---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not true that fate slips silently…"
description: "\"It is not true that fate slips silently into our lives. It steps in through the door that we have opened, and we invite it to enter. No one is strong e..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c41/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_character_it-is-not-true-that-fate-slips-silently_1166544.png"
---

#  It is not true that fate slips silently into our lives. It…

![“It is not true that fate slips silently into our lives. It steps in through the door that we have opened, and we invite it to enter. No one is strong enough or cunning enough to avert by word or deed the misfortune that is rooted in the iron laws of his character and his life.” quote by Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c41/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_character_it-is-not-true-that-fate-slips-silently_1166544.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c41/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_character_it-is-not-true-that-fate-slips-silently_1166544.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c41/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_character_it-is-not-true-that-fate-slips-silently_1166544.png)

> “It is not true that fate slips silently into our lives. It steps in through the door that we have opened, and we invite it to enter. No one is strong enough or cunning enough to avert by word or deed the misfortune that is rooted in the iron laws of his character and his life.”

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

## About This Quote

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

Fate is not passive; it enters through choices we make, and character determines how we face misfortune.

**In simple terms:** Choices invite fate; character shapes response.

Key Takeaway

Make conscious choices and know your character.

Themes

fate choice character

Mood

reflective serious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- relationship choices
- ethical dilemmas

Key Concepts

determinism personal responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- What doors have you opened that shaped your destiny?
- How does your character influence outcomes?

A Different Perspective

Believing fate is solely external can excuse personal accountability.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) [Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Misfortunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misfortunes/) [Strong enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-enough/)

## Related quotes

> [“Fate rules, Eve. You follow the steps, and you plan and you work, then fate slips in laughing and makes fools of us”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb-2/fate-rules-eve-you-follow-the-steps-and-you-plan-and-you-work-then/)

[J. D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb-2/)

> [Fate rules. You follow the steps and you plan and you work. Then fate slips in laughing and makes fools of us. Sometimes we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fate-rules-you-follow-the-steps-and-you-plan-and-you-work-then-fate/)

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

> [Optimism has always seemed to me the cunning alibi of egoists, anxious to cover up their state of chronic self-satisfaction. They are optimists in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bernanos/optimism-has-always-seemed-to-me-the-cunning-alibi-of-egoists-anxious/)

[Georges Bernanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bernanos/)

> [There exists, at the bottom of all abasement and misfortune, a last extreme which rebels and joins battle with the forces of law and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/there-exists-at-the-bottom-of-all-abasement-and-misfortune-a-last/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [A man's usefulness depends on his living up to his ideals insofar as he can. It is hard to fail but it is worse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/a-man-s-usefulness-depends-on-his-living-up-to-his-ideals-insofar-as/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [“Till swollen with cunning, of a self-conceit, His waxen wings did mount above his reach, And melting heavens conspired his overthrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-marlowe/till-swollen-with-cunning-of-a-self-conceit-his-waxen-wings-did-mount/)

[Christopher Marlowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-marlowe/)

> [Treason and murder ever kept together, As two yoke-devils sworn to either's purpose, Working so grossly in a natural cause That admiration did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/treason-and-murder-ever-kept-together-as-two-yoke-devils-sworn-to/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [It is sometimes necessary to play the fool to avoid being deceived by cunning men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-sometimes-necessary-to-play-the-fool-to-avoid-being-deceived-by/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

> [Art is the final cunning of the human soul which would rather do anything than face the gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/art-is-the-final-cunning-of-the-human-soul-which-would-rather-do/)

[Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/)

> [Why do some die and some live? The answer was clearly, that on the whole the best fitted live. From the effects of disease…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-russel-wallace/why-do-some-die-and-some-live-the-answer-was-clearly-that-on-the/)

[Alfred Russel Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-russel-wallace/)

> [That humanity and sincerity which dispose men to resist injustice and tyranny render them unfit to cope with the cunning and power of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-humanity-and-sincerity-which-dispose-men-to-resist-injustice-and/)

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

> [The terrible immoralities are the cunning ones hiding behind masks of morality, such as exploiting people while pretending to help them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/the-terrible-immoralities-are-the-cunning-ones-hiding-behind-masks-of/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [It is a pity that, commonly, more care is had--yea, and that among very wise men--to find out rather a cunning man for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ascham/it-is-a-pity-that-commonly-more-care-is-had-yea-and-that-among-very/)

