--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we opt, over and over, to surrender…" description: "\"“If we opt, over and over, to surrender our valuable energy and time to people and things that hold no real value and, worse, separate us from the peop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/sol-luckman-4953_distractions_if-we-opt-over-and-over-to-surrender-our_1636403.jpg" --- # If we opt, over and over, to surrender our valuable energy… ![“If we opt, over and over, to surrender our valuable energy and time to people and things that hold no real value and, worse, separate us from the people and things that do, the joke’s on us and we have only ourselves to blame.” quote by Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/sol-luckman-4953_distractions_if-we-opt-over-and-over-to-surrender-our_1636403.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/sol-luckman-4953_distractions_if-we-opt-over-and-over-to-surrender-our_1636403.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/sol-luckman-4953_distractions_if-we-opt-over-and-over-to-surrender-our_1636403.jpg) > ““If we opt, over and over, to surrender our valuable energy and time to people and things that hold no real value and, worse, separate us from the people and things that do, the joke’s on us and we have only ourselves to blame.”” [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wasting energy on low‑value pursuits separates us from meaningful relationships and goals. **In simple terms:** Spend time on what truly matters. Key Takeaway Prioritize valuable connections. Themes energy value relationships Mood thoughtful motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career choices - friendships - personal projects Key Concepts psychology time management Questions to Reflect On - What drains your energy? - How can you refocus on value? A Different Perspective Balancing commitment can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame/) [Distractions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distractions/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Energy-psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-psychology/) [Free will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-will/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Joke Blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke-blame-529447/) [Materialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialism/) [Opt Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opt-surrender-529448/) [Personal-boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-boundaries-142961/) [Real value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-value/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Surrender Valuable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender-valuable-529449/) [Things Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-joke-427896/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-management/) ## Related quotes > [“In its purest form, silence isn’t empty space, a void to avoid. Rather, it’s a canvas pregnant with possibilities upon which we can paint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/in-its-purest-form-silence-isn-t-empty-space-a-void-to-avoid-rather/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“Living without personal boundaries is like trying to hold my breath and gasp for air, at the same time, it doesn't work. My introverted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaeda-dewalt/living-without-personal-boundaries-is-like-trying-to-hold-my-breath/) [Jaeda DeWalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaeda-dewalt/) > [People try to put ownership on things: 'That's mine, that's my joke.' No such thing. Like if you tripped or stumbled and people go,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/people-try-to-put-ownership-on-things-that-s-mine-that-s-my-joke-no/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [She loved three things — a joke, a glass of wine, and a handsome man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/she-loved-three-things-a-joke-a-glass-of-wine-and-a-handsome-man/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [It doesn't mean you can't discuss important things, but I would never do a joke about cancer, just because I don't think any joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-richardson/it-doesn-t-mean-you-can-t-discuss-important-things-but-i-would-never/) [Jon Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-richardson/) > [There are things that are so serious that you can only joke about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/there-are-things-that-are-so-serious-that-you-can-only-joke-about-them/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [“I joke, mademoiselle," he said, "and I laugh. But there are some things that are no joke. There are things that my profession has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-joke-mademoiselle-he-said-and-i-laugh-but-there-are-some-things/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [I sometimes say things for a joke, and they are picked up the wrong way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-fricker/i-sometimes-say-things-for-a-joke-and-they-are-picked-up-the-wrong-way/) [Brenda Fricker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-fricker/) > [“Sometimes we have to let others go in order to shine brighter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teri-karjala/sometimes-we-have-to-let-others-go-in-order-to-shine-brighter/) [Teri Karjala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teri-karjala/) > [“Anyone who controls your time affects your energies. Reply to people in your own free time if you don't want to be affected by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunya/anyone-who-controls-your-time-affects-your-energies-reply-to-people/) [Shunya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunya/) > [“Growth cannot take place until we miche beyond what we have always known.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teri-karjala/growth-cannot-take-place-until-we-miche-beyond-what-we-have-always/) [Teri Karjala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teri-karjala/) > [“Your job is to keep faith it will work out, i'n it's own perfect way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teri-karjala/your-job-is-to-keep-faith-it-will-work-out-i-n-it-s-own-perfect-way/) [Teri Karjala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teri-karjala/) > [“As to Gurdjieff's power to renew his own energies, its essence had been understood by psychologists of the nineteenth century, decades before the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-wilson/as-to-gurdjieff-s-power-to-renew-his-own-energies-its-essence-had/) [Colin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-wilson/) > [“Remaining in the wrong environment will drain your energy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/remaining-in-the-wrong-environment-will-drain-your-energy/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [“Do your expectations match the energy you give? Energies don't lie and the universe don't compromise. What you give, you get a return on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinonye-j-chidolue/do-your-expectations-match-the-energy-you-give-energies-don-t-lie-and/) [Chinonye J. Chidolue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinonye-j-chidolue/) ## More by Sol Luckman > [“Recognize that your attention is the most valuable thing you can ever own, and you alone have the ultimate power to choose where to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/recognize-that-your-attention-is-the-most-valuable-thing-you-can-ever/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“Life is too short to waste being a productive member of society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/life-is-too-short-to-waste-being-a-productive-member-of-society/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“The fight for freedom, relatively and ultimately speaking, begins and ends with our attention: where we place it and how we use it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/the-fight-for-freedom-relatively-and-ultimately-speaking-begins-and/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“The evidence never seemed to matter to those in power, who had already made up their minds and did what people typically do when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/the-evidence-never-seemed-to-matter-to-those-in-power-who-had-already/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“The Matrix can feel like a pretty hopeless place. I get that. Nobody