--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Give up the feeling of responsibility…" description: "\"Give up the feeling of responsibility, let go your hold, resign the care of your destiny to higher powers, be genuinely indifferent as to what becomes ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/william-james-228_acceptance_give-up-the-feeling-of-responsibility-le_988359.png" --- # Give up the feeling of responsibility, let go your hold… ![“Give up the feeling of responsibility, let go your hold, resign the care of your destiny to higher powers, be genuinely indifferent as to what becomes of it all and you will find not only that you gain a perfect inward relief, but often also, in addition, the particular goods you sincerely thought…” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/william-james-228_acceptance_give-up-the-feeling-of-responsibility-le_988359.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/william-james-228_acceptance_give-up-the-feeling-of-responsibility-le_988359.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/william-james-228_acceptance_give-up-the-feeling-of-responsibility-le_988359.png) > “Give up the feeling of responsibility, let go your hold, resign the care of your destiny to higher powers, be genuinely indifferent as to what becomes of it all and you will find not only that you gain a perfect inward relief, but often also, in addition, the particular goods you sincerely thought you were renouncing.” [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. James argues that relinquishing personal responsibility and embracing indifference to outcomes can bring inner peace and unexpected benefits. **In simple terms:** Letting go of control can lead to inner relief and surprising gains. Key Takeaway Practice detachment to find inner calm. Themes philosophy psychology spirituality detachment Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - therapy - mindfulness - personal growth - spiritual practice Key Concepts self‑transcendence inner peace ego reduction serendipity Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities can you safely release? - How does indifference affect motivation? A Different Perspective May encourage neglect of necessary responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acceptance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Higher power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-power/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Our destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-destiny/) [Relief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relief/) [Resignation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resignation/) [Resigning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resigning/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Your destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-destiny/) ## Related quotes > [Everybody wants freedom, but very few desire responsibility. Little do they understand that these two things go hand in hand. May this 4th of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everybody-wants-freedom-but-very-few-desire-responsibility-little-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“YOUR lack of control is not due to the big burdens, but to your permitting the little frets and cares and burdens to accumulate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-russell/your-lack-of-control-is-not-due-to-the-big-burdens-but-to-your/) A.J. Russell > [The feeling of responsibility and my great love for the people of Israel and the Land of Israel are what brought me to choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoav-gallant/the-feeling-of-responsibility-and-my-great-love-for-the-people-of/) [Yoav Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoav-gallant/) > [True compassion is universal in scope. It is accompanied by a feeling of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/true-compassion-is-universal-in-scope-it-is-accompanied-by-a-feeling/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I've begun feeling that my responsibility is to the Earth. Our generation's war is climate change, so I've really been modifying how I eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zazie-beetz/i-ve-begun-feeling-that-my-responsibility-is-to-the-earth-our/) [Zazie Beetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zazie-beetz/) > [ I leave the governor's office next week, and with it public life\[which\] has been on the whole a pleasant one. But for ten years… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/i-leave-the-governor-s-office-next-week-and-with-it-public-life-which/) [Rutherford B. 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For the vanquished it means resigning himself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/for-the-victor-peace-means-the-preservation-of-the-position-of-power/) [Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/) > [Washington is a resigning town. Nothing else holds the special excitement of a rumored resignation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-bush/washington-is-a-resigning-town-nothing-else-holds-the-special/) [George P. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-bush/) ## More by William James > [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. 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They may have seen them, may have said them, done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-people-probably-are-in-doubt-about-certain-matters-ascribed-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“How soon, indeed, are human things forgotten! As we meet here this morning, the Southern sun is shining on their place of burial, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/how-soon-indeed-are-human-things-forgotten-as-we-meet-here-this/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [There can be no difference anywhere that does not make a difference somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/there-can-be-no-difference-anywhere-that-does-not-make-a-difference/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) [Explore all 854 William James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## More Acceptance quotes > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. 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Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“Love first; ask questions later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-courtney/love-first-ask-questions-later/) [Jeremy Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-courtney/) > [“There was beauty in chaos, she'd just never known it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-linsmeier/there-was-beauty-in-chaos-she-d-just-never-known-it-before/) [Amanda Linsmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-linsmeier/) > [Accepting the challenges in life makes it interesting and overcoming them makes it eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/accepting-the-challenges-in-life-makes-it-interesting-and-overcoming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acceptance is the only thing you should teach. 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