"Action is not simply giving preference.  Man also shows preference in situations in which things and events are unavoidable or are believed to be so.  Thus a man may prefer sunshine to rain and may wish that the sun would dispel the clouds.  He who only wishes and hopes does not interfere actively with the course of events and with the shaping of his own destiny.  But acting man chooses, determines, and tries to reach an end.  Of two things both of which he cannot have together he selects one and gives us the other.  Action therefore always involves both taking and renunciation."

                                                                                                                      Ludwig von Mises
                                                                                                                      Human Action