--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At the exact moment any decision seems to…" description: "\"At the exact moment any decision seems to be being made, it's usually long after the real decision was actually made--like light we see emitted from st..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df2/richard-ford-2097_decision_at-the-exact-moment-any-decision-seems-t_3178157.png" --- # At the exact moment any decision seems to be being made… ![“At the exact moment any decision seems to be being made, it's usually long after the real decision was actually made--like light we see emitted from stars.” quote by Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df2/richard-ford-2097_decision_at-the-exact-moment-any-decision-seems-t_3178157.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df2/richard-ford-2097_decision_at-the-exact-moment-any-decision-seems-t_3178157.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df2/richard-ford-2097_decision_at-the-exact-moment-any-decision-seems-t_3178157.png) > “At the exact moment any decision seems to be being made, it's usually long after the real decision was actually made--like light we see emitted from stars.” [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) ## 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 often made long before we become aware, like observing distant light that left its source years ago **In simple terms:** Choices are made earlier than we realize Key Takeaway Recognize hidden influences on your choices Themes decisionmaking perception time Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - business strategy - personal life planning - creative writing - education Key Concepts philosophy cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - What decisions might you have already made unconsciously? - How do you ensure timely action despite delayed awareness? A Different Perspective Awareness of hidden decisions can cause paralysis if not balanced ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-actually-482723/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Decision Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-usually-630050/) [Exact Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exact-moment-852758/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Moment Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment-decision-290581/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-decision-1058428/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-any-moment-of-decision-the-best-thing-you-can-do-is-the-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Greatness is always in the moment of the decision”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-olson/greatness-is-always-in-the-moment-of-the-decision/) [Jeff Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-olson/) > [Not making a decision is actually a decision. It's the decision to stay the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/not-making-a-decision-is-actually-a-decision-it-s-the-decision-to/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [To make a good decision, you actually need to think about it, the contours and the consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/to-make-a-good-decision-you-actually-need-to-think-about-it-the/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > [There aren't a lot of situations where I look back and I say, The decision I actually made or the course we actually pursued…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/there-aren-t-a-lot-of-situations-where-i-look-back-and-i-say-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Being alive and understanding that and making the decision to actually live take a lot of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-haines/being-alive-and-understanding-that-and-making-the-decision-to/) [Emily Haines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-haines/) > [I am always wary of decisions made hastily. I am always wary of the first decision, that is, the first thing that comes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-am-always-wary-of-decisions-made-hastily-i-am-always-wary-of-the/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Every leader has the courage to make decisions. No decision is usually the worst decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-woodward/every-leader-has-the-courage-to-make-decisions-no-decision-is-usually/) [Orrin Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-woodward/) > [My final thought before making most of my decision is usually Fuck it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-blog-that-describe-your-life/my-final-thought-before-making-most-of-my-decision-is-usually-fuck-it/) [The Blog That Describe Your Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-blog-that-describe-your-life/) > [I'm never certain of a performance - my own or the other actors' - or the script or anything... But to me it seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/i-m-never-certain-of-a-performance-my-own-or-the-other-actors-or-the/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [I'm very thoughtful, and when I make a decision I usually stick to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stoner/i-m-very-thoughtful-and-when-i-make-a-decision-i-usually-stick-to-it/) [Casey Stoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stoner/) > [I think the worst decision is usually no decision. If you make the wrong decision you can usually course-correct, but if you don't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/i-think-the-worst-decision-is-usually-no-decision-if-you-make-the/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [Always remember, indecision is decision - usually against you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venita-vancaspel/always-remember-indecision-is-decision-usually-against-you/) [Venita VanCaspel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venita-vancaspel/) > [“I don't think I can stand it much longer,” he warned her. “Something will have to give way. And I fear it will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/i-don-t-think-i-can-stand-it-much-longer-he-warned-her-something-will/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [The decision to feed the world is the real decision. No revolution has chosen it. For that choice requires that women shall be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-decision-to-feed-the-world-is-the-real-decision-no-revolution-has/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) ## More by Richard Ford > [Something will be there when the flood recedes. We know that. It will be those people now standing in the water, and on those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/something-will-be-there-when-the-flood-recedes-we-know-that-it-will/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [If you lose all hope, you can always find it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/if-you-lose-all-hope-you-can-always-find-it-again/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I started reading literature at 17 or 18, and I felt this extra beat to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-started-reading-literature-at-17-or-18-and-i-felt-this-extra-beat/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I don't hate children. My wife and I just didn't think we would be good parents, and also by the time we got married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-don-t-hate-children-my-wife-and-i-just-didn-t-think-we-would-be/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Writing never came naturally and I still have to force my hand to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/writing-never-came-naturally-and-i-still-have-to-force-my-hand-to-do/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“Conversations with adults other than a person's parents had more of an outcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/conversations-with-adults-other-than-a-person-s-parents-had-more-of/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Some people want to be bank presidents. Other people want to rob banks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/some-people-want-to-be-bank-presidents-other-people-want-to-rob-banks/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [In order to write novels for a living - it's not pathological, but I do think and worry and brood and fidget about stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it-s-not-pathological-but-i-do/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [There are more people in America that love guns and want guns for themselves and everyone else than there are not. It is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/there-are-more-people-in-america-that-love-guns-and-want-guns-for/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [That said, being dyslexic, I wasn't a great reader when I was kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/that-said-being-dyslexic-i-wasn-t-a-great-reader-when-i-was-kid/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I'm an equal opportunity reader - although I don't much read plays. And since I was raised a Presbyterian, pretty much all pleasures are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-m-an-equal-opportunity-reader-although-i-don-t-much-read-plays-and/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [The pace of life feels morally dangerous to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/the-pace-of-life-feels-morally-dangerous-to-me/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“to sit in the empty stands of a Florida ball park and hear the sounds of glove leather and chatter;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/to-sit-in-the-empty-stands-of-a-florida-ball-park-and-hear-the-sounds/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“And what there is to learn from almost any human experience is that your own interests usually do not come first where other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/and-what-there-is-to-learn-from-almost-any-human-experience-is-that/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“It was on such a night as this that the unhappy things came about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/it-was-on-such-a-night-as-this-that-the-unhappy-things-came-about/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) [Explore all 184 Richard Ford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) ## 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": "At the exact moment any decision seems to be being made, it's usually long after the real decision was actually made--like light we see emitted from stars.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Ford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/at-the-exact-moment-any-decision-seems-to-be-being-made-it-s-usually/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Decision" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/at-the-exact-moment-any-decision-seems-to-be-being-made-it-s-usually/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df2/richard-ford-2097_decision_at-the-exact-moment-any-decision-seems-t_3178157.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df2/richard-ford-2097_decision_at-the-exact-moment-any-decision-seems-t_3178157.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df2/richard-ford-2097_decision_at-the-exact-moment-any-decision-seems-t_3178157.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At the exact moment any decision seems to be being made, it's usually long after the real decision was…” — Richard Ford", "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": "Richard Ford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "At the exact moment any decision...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/at-the-exact-moment-any-decision-seems-to-be-being-made-it-s-usually/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/at-the-exact-moment-any-decision-seems-to-be-being-made-it-s-usually/#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 } } ] } ```