Life itself is what we deem it. Things will happen in life, all the experiences we go through are the stories we tell ourselves.

This comes from the Marcus Aurelius quote: “The whole universe is change and life itself is but what you deem it.”

He is essentially saying that everything in the universe is constantly changing and that our perception of life, our "lived experience" is entirely shaped by our own perspective and interpretation of events; meaning we have the power to choose how we view our life and its circumstances, rather than being passively defined by them.