--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why didn’t I decide to drink a glass of…" description: "\"“Why didn’t I decide to drink a glass of juice? The thought never occurred to me. Am I free to do that which does not occur to me to do? Of course not...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/sam-harris-457_quote_why-didn-t-i-decide-to-drink-a-glass-of_1745208.jpg" --- # Why didn’t I decide to drink a glass of juice? The thought… ![“Why didn’t I decide to drink a glass of juice? The thought never occurred to me. Am I free to do that which does not occur to me to do? Of course not.” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/sam-harris-457_quote_why-didn-t-i-decide-to-drink-a-glass-of_1745208.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/sam-harris-457_quote_why-didn-t-i-decide-to-drink-a-glass-of_1745208.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/sam-harris-457_quote_why-didn-t-i-decide-to-drink-a-glass-of_1745208.jpg) > ““Why didn’t I decide to drink a glass of juice? The thought never occurred to me. Am I free to do that which does not occur to me to do? Of course not.”” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He questions whether choices we never consider are truly free, suggesting limits to autonomy. **In simple terms:** If we never think of something, we can’t choose it freely. Key Takeaway Acknowledge unconscious influences on decisions. Themes free will consciousness choice Mood thoughtful philosophical Type philosophy psychology When to use this quote - daily choices - habit formation - creative problem solving Key Concepts cognitive bias decision making Questions to Reflect On - What choices might you be missing? - How can you become aware of unseen options? A Different Perspective Freedom is constrained by mental blind spots. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Thank god our Founding Fathers didn't decide to declare independence in winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thank-god-our-founding-fathers-didn-t-decide-to-declare-independence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It was then that she cut him off in midsentence and said that it was over. She said it with a certainty and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/it-was-then-that-she-cut-him-off-in-midsentence-and-said-that-it-was/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [I can't hit on women in public any more. I didn't decide this; it just doesn't feel right at my age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-can-t-hit-on-women-in-public-any-more-i-didn-t-decide-this-it-just/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I didn't decide to be a photographer; I just happened to fall into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/i-didn-t-decide-to-be-a-photographer-i-just-happened-to-fall-into-it/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [I didn't 'decide' to write YA, per se. But every time I thought of a story, it featured characters 15, 16, 17.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/i-didn-t-decide-to-write-ya-per-se-but-every-time-i-thought-of-a/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [A common question asked of writers is "When did you decide to become a writer?" The answer, of course, is that we didn't decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-higgins-clark/a-common-question-asked-of-writers-is-when-did-you-decide-to-become-a/) [Mary Higgins Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-higgins-clark/) > [“There’s always been someone watching the borders. They didn’t decide to. It was decided for them. Someone has to care. 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Instead of waiting in line with other kids at lunch, I'd go to a corner and buy a pretzel and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-facinelli/i-was-so-shy-instead-of-waiting-in-line-with-other-kids-at-lunch-i-d/) [Peter Facinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-facinelli/) > [When life gives you lemons, make orange juice and leave people wondering how you did it...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-williams/when-life-gives-you-lemons-make-orange-juice-and-leave-people/) [Jade Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-williams/) ## More by Sam Harris > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Your principal concern appears to be that the Creator of the universe will take offense at something people do while naked. This prudery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/your-principal-concern-appears-to-be-that-the-creator-of-the-universe/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“As manuals for contemplative understanding, the Bible and the Koran are worse than useless. 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The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“But the reality of consciousness appears irreducible. Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. Otherwise, we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/muslim-moderates-wherever-they-are-must-be-given-every-tool-necessary/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The idea that any one of our religions represents the infallible word of the One True God requires an encyclopedic ignorance of history, mythology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-idea-that-any-one-of-our-religions-represents-the-infallible-word/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“What could possibly cause billions of human beings to reconsider their religious beliefs? And yet, it is obvious that an utter revolution in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-could-possibly-cause-billions-of-human-beings-to-reconsider/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Explore all 543 Sam Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More Juice quotes > [When life gives you lemons, make orange juice and leave people wondering how you did it...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-williams/when-life-gives-you-lemons-make-orange-juice-and-leave-people/) [Jade Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-williams/) > [I was so shy. 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These days, though, I'm trying to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-doescher/i-do-a-lot-of-writing-in-my-capacity-as-the-creative-director-for-a/) [Ian Doescher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-doescher/) > [If you look at coffee, tea, food and juice, we think there are inherent opportunities. If you look at health bars or grab-and-go products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/if-you-look-at-coffee-tea-food-and-juice-we-think-there-are-inherent/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears - it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/music-can-lift-us-out-of-depression-or-move-us-to-tears-it-is-a/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [I'm bonkers about juicing. I got into it when I lived in L.A. - I'd juice three times a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppy-delevingne/i-m-bonkers-about-juicing-i-got-into-it-when-i-lived-in-l-a-i-d-juice/) [Poppy Delevingne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poppy-delevingne/) > [I feel like I bring the juice and the squeeze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-sanu/i-feel-like-i-bring-the-juice-and-the-squeeze/) [Mohamed Sanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-sanu/) > [To me, all the juice of a book is in an unpublished manuscript, and the published book is like a dead tree - just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/to-me-all-the-juice-of-a-book-is-in-an-unpublished-manuscript-and-the/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [But the fascinating and unbelievable-but-true thing about Dr. Jefferson Jeffersonis that he was not a doctor of any kind. He was just an orange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/but-the-fascinating-and-unbelievable-but-true-thing-about-dr/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-write-write-and-write-and-write-if-you/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Mr. D, wearing his leopard-skin jogging suit and rummaging through the refrigerator. He looked up lazily. "Do you mind?" Where's Chiron!" I shouted. 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When you whisk together some oil and a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/food-like-anything-else-lives-in-the-physical-world-and-obeys-the/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) Browse all 588 Juice quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Why didn’t I decide to drink a glass of juice? The thought never occurred to me. Am I free to do that which does not occur to me to do? 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