[Roger Ascham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ascham/)

> [Life is a battle of wits, and many people have to fight it unarmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/life-is-a-battle-of-wits-and-many-people-have-to-fight-it-unarmed/)

[Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/)

> [Charm is a cunning self-forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/charm-is-a-cunning-self-forgetfulness/)

[Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/)

## More by Sándor Márai

> [Time is a purgatory that has cleansed all fury from my memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/time-is-a-purgatory-that-has-cleansed-all-fury-from-my-memories/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [“Friendship is no ideal state of mind; it is a law, and a strict one, on which the entire legal systems of great cultures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/friendship-is-no-ideal-state-of-mind-it-is-a-law-and-a-strict-one-on/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [There is no pain like the pain of knowing you love someone but cannot live with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/there-is-no-pain-like-the-pain-of-knowing-you-love-someone-but-cannot/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [“Tomorrow, everyone who is beautiful will come under suspicion. As will those with talent and those with character.” His voice was hoarse. “Don’t you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/tomorrow-everyone-who-is-beautiful-will-come-under-suspicion-as-will/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [Is disinterest not the essence of every human relationship?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/is-disinterest-not-the-essence-of-every-human-relationship/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [“There is this question of otherness….So just as it is blood alone that binds people to defend one another in the face of danger,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/there-is-this-question-of-otherness-so-just-as-it-is-blood-alone-that/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [“One can get closer to reality and the facts by using words, questions and answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/one-can-get-closer-to-reality-and-the-facts-by-using-words-questions/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [“I returned from the West, and brought home in my nostrils and nerves that benumbing lethargy, imprudent hostility, and arrogant superiority with which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/i-returned-from-the-west-and-brought-home-in-my-nostrils-and-nerves/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [“There are worse things than suffering and death... it is worse to lose one's self-respect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/there-are-worse-things-than-suffering-and-death-it-is-worse-to-lose/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [“Vienna wasn't just a city, it was a tone that either one carries forever in one's soul or one does not. It was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/vienna-wasn-t-just-a-city-it-was-a-tone-that-either-one-carries/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [No, the secret is that there's no reward and we have to endure our characters and our natures as best we can, because no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/no-the-secret-is-that-there-s-no-reward-and-we-have-to-endure-our/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [“To nie komputer jest winien, ze przeważająca większość ludzi dziś jest w dalszym ciagu głupia, tylko sam człowiek, który w każdej cywilizacji, a więc…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/to-nie-komputer-jest-winien-ze-przewa-aj-ca-wi-kszo-ludzi-dzi-jest-w/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [“You can even make facts lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/you-can-even-make-facts-lie/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [“Byla neurčitelná a nezařaditelná, jako by ji úplne nepojímala žádná národnost a třída, jako by se příroda jednou pokusila vytvořit samostatnou nezávislou a svobodnou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/byla-neur-iteln-a-neza-aditeln-jako-by-ji-plne-nepoj-mala-dn-n/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

> [We all of us must come to terms with what and who we are, and recognize that this wisdom is not going to earn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/we-all-of-us-must-come-to-terms-with-what-and-who-we-are-and/)

[Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

[Explore all 63 Sándor Márai quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/)

## More Character quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

David Hudgins

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

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

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is not true that fate slips silently into our lives. It steps in through the door that we have opened, and we invite it to enter. No one is strong enough or cunning enough to avert by word or deed the misfortune that is rooted in the iron laws of his character and his life.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sándor Márai"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/it-is-not-true-that-fate-slips-silently-into-our-lives-it-steps-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/it-is-not-true-that-fate-slips-silently-into-our-lives-it-steps-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c41/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_character_it-is-not-true-that-fate-slips-silently_1166544.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c41/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_character_it-is-not-true-that-fate-slips-silently_1166544.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c41/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_character_it-is-not-true-that-fate-slips-silently_1166544.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is not true that fate slips silently into our lives. It steps in through the door that we have opened…” — Sándor Márai",
                "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": "Sándor Márai",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is not true that fate...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/it-is-not-true-that-fate-slips-silently-into-our-lives-it-steps-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/it-is-not-true-that-fate-slips-silently-into-our-lives-it-steps-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
