--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It may not be what you would've chosen…" description: "\"It may not be what you would've chosen, but we all have a responsibility to be active citizens and shape our system and our future.\" — Susan Rice" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/susan-rice-4480_active_it-may-not-be-what-you-would-ve-chosen-b_1616918.png" --- # It may not be what you would've chosen, but we all have a… ![“It may not be what you would've chosen, but we all have a responsibility to be active citizens and shape our system and our future.” quote by Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/susan-rice-4480_active_it-may-not-be-what-you-would-ve-chosen-b_1616918.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/susan-rice-4480_active_it-may-not-be-what-you-would-ve-chosen-b_1616918.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/susan-rice-4480_active_it-may-not-be-what-you-would-ve-chosen-b_1616918.png) > “It may not be what you would've chosen, but we all have a responsibility to be active citizens and shape our system and our future.” [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Citizens must actively engage in democracy to shape future outcomes. **In simple terms:** Active citizenship shapes society. Key Takeaway Participate in civic duties. Themes civic engagement responsibility democracy Mood motivational determined Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - voting - community organizing - public discourse Key Concepts Collective agency public policy Questions to Reflect On - How will you contribute to change? - What barriers hinder civic participation? A Different Perspective Apathy undermines democratic progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Our future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-future/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [When you accepted your job, you were not chosen solely to fill a position on the organization chart; you were chosen to fill a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cottrell/when-you-accepted-your-job-you-were-not-chosen-solely-to-fill-a/) [David Cottrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cottrell/) > [“You are, if I understand correctly, Chosen. It is your responsibility to use the words given you to...finish things. To resolve stories that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sagara/you-are-if-i-understand-correctly-chosen-it-is-your-responsibility-to/) [Michelle Sagara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sagara/) > ['The Author' is a play about responsibility, how active we are as spectators and how responsible we are for what we choose to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-crouch/the-author-is-a-play-about-responsibility-how-active-we-are-as/) [Tim Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-crouch/) > [I feel I have a great responsibility to be an active Latina. I've been rallying for DACA, and in the summer, I'll be rallying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiza-gonzalez/i-feel-i-have-a-great-responsibility-to-be-an-active-latina-i-ve-been/) [Eiza Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiza-gonzalez/) > [What motivates me is the desire to bring up a whole new generation of active citizens who believe in peace and social justice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/what-motivates-me-is-the-desire-to-bring-up-a-whole-new-generation-of/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [In a democracy, if people don't have accurate information, how can they be active citizens? How can they be part of the debate? And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/in-a-democracy-if-people-don-t-have-accurate-information-how-can-they/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe because in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/sixty-years-of-western-nations-excusing-and-accommodating-the-lack-of/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Frequent worshippers are also significantly more active citizens. They are more likely to belong to community organizations, especially those concerned with young people, health,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/frequent-worshippers-are-also-significantly-more-active-citizens-they/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [What is this much repeated phrase 'active citizen' supposed to mean? 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It's just that sometimes, our future is dictated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-m-sure-you-think-that-i-don-t-understand-what-you-re-going-through/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-have-a-way-to-photograph-you-work-with-space-you-have-a-camera-you/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) ## More by Susan Rice > [Since I've had a career, my hair has been more or less professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/since-i-ve-had-a-career-my-hair-has-been-more-or-less-professional/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [What I learned is that policymakers have to force consideration of actions that may not have occurred to them at the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/what-i-learned-is-that-policymakers-have-to-force-consideration-of/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [I've taken my knocks here and there, but I believe my intentions are good. Doesn't mean everything I do is perfectly executed or I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-ve-taken-my-knocks-here-and-there-but-i-believe-my-intentions-are/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [I'm not watching any TV shows, frankly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-m-not-watching-any-tv-shows-frankly/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [The United States really only accounts for about 3 percent of the economic engagement with Russia. Europe is 40 percent, and so Europe's contribution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/the-united-states-really-only-accounts-for-about-3-percent-of-the/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [I am very aware of being black and female because that's what I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-am-very-aware-of-being-black-and-female-because-that-s-what-i-am/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [Well, Nigeria has played a constructive role in peacekeeping in various parts of West Africa. But unless and until Nigeria itself is democratic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/well-nigeria-has-played-a-constructive-role-in-peacekeeping-in/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [I'm apologetic when I feel like I've made a mistake. And when I have done a disservice to myself or someone else. