-either-own-our-circumstances-and_429400.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf9/patti-digh-19842_artists-life_we-can-either-own-our-circumstances-and_429400.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We can either own our circumstances and be creative in them, or we can throw up our hands and say, I cannot…” — Patti Digh", "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": "Patti Digh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-digh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We can either own our circumstances...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/we-can-either-own-our-circumstances-and-be-creative-in-them-or-we-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-digh/we-can-either-own-our-circumstances-and-be-creative-in-them-or-we-can/#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 } } ] } ```