--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What we get, and all we ever get, from…" description: "\"What we get, and all we ever get, from the outside is information; how we choose to act on this information is up to us.\" — William Glasser" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/william-glasser-10297_choose_what-we-get-and-all-we-ever-get-from-the_3019398.jpg" --- # What we get, and all we ever get, from the outside is… ![“What we get, and all we ever get, from the outside is information; how we choose to act on this information is up to us.” quote by William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/william-glasser-10297_choose_what-we-get-and-all-we-ever-get-from-the_3019398.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/william-glasser-10297_choose_what-we-get-and-all-we-ever-get-from-the_3019398.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/william-glasser-10297_choose_what-we-get-and-all-we-ever-get-from-the_3019398.jpg) > “What we get, and all we ever get, from the outside is information; how we choose to act on this information is up to us.” [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Information is external; we decide how to act on it. **In simple terms:** We control actions, not info. Key Takeaway Own your responses. Themes choice information agency Mood thoughtful empowering Type educational psychological When to use this quote - decision making - learning - media consumption Key Concepts psychology personal responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How do you filter information? - What choices stem from new data? A Different Perspective Information overload can hinder. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose/) [Choose Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-act-2043169/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Information Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-choose-1041236/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Outside Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-information-4880072/) ## Related quotes > [“2 Searching for Health Information 1. Choose a fitness or diet plan to research. 2. Determine the keywords you will use in the search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-b-shelly/2-searching-for-health-information-1-choose-a-fitness-or-diet-plan-to/) [Gary B. Shelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-b-shelly/) > [You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon. To change your circumstances you need to change your thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlin-sinclair/you-are-the-embodiment-of-the-information-you-choose-to-accept-and/) [Adlin Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlin-sinclair/) > [“In a relationship there is the information that we need and do not ask for, and the information we have but choose to ignore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-l-kaplan/in-a-relationship-there-is-the-information-that-we-need-and-do-not/) [Debra L. Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-l-kaplan/) > [You can be as you choose to be. It's an act of discipline sometimes, but it can be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-costner/you-can-be-as-you-choose-to-be-it-s-an-act-of-discipline-sometimes/) [Kevin Costner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-costner/) > [To choose not to choose is still to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-to-act/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [You can choose to act all that but it doesnt get you anywere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-garrison/you-can-choose-to-act-all-that-but-it-doesnt-get-you-anywere/) [Maeve Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-garrison/) > [If you choose not to act, you have little chance of success. What’s more, when you choose to act, you’re able to succeed more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katty-kay/if-you-choose-not-to-act-you-have-little-chance-of-success-what-s/) [Katty Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katty-kay/) > [Agency is the power to think, choose, and act for ourselves. It comes with endless opportunities, accompanied by responsibility and consequences. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-g-larsen/agency-is-the-power-to-think-choose-and-act-for-ourselves-it-comes/) [Sharon G. Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-g-larsen/) > [There’s a tremendous power in using the least amount of information to get a point across.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-rubin/there-s-a-tremendous-power-in-using-the-least-amount-of-information/) [Rick Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-rubin/) > [Every physical system registers information, and just by evolving in time, by doing its thing, it changes that information, transforms that information, or, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/every-physical-system-registers-information-and-just-by-evolving-in/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [I just love information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-olsen/i-just-love-information/) [Greg Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-olsen/) > [Imagine if we can get information from sensors, compute it in the cloud, and find and plug water leakages - leakage wastes 20 per…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajeev-suri/imagine-if-we-can-get-information-from-sensors-compute-it-in-the/) [Rajeev Suri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajeev-suri/) > [We're living in a technological world. You cannot tell me we can't do a better job getting that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-re-living-in-a-technological-world-you-cannot-tell-me-we-can-t-do/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Unlike return, however, risk is no more quantifiable at the end of an investment that it was at its beginning. Risk simply cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/unlike-return-however-risk-is-no-more-quantifiable-at-the-end-of-an/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Information is money, but data is squat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-llama-butler/information-is-money-but-data-is-squat/) [Angela Llama-Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-llama-butler/) ## More by William Glasser > [The answer lies in preventing these failures, not in looking for better ways to fix the people who are failing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/the-answer-lies-in-preventing-these-failures-not-in-looking-for/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [Too many of us fail to fulfill our needs because we say no rather than yes, or perhaps later in life, yes when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/too-many-of-us-fail-to-fulfill-our-needs-because-we-say-no-rather/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [Education is the process in which we discover that learning adds quality to our lives. Learning must be experienced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/education-is-the-process-in-which-we-discover-that-learning-adds/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [A friend of mine, a dedicated golfer, shot a hole in one playing by himself. Disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/a-friend-of-mine-a-dedicated-golfer-shot-a-hole-in-one-playing-by/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [“What happened in the past that was painful has a great deal to do with what we are today, but revisiting this painful