“I was always of themindset that whatever will be, will be. We can only just try to control ourown lives, that because our lives are so hopelessly entangled in thechoices of others, we can never have full control over our destiny or fateor purpose or whatever you want to call it. The choices we make defineus, of course, but so do the choices of everyone around us whether weknow them or not. Instead of contemplating what-if scenarios, I alwaysjust tried to accept things.”

“Because our birth mothers made a choice for us that dramatically changed the course of our lives and over which we had no control, many of us have a foundational belief (often unconscious) that we don't have the right to choose our own course in life. We feel instead that we are at the mercy of others.”

“Whatever controls us is our lord. The person who seeks power is controlled by power. The person who seeks acceptance is controlled by acceptance. We do not control ourselves. We are controlled by the lord of our lives.”

“That’s what you taught me - we don’t have to accept destiny or Des Tiny. We can create our own future, all of us. We have the power to rule our lives - we just have to make the choice to use it.”

“We almost always have choices, and the better the choice, the more we will be in control of our lives.”

“We have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the understanding, fairness, and forgiveness we so desperately desire for ourselves. It is our choice; for whatever we seek, that we will certainly find.”