in his or her right mind (a tiny minority, admittedly) wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/the-matrix-can-feel-like-a-pretty-hopeless-place-i-get-that-nobody-in/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“The scene sucker-punched Max. He never saw it coming. It encapsulated in one poignant instant the tragic beauty of his family history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/the-scene-sucker-punched-max-he-never-saw-it-coming-it-encapsulated/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“So it was a crossroads summer, when the universe seemed to stand perilously still like an egg wobbling on a precipice, a regular rite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/so-it-was-a-crossroads-summer-when-the-universe-seemed-to-stand/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“The possibility of waking up from (or even in) the dream offers a glimmer of hope, a sense that there’s more to existence than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/the-possibility-of-waking-up-from-or-even-in-the-dream-offers-a/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“By any reasonable definition of the term, the Archons are crazy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/by-any-reasonable-definition-of-the-term-the-archons-are-crazy/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“The creational scale—in tandem with sacred vowels—was used to fashion the universe and all life herein. The world, you might say, was literally spoken—or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/the-creational-scale-in-tandem-with-sacred-vowels-was-used-to-fashion/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“Bill of Rights: (n.) official tally of how much our rights cost to keep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/bill-of-rights-n-official-tally-of-how-much-our-rights-cost-to-keep/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“Objectivity is a subjective fantasy implanted in us by an external will seeking to curtail our creativity by limiting our minds to our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/objectivity-is-a-subjective-fantasy-implanted-in-us-by-an-external/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“I’m a nonviolent guy, but the next time some brainwashed Duracell trapped in the Matrix tells you that by curtailing our liberties the authorities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/i-m-a-nonviolent-guy-but-the-next-time-some-brainwashed-duracell/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“When it rains it pours and when it shines you get melanoma.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/when-it-rains-it-pours-and-when-it-shines-you-get-melanoma/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“Every thought we think is like a brush stroke on the canvas of our lives. Let’s choose our thoughts, then, as a great artist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/every-thought-we-think-is-like-a-brush-stroke-on-the-canvas-of-our/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) [Explore all 104 Sol Luckman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) ## More Blame quotes > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Me mum used to always have the radio on - even now she has it on in every room. Me girlfriend sort of blames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/me-mum-used-to-always-have-the-radio-on-even-now-she-has-it-on-in/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-the-great/i-like-to-praise-and-reward-loudly-to-blame-quietly/) [Catherine the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-the-great/) > [Some of the things that I said I hated to say, but blame yourself mother fucker you made it this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedi-mind-tricks/some-of-the-things-that-i-said-i-hated-to-say-but-blame-yourself/) [Jedi Mind Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedi-mind-tricks/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“In places where government priorities and market imperatives create a world so capricious that to help a neighbor is to risk your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/in-places-where-government-priorities-and-market-imperatives-create-a/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“Stop Blaming Others For Your Own Actions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-g-roldan/stop-blaming-others-for-your-own-actions/) [Alexis G. Roldan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-g-roldan/) > [We know from this book entitled... What is it? Surrendered? Succumbed? I can never remember the title perform. And we learn from this book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-know-from-this-book-entitled-what-is-it-surrendered-succumbed-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't blame anyone .. I did this to myself .. It's my fault .. Everything is my FAULT ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nurnizz95/i-don-t-blame-anyone-i-did-this-to-myself-it-s-my-fault-everything-is/) [Nurnizz95](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nurnizz95/) > [“They would congratulate themselves every morning on keeping their integrity, and blame themselves each night for that missed opportunity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/they-would-congratulate-themselves-every-morning-on-keeping-their/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I try to live my life where I end up at a point where I have no regrets. So I try to choose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-aronofsky/i-try-to-live-my-life-where-i-end-up-at-a-point-where-i-have-no/) [Darren Aronofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-aronofsky/) > [How come you don't feel that magic in the air? I guess I knew you'll never be there. I guess I knew you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-come-you-don-t-feel-that-magic-in-the-air-i-guess-i-knew-you-ll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am down mentally. I can't understand how it happened and who is to blame? I don't know why the ground was rolled before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeasin-khan/i-am-down-mentally-i-can-t-understand-how-it-happened-and-who-is-to/) [Yeasin Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yeasin-khan/) > [A refusal to admit one's mistake & not accepting responsibility for that mistake by blaming everyone else, is d beginning of one's decline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-refusal-to-admit-one-s-mistake-not-accepting-responsibility-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Listen, the guy was not created by coverage from MSNBC and CNN. If you want to blame us for making Donald Trump president because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-tur/listen-the-guy-was-not-created-by-coverage-from-msnbc-and-cnn-if-you/) [Katy Tur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-tur/) [Browse all 3,779 Blame quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If we opt, over and over, to surrender our valuable energy and time to people and things that hold no real value and, worse, separate us from the people and things that do, the joke’s on us and we have only ourselves to blame.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sol Luckman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/if-we-opt-over-and-over-to-surrender-our-valuable-energy-and-time-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blame" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/if-we-opt-over-and-over-to-surrender-our-valuable-energy-and-time-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/sol-luckman-4953_distractions_if-we-opt-over-and-over-to-surrender-our_1636403.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/sol-luckman-4953_distractions_if-we-opt-over-and-over-to-surrender-our_1636403.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/sol-luckman-4953_distractions_if-we-opt-over-and-over-to-surrender-our_1636403.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If we opt, over and over, to surrender our valuable energy and time to people and things that hold no real…” — Sol Luckman", "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": "Sol Luckman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If we opt, over and over,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/if-we-opt-over-and-over-to-surrender-our-valuable-energy-and-time-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/if-we-opt-over-and-over-to-surrender-our-valuable-energy-and-time-to/#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 } } ] } ```