past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/what-happened-in-the-past-that-was-painful-has-a-great-deal-to-do/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [I think it is totally wrong and terribly harmful if education is defined as acquiring knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/i-think-it-is-totally-wrong-and-terribly-harmful-if-education-is/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [You can acquire a lot of knowledge without ever going to school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/you-can-acquire-a-lot-of-knowledge-without-ever-going-to-school/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [“What happened in the past that was painful has a great deal to do with what we are today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/what-happened-in-the-past-that-was-painful-has-a-great-deal-to-do-2/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [This is at the heart of all good education, where the teacher asks students to think and engages them in encouraging dialogues, constantly checking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/this-is-at-the-heart-of-all-good-education-where-the-teacher-asks/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [Good or bad, everything we do is our best choice at that moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/good-or-bad-everything-we-do-is-our-best-choice-at-that-moment/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [They have this big book called the 'DSM-IV,' you know, that is supposedly written about crazy people, but I think it is a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/they-have-this-big-book-called-the-dsm-iv-you-know-that-is-supposedly/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [To counter the avoidance of intellectual challenge and responsibility, we must reduce the domination of certainty in education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/to-counter-the-avoidance-of-intellectual-challenge-and-responsibility/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [What happened in the past that was painful has a great deal to do with what we are today, but revisiting this painful past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/what-happened-in-the-past-that-was-painful-has-a-great-deal-to-do-3/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [Love. What is love? No word can define it, it's something so great, only God could design it. Yes, love is beyond, what man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/love-what-is-love-no-word-can-define-it-it-s-something-so-great-only/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [Unlike the weak, the strong neither give up nor are driven by pain into rash or stupid behavior. They don't like pain any more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/unlike-the-weak-the-strong-neither-give-up-nor-are-driven-by-pain/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) [Explore all 66 William Glasser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) ## More Choose quotes > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [If somebody asks me to choose a biopic, it would be Narain Karthikeyan because I love racing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naga-chaitanya/if-somebody-asks-me-to-choose-a-biopic-it-would-be-narain-karthikeyan/) [Naga Chaitanya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naga-chaitanya/) > [“Either you soften your ego, or the world will do it for you. Choose!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-mccoy/either-you-soften-your-ego-or-the-world-will-do-it-for-you-choose/) [Bert McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-mccoy/) > [I'm aware of who I am and I'm comfortable with who I choose to date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shibani-dandekar/i-m-aware-of-who-i-am-and-i-m-comfortable-with-who-i-choose-to-date/) [Shibani Dandekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shibani-dandekar/) > [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [If you choose to work at a larger company over a smaller company, you are more likely to be higher paid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-sweet/if-you-choose-to-work-at-a-larger-company-over-a-smaller-company-you/) [Julie Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-sweet/) > [You can't choose what stays and what stays away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/you-can-t-choose-what-stays-and-what-stays-away/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [It's only a thought and a thought can be changed. Choose good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-s-only-a-thought-and-a-thought-can-be-changed-choose-good-ones/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime...so you gotta choose who is good for you! Be wise, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-come-into-your-life-for-a-reason-a-season-or-a-lifetime-so-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not opposed - we manufacture a lot of socks in North Carolina - I just choose not to wear them. It's a Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-burr/i-m-not-opposed-we-manufacture-a-lot-of-socks-in-north-carolina-i/) [Richard Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-burr/) > [Having too many options is bad. I want one person, just one. Not a whole bunch to choose from,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roderickthefirst/having-too-many-options-is-bad-i-want-one-person-just-one-not-a-whole/) [RoderickTheFirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roderickthefirst/) > [If I could be anyone, I'd choose the lead singer of Arcade Fire, Win Butler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-kardashian/if-i-could-be-anyone-i-d-choose-the-lead-singer-of-arcade-fire-win/) [Rob Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-kardashian/) > [People are as happy as they choose to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/people-are-as-happy-as-they-choose-to-be/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) [Browse all 3,851 Choose quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What we get, and all we ever get, from the outside is information; how we choose to act on this information is up to us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Glasser" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/what-we-get-and-all-we-ever-get-from-the-outside-is-information-how/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choose" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/what-we-get-and-all-we-ever-get-from-the-outside-is-information-how/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/william-glasser-10297_choose_what-we-get-and-all-we-ever-get-from-the_3019398.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/william-glasser-10297_choose_what-we-get-and-all-we-ever-get-from-the_3019398.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/william-glasser-10297_choose_what-we-get-and-all-we-ever-get-from-the_3019398.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What we get, and all we ever get, from the outside is information; how we choose to act on this information…” — William Glasser", "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": "William Glasser", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What we get, and all we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/what-we-get-and-all-we-ever-get-from-the-outside-is-information-how/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/what-we-get-and-all-we-ever-get-from-the-outside-is-information-how/#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 } } ] } ```