Tariq Ali Quotes

Life's values originate in circumstances over which the individual has no control.

Circumstances make man, not man circumstances.

Lives that flash in sunshine, and lives that are born in tears, receive their hue from circumstances.

Most people are basically a victim of the circumstances of their life. They have things like 9/11, they have terrorism threats, they have new war threats, they have economy problems, and they think, 'What can I do? I'm basically a victim.'

As mortals, we're ruled by conditions, not by ourselves.

Sometimes you don't choose the material; the material chooses you.

There is this thing called life. We live it, not as we intend or wish, but as we are driven on by forces outside and inside ourselves.

I think people feel like there are all these things in our lives that we don't really have control over.

Man is the creature of circumstances.

It is not my mode of thought that has caused my misfortunes, but the mode of thought of others.

Too often, I've seen instances where we have an idea of what we want to be, where we want to go, and with whom - before life steps in the way, throws something at us that is beyond our control, and changes everything.

I had no intention of entering politics, but then the force of events led me to become involved in politics.

Something I learned very early on in my career is that there are a lot of things that you do not have any power over.

I have to tell people that they are not responsible for their behavior. They're not creating it; they're not initiating anything. It's all found somewhere else. That's an awful lot to relinquish.

I am affected by what is around. I don't think many people would admit that.

The human being is a self-propelled automaton entirely under the control of external influences. Willful and predetermined though they appear, his actions are governed not from within, but from without. He is like a float tossed about by the waves of a turbulent sea.

Even the greatest poets can't express tragedy in a way that is larger than their immediate circumstances.

We cannot isolate a human being from the circumstances of his condition

Life can very genuinely and realistically pile things on. It doesn't dole out the heartache and pain, or joy, perfectly.

Well, there are a lot of things outside our control - outside my control. And this is true with anybody's life: You try to keep the train on a certain track, and then there are a lot of moving parts that you can't control. And that tends to make you nervous.

I don't go through life thinking I'm on a conveyer belt I can't jump off, but sometimes it's helpful to think that things are out of your control.

People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances.

There is nothing in this world that never takes a step outside a person's heart.

Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn't make it.

Circumstances beyond my individual control.