My Favourite Quote Explained
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react”
-Andrew Crook
This quote is something I came up with when I was 16 years old and has followed me into adulthood—It is something I always come back to and is a north star for dealing with the trials and tribulations of life.
I defined this quote when I was going through a painful breakup with my first love. It was back in the mid 90’s-- when Dr. Phil was in his prime. Dr.Phil helped me through my breakup. I adopted his suggestion of dealing with and solving life's pains by journaling. I became obsessed with my journal and came up with a lot of great (albeit naïve) content. But like most teenagers, I knew all the solutions to life’s problems 😊
Much of what I wrote in my early years has been lost to the ravages of time, however, this one quote has always stuck with me. Whenever I face adversity and challenges my mind often drifts to this quote.
Now, let me take a shot at clarifying it further.
Life (that’s this thing you are experiencing right now 😊) is a series of experiences (the 10%). Most of life cannot be controlled or predicted. This understanding in life closely aligns with the stoic philosophers of ancient Greece. Stoicism is a way to thrive in high-stress environments. In Stoic philosophy, we must come to terms with the fact that we cannot control the vast majority of things—including what others say and do, to our own health and financial well-being. Sure, we can have influence over others and our bank account, but ultimately, we cannot control if we get cancer or if we get laid off. What we do have power over is very simple but powerful—which is how we think and feel about things (the 90%). This is our true power.
You probably have heard the old adage, “perspective is reality”. My quote is this exact understanding but instead applied to practical life. Ultimately, we have very little control over the external world. Instead, it is how we respond to the things that happen to us that are more real than what actually happens.
That is the meaning behind my quote and why it has stuck with me all my life.
On a side note, all great wisdom has been said before. When I googled this quote, I found out about a pastor Charles Swindoll who this quote is attributed too. While 16-year-old me in a pre-internet world never heard of this guy. It’s nice to know I was coming up with sage wisdom that my elders agree with. So, I choose to perceive this as a blessing. (There is that 90% again 😉)
Thanks for reading and if you want to become a better human and learn more about stoic philosophy, I highly recommend you start with:
Thanks for reading! Drop me a line at andrew@pc275.com