Impossible Life Choices Would You Rather questions
The hardest lane: defensible life trade-offs with no joke answer and no obviously painless escape.
What makes these choices difficult?
security, freedom, achievement and connection. This set is designed for teens and adults, with a hard difficulty level. No option is presented as the correct answer.
- Would you rather always make the safest decision but never explain the complete reason, and you may tell only one person or be forgotten publicly but understood privately and accept one permanent uncertainty, and you may tell only one person?
- Would you rather know exactly what career will make you successful but let your family know the full cost, and the unchosen option disappears from memory or work slowly toward your biggest goal but accept one permanent uncertainty, and the unchosen option disappears from memory?
- Would you rather live close to everyone you love but become less understood by people close to you, with one night to decide or keep working at something meaningful but remain deeply understood by people close to you, with one night to decide?
- Would you rather achieve your biggest goal tomorrow but miss every surprising alternative, with one chance to change after a year or choose any place in the world to live but remain deeply understood by people close to you, with one chance to change after a year?
- Would you rather receive enough money to stop working but give up one future goal, and the choice is permanent or take the interesting risk each time but remain deeply understood by people close to you, and the choice is permanent?
- Would you rather be remembered by millions of strangers but surrender one important freedom, starting next Monday or choose a career without knowing the outcome but keep searching for a sense of purpose, starting next Monday?
- Would you rather know the answer to one life question but lose one source of purpose, and you always remember the alternative or become reasonably good at any skill but keep searching for a sense of purpose, and you always remember the alternative?
- Would you rather become excellent at one skill but accept that the choice cannot be reversed, and you may tell only one person or be forgotten publicly but understood privately and keep searching for a sense of purpose, and you may tell only one person?
- Would you rather always make the safest decision but let your family know the full cost, and the unchosen option disappears from memory or work slowly toward your biggest goal but keep searching for a sense of purpose, and the unchosen option disappears from memory?
- Would you rather know exactly what career will make you successful but lose one source of purpose, with one night to decide or keep working at something meaningful but risk choosing the wrong alternative, with one night to decide?
- Would you rather live close to everyone you love but never explain the complete reason, with one chance to change after a year or choose any place in the world to live but risk choosing the wrong alternative, with one chance to change after a year?
- Would you rather achieve your biggest goal tomorrow but give up one future goal, and the choice is permanent or take the interesting risk each time but risk choosing the wrong alternative, and the choice is permanent?
- Would you rather receive enough money to stop working but become less understood by people close to you, starting next Monday or choose a career without knowing the outcome but explain the choice honestly, starting next Monday?
- Would you rather be remembered by millions of strangers but miss every surprising alternative, and you always remember the alternative or become reasonably good at any skill but explain the choice honestly, and you always remember the alternative?
- Would you rather know the answer to one life question but accept that the choice cannot be reversed, and you may tell only one person or be forgotten publicly but understood privately and explain the choice honestly, and you may tell only one person?
- Would you rather become excellent at one skill but surrender one important freedom, with one chance to refuse or keep wondering about every life question but explain the choice honestly, with one chance to refuse?
- Would you rather always make the safest decision but lose one source of purpose, with one night to decide or keep working at something meaningful but live with every consequence yourself, with one night to decide?
- Would you rather know exactly what career will make you successful but accept that the choice cannot be reversed, with one chance to change after a year or choose any place in the world to live but live with every consequence yourself, with one chance to change after a year?
- Would you rather live close to everyone you love but let your family know the full cost, and the choice is permanent or take the interesting risk each time but live with every consequence yourself, and the choice is permanent?
- Would you rather achieve your biggest goal tomorrow but become less understood by people close to you, starting next Monday or choose a career without knowing the outcome but keep every future goal difficult, starting next Monday?
- Would you rather receive enough money to stop working but never explain the complete reason, and you always remember the alternative or become reasonably good at any skill but keep every future goal difficult, and you always remember the alternative?
- Would you rather be remembered by millions of strangers but give up one future goal, and you may tell only one person or be forgotten publicly but understood privately and keep every future goal difficult, and you may tell only one person?
- Would you rather know the answer to one life question but surrender one important freedom, with one chance to refuse or keep wondering about every life question but keep every future goal difficult, with one chance to refuse?
- Would you rather become excellent at one skill but miss every surprising alternative, and nobody may advise you or keep working at something meaningful but make the decision without family approval, and nobody may advise you?
How to use this list
Choose an option before reading anybody else's answer. After the reveal, compare the reasoning behind each side rather than treating the majority as correct. Live totals on eligible question pages are first-party WYR HQ votes.