Choose your battles vs Pick your battles

Both 'choose your battles' and 'pick your battles' are correct phrases that are commonly used in English. They have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

Last updated: March 29, 2024 • 411 views

Choose your battles

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase means to select which problems or issues to become involved in or to fight against. It implies the importance of conserving energy and resources for significant challenges.

Examples:

In a negotiation, it's important to choose your battles wisely.
She always advises her team to choose their battles carefully.

Show examples from the web [+]

Either way, you've got to choose your battles.
I'm telling to choose your battles wisely, Bette.
You have to choose your battles in life and this is not a battle I'm choosing.
Choose your battles, people.
After everything that happened the last time we went above ground, we have to choose our battles.
He taught me how to fight, when to choose my battles.
If I were you, I'd pick and choose my battles.
You can choose the battle, but if you send me out, I'm fighting my way.
We each choose our own battles, Charles.
Be mindful of the battles you choose, because it will not always be this easy.
Why did you choose this particular battle here?
A trivia contest, and you may choose the field of battle.
A trivia contest, and you may choose the field of battle.
It's the battles you choose and the people you protect.
The general who chooses the field of battle wisely wins before the fighting starts.
When that happens, when the battle chooses us, and not the other way around, that's when the sacrifice can turn out to be more than we can bear.
Our chamberlain needs your battle skill.
Choose your next employer more carefully.
Choose your husband carefully, miss Pratt.
Choose your penance Argos, destruction or sacrifice.

Alternatives:

pick your battles
select your battles
decide your battles
determine your battles
opt for your battles

Pick your battles

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase has the same meaning as 'choose your battles' and is used to advise someone to select which conflicts or issues to engage in. It emphasizes the idea of strategic decision-making in conflict situations.

Examples:

As a manager, you need to pick your battles with your team.
She learned to pick her battles after realizing she couldn't fight every battle.

Show examples from the web [+]

You just have to pick your battles.
You don't get to pick your battles, but you still have to win them.
You got to pick your battles, sweetheart.
Well, you have to pick your battles.
You have to pick your battles.
Pick your battles, Bel. (KNOCKING AT DOOR)
You need to pick your battles, son.
We can discuss it all you want, but like I keep saying, pick your battles, or they get picked for you.
But, you know, pick your battles, right?
There is no time to pick your battles when your battles have already picked you.
Pick your battles I guess.
Pick your battles, Malik.
Pick your battles, Brock.
Pick your battles, Bel.
But you've got to pick your battles.
No. You have to pick your battles.
You pick your battles, and it works out.

Alternatives:

choose your battles
select your battles
decide your battles
determine your battles
opt for your battles

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Amazing! I like that the editors are REAL people and not A.I., like some use. The editors actually see clients as real people and not just apart of their job, and it shows. 💖"
moggie April 2025
"TextRanch has been a great help to me, especially at work because I often email my boss."
Jhey April 2025
"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023

Choose your battles vs Pick your battles