"I always say don't make plans, make options"
About this Quote
The intent feels practical: stay nimble in an industry where your calendar is hostage to auditions, network decisions, tabloid noise, and the unpredictable chemistry of a “yes.” For an actor, planning can be a form of magical thinking - you can do everything right and still not get cast. Options, by contrast, acknowledge the actual power dynamics. They’re a way to reclaim agency in a system that routinely withholds it.
The subtext also reads as a quiet corrective to the myth of the perfectly mapped life, especially the version sold to women in public view: milestones, timelines, tidy arcs. Aniston, who’s spent decades as a projection screen for cultural expectations about romance, aging, and “having it all,” reframes success as adaptability. If the world insists on writing your story, keep multiple drafts open.
Culturally, it’s a post-90s, post-hustle mantra: less five-year-plan, more contingency planning. Not passive, not cynical - just strategically unromantic about certainty. In an era of constant reinvention, “options” is the word that admits reality without letting it win.
Quote Details
| Topic | Motivational |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Aniston, Jennifer. (2026, January 15). I always say don't make plans, make options. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-always-say-dont-make-plans-make-options-68984/
Chicago Style
Aniston, Jennifer. "I always say don't make plans, make options." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-always-say-dont-make-plans-make-options-68984/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I always say don't make plans, make options." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-always-say-dont-make-plans-make-options-68984/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.








