--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once upon a time, there was a clear set…" description: "\"Once upon a time, there was a clear set of choices that people made. Now there are so many choices of how to think, how to define ourselves.\" — Tamar J..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/tamar-jacoby-108458_choice_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-clear-set-o_3082374.png" --- # Once upon a time, there was a clear set of choices that… ![“Once upon a time, there was a clear set of choices that people made. Now there are so many choices of how to think, how to define ourselves.” quote by Tamar Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/tamar-jacoby-108458_choice_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-clear-set-o_3082374.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/tamar-jacoby-108458_choice_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-clear-set-o_3082374.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/tamar-jacoby-108458_choice_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-clear-set-o_3082374.png) > “Once upon a time, there was a clear set of choices that people made. Now there are so many choices of how to think, how to define ourselves.” [Tamar Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamar-jacoby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrative reflects on the evolution from a simple, clear set of choices to a complex landscape of self‑definition and thought, highlighting modern decision fatigue. **In simple terms:** Choices have become numerous and complex. Key Takeaway Simplify decisions to focus on core values. Themes choice complexity self‑definition thought modernity decision fatigue Mood reflective thoughtful analytical Type Choice:1 Choices:1 Clear:0 Made:0 Once upon a time:0 People:0 Thinking:0 Time:0 Choices People:0 Choices Think:0 People Choices:0 Set Choices:0 When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - educational pathways - daily routines - strategic thinking Key Concepts philosophy psychology cognitive science Questions to Reflect On - What core values guide your choices? - How can you reduce decision overload? A Different Perspective Overanalysis can paralyze action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Choices People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices-people-388192/) [Choices Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices-think-721079/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Once upon a time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once-upon-a-time/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-choices-795723/) [Set Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/set-choices-5262860/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [It's been a long time since Roe v. Wade, and I do think most people are able to have respect for other people's choices.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/it-s-been-a-long-time-since-roe-v-wade-and-i-do-think-most-people-are/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [A spine to my films that's become more evident to me is that many are about the choices people make, and the reverberations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/a-spine-to-my-films-that-s-become-more-evident-to-me-is-that-many-are/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [What hope is there?” I asked. “If even angels fall, what hope is there for the rest of us?” “There isn’t,” he said. “We’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/what-hope-is-there-i-asked-if-even-angels-fall-what-hope-is-there-for-2/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [I mean we know that some choice makes you better off than no choice. Now do we get better off if we go from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/i-mean-we-know-that-some-choice-makes-you-better-off-than-no-choice/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I'd like to do something a little different. Something a little less intense. I'm not sure what it's going to be yet. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristanna-loken/i-d-like-to-do-something-a-little-different-something-a-little-less/) [Kristanna Loken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristanna-loken/) > [Life gives you choices, you might think its a one way street, but if you look hard enough youll find a back street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levita-brahz/life-gives-you-choices-you-might-think-its-a-one-way-street-but-if/) [Levita BRAHZ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levita-brahz/) > [Every choice that we makes creates consequences, consequences in the lives of others and we experience them in ourselves, those same consequences, every choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/every-choice-that-we-makes-creates-consequences-consequences-in-the/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [Am I getting better at making choices? Well, I think I might be getting better at reading scripts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benicio-del-toro/am-i-getting-better-at-making-choices-well-i-think-i-might-be-getting/) [Benicio Del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benicio-del-toro/) > [To succeed, you also have to know how to make choices and how to think more broadly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/to-succeed-you-also-have-to-know-how-to-make-choices-and-how-to-think/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [You are the one who must decide whose thoughts you will entertain. You are free to choose-but you are not free to alter the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/you-are-the-one-who-must-decide-whose-thoughts-you-will-entertain-you/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [There are always more choices than you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-devrye/there-are-always-more-choices-than-you-think/) [Catherine DeVrye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-devrye/) > [“I've heard fate talked of. It's not a word I use. I think we make our own choices. I think how we live our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fletcher/i-ve-heard-fate-talked-of-it-s-not-a-word-i-use-i-think-we-make-our/) [Susan Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fletcher/) > [I mean I like most of the films that I've seen that I've been in. Those are the kind of films that I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benicio-del-toro/i-mean-i-like-most-of-the-films-that-i-ve-seen-that-i-ve-been-in-2/) [Benicio Del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benicio-del-toro/) > [We're over-delivering value against other choices I think consumers can get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mattrick/we-re-over-delivering-value-against-other-choices-i-think-consumers/) [Don Mattrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mattrick/) > [I've heard fate talked of. It's not a word I use. I think we make our own choices. I think how we live our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fletcher/i-ve-heard-fate-talked-of-it-s-not-a-word-i-use-i-think-we-make-our-2/) [Susan Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fletcher/) ## More by Tamar Jacoby > [This is like the gun you shoot at the beginning of the race or the bell that you ring at the beginning of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamar-jacoby/this-is-like-the-gun-you-shoot-at-the-beginning-of-the-race-or-the/) [Tamar Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamar-jacoby/) [Explore all 2 Tamar Jacoby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamar-jacoby/) ## More Choice 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/) > [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“Exactly. So, what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way, no matter how hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/exactly-so-what-can-t-you-take-decide-which-of-the-two-options-is/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [I have too many options when it comes to guitars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-have-too-many-options-when-it-comes-to-guitars/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [“Amazing how a small choice can change your life forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-c-dockens/amazing-how-a-small-choice-can-change-your-life-forever/) [Randy C. Dockens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-c-dockens/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Since I don't outline my books very much, I feel like sometimes I don't have a choice in what the characters do; they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/since-i-don-t-outline-my-books-very-much-i-feel-like-sometimes-i-don/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Words can only have an effect on you if you choose to listen to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/words-can-only-have-an-effect-on-you-if-you-choose-to-listen-to-them/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) [Browse all 8,092 Choice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Once upon a time, there was a clear set of choices that people made. Now there are so many choices of how to think, how to define ourselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tamar Jacoby" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamar-jacoby/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-clear-set-of-choices-that-people-made/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamar-jacoby/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-clear-set-of-choices-that-people-made/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/tamar-jacoby-108458_choice_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-clear-set-o_3082374.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/tamar-jacoby-108458_choice_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-clear-set-o_3082374.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/tamar-jacoby-108458_choice_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-clear-set-o_3082374.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Once upon a time, there was a clear set of choices that people made. Now there are so many choices of how to…” — Tamar Jacoby", "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": "Tamar Jacoby", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamar-jacoby/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Once upon a time, there was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamar-jacoby/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-clear-set-of-choices-that-people-made/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamar-jacoby/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-clear-set-of-choices-that-people-made/#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 } } ] } ```