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-m-apologetic-when-i-feel-like-i-ve-made-a-mistake-and-when-i-have/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [People are consuming the news that is comfortable for them, not necessarily the news that is real or that they need to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/people-are-consuming-the-news-that-is-comfortable-for-them-not/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [I think it's very, very important that in foreign policy and national security decision making, as in any other realm, that there be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-think-it-s-very-very-important-that-in-foreign-policy-and-national/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [There was a hateful video that was disseminated on the internet. It had nothing to do with the United States government and it's one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/there-was-a-hateful-video-that-was-disseminated-on-the-internet-it/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [Well, I think by any expectation South Africa has come a tremendously long way. We've seen a society that many people thought couldn't withstand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/well-i-think-by-any-expectation-south-africa-has-come-a-tremendously/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [Can I be blunt? Yes. Can I be diplomatic? Yes. Can I concoct a mixture of vinegar and honey when the circumstances warrant? Yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/can-i-be-blunt-yes-can-i-be-diplomatic-yes-can-i-concoct-a-mixture-of/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [When my son was a mere three months old, I started working at the State Department. I was not only the youngest Assistant Secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/when-my-son-was-a-mere-three-months-old-i-started-working-at-the/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [I was conscious of the fact that it could be to my disadvantage to marry a white guy - that some folks would hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-was-conscious-of-the-fact-that-it-could-be-to-my-disadvantage-to/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) [Explore all 110 Susan Rice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) ## More Active quotes > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [We in US need active intelligence: people being on the streets, people being able to stop and ask questions of individuals that they suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/we-in-us-need-active-intelligence-people-being-on-the-streets-people/) [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/) > [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I eat healthy most of the time. Whole foods are the best for you when you are super active, so I get plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witney-carson/i-eat-healthy-most-of-the-time-whole-foods-are-the-best-for-you-when/) [Witney Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witney-carson/) > [Art shows us how to see things that are constructive and good, and to be an active part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/art-shows-us-how-to-see-things-that-are-constructive-and-good-and-to/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/) [Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/) > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. It makes its own limited models of things; operating upon these indices or variables to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/science-manipulates-things-and-gives-up-living-in-them-it-makes-its/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [I stayed in L.A. long enough to get on my feet, and then I moved back to New York. The reason I moved here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-stayed-in-l-a-long-enough-to-get-on-my-feet-and-then-i-moved-back/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [The answer to any challenge you are having has nothing to do with God's willingness to help. It has to do with your acceptance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/the-answer-to-any-challenge-you-are-having-has-nothing-to-do-with-god/) [Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/) > [Pete Townsend for me was a huge influence. Because essentially they were a three-piece band and the way he structured his chords and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-lifeson/pete-townsend-for-me-was-a-huge-influence-because-essentially-they/) [Alex Lifeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-lifeson/) > [There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-is-an-enemy-there-is-an-intelligent-active-malign-force-working/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [Few, if any, creatures are equally active all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/few-if-any-creatures-are-equally-active-all-night/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [You need to enjoy yourself and just get into the routine of keeping fit and enjoying being active. That's always easier once you've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-brownlee/you-need-to-enjoy-yourself-and-just-get-into-the-routine-of-keeping/) [Alistair Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-brownlee/) Browse all 2,212 Active quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It may not be what you would've chosen, but we all have a responsibility to be active citizens and shape our system and our future.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Rice" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/it-may-not-be-what-you-would-ve-chosen-but-we-all-have-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Active" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/it-may-not-be-what-you-would-ve-chosen-but-we-all-have-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/susan-rice-4480_active_it-may-not-be-what-you-would-ve-chosen-b_1616918.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/susan-rice-4480_active_it-may-not-be-what-you-would-ve-chosen-b_1616918.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/susan-rice-4480_active_it-may-not-be-what-you-would-ve-chosen-b_1616918.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It may not be what you would've chosen, but we all have a responsibility to be active citizens and shape our…” — Susan Rice", "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": "Susan Rice", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It may not be what you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/it-may-not-be-what-you-would-ve-chosen-but-we-all-have-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/it-may-not-be-what-you-would-ve-chosen-but-we-all-have-a/#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 } } ] } ```