--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can do a good job when you play it…" description: "\"You can do a good job when you play it safe, but you can't do a spectacular job. You have to risk it and be in danger of looking like an absolute fool...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/alex-sharp-16969_danger_you-can-do-a-good-job-when-you-play-it-s_417109.jpg" --- # You can do a good job when you play it safe, but you can't… ![“You can do a good job when you play it safe, but you can't do a spectacular job. You have to risk it and be in danger of looking like an absolute fool.” quote by Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/alex-sharp-16969_danger_you-can-do-a-good-job-when-you-play-it-s_417109.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/alex-sharp-16969_danger_you-can-do-a-good-job-when-you-play-it-s_417109.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/alex-sharp-16969_danger_you-can-do-a-good-job-when-you-play-it-s_417109.jpg) > “You can do a good job when you play it safe, but you can't do a spectacular job. You have to risk it and be in danger of looking like an absolute fool.” [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Achieving extraordinary results requires taking bold risks, not just playing it safe. **In simple terms:** Great work needs risk. Key Takeaway Embrace risk for greatness. Themes risk ambition creativity growth Mood determined inspired Type motivational advisory When to use this quote - career advancement - entrepreneurship - artistic projects - personal challenges Key Concepts courage innovation failure tolerance Questions to Reflect On - What risk could elevate your work? - How do you balance safety and daring? A Different Perspective Risk can lead to loss or ridicule if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) ## Related quotes > [The devotion of the greatest is to encounter risk and danger, and play dice for death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-devotion-of-the-greatest-is-to-encounter-risk-and-danger-and-play/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [And for me, the real world involves everything: risk, danger, beauty, energy, all we meet with in the real world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christo/and-for-me-the-real-world-involves-everything-risk-danger-beauty/) [Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christo/) > [I think one should do what seems right. And if what seems right involves danger...well, one must risk the danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-think-one-should-do-what-seems-right-and-if-what-seems-right/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [No risk? Then no danger of losing and finally no thrill in winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandeep-kumar/no-risk-then-no-danger-of-losing-and-finally-no-thrill-in-winning/) [Sandeep Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandeep-kumar/) > [The best way to let people go is to let them know when they're hired that it's an uncertain environment and that their job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-saffo/the-best-way-to-let-people-go-is-to-let-them-know-when-they-re-hired/) [Paul Saffo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-saffo/) > [Don't ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don't pay any attention to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dodd/don-t-ask-me-to-write-a-check-for-you-when-you-think-your-job-is-at/) [Christopher Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dodd/) > [As a professional, you can afford to pick some stocks and be wrong about a few of them. To keep your job, you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-grantham/as-a-professional-you-can-afford-to-pick-some-stocks-and-be-wrong/) [Jeremy Grantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-grantham/) > [If your real wages are declining, your job is at risk, you fear your children will be worse off than you are, it's tempting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/if-your-real-wages-are-declining-your-job-is-at-risk-you-fear-your/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [The ideal of having a real job that you risk your soul in and make good or be damned, belongs to the heroic age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/the-ideal-of-having-a-real-job-that-you-risk-your-soul-in-and-make/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [I mean, you don't go into 'Bake Off' expecting anything. There's no big-money prize, no contract. It's not like 'The X Factor,' where you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whaite/i-mean-you-don-t-go-into-bake-off-expecting-anything-there-s-no-big/) [John Whaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-whaite/) > [The producer beating a new path for himself through the wilderness is going to do the thing 'differently,' of course. But after a while,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-thalberg/the-producer-beating-a-new-path-for-himself-through-the-wilderness-is/) [Irving Thalberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-thalberg/) > [I'd rather go down with an almighty bang than play it safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-peake/i-d-rather-go-down-with-an-almighty-bang-than-play-it-safe/) [Maxine Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-peake/) > [“You play it safe and all you end up with is a lifetime of should-have-beens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivi-andrews/you-play-it-safe-and-all-you-end-up-with-is-a-lifetime-of-should-have/) Vivi Andrews > [There has been an obvious effort to play it safe, to make 'Bonanza' a good family show that would offend no one and hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pernell-roberts/there-has-been-an-obvious-effort-to-play-it-safe-to-make-bonanza-a/) [Pernell Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pernell-roberts/) > [I know what my causes are. And I care about them, so I'd rather get out there and talk about them than just play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adwoa-aboah/i-know-what-my-causes-are-and-i-care-about-them-so-i-d-rather-get-out/) [Adwoa Aboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adwoa-aboah/) ## More by Alex Sharp > [I don't like doing things that are easy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/i-don-t-like-doing-things-that-are-easy/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [We all feel at some point of our lives that we're different, that we don't fit in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/we-all-feel-at-some-point-of-our-lives-that-we-re-different-that-we/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [I think controversy is an interesting thing in that it usually goes hand in hand with starting conversations that surround taboo or under-discussed topics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/i-think-controversy-is-an-interesting-thing-in-that-it-usually-goes/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [I was really interested in observing people. From a young age, I wouldn't listen to what an adult was saying - I was obsessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/i-was-really-interested-in-observing-people-from-a-young-age-i-wouldn/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [I'm pretty careful about making sure that when I choose to do something, it's for the right reasons and that I really connect with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/i-m-pretty-careful-about-making-sure-that-when-i-choose-to-do/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [I spent the first seven years of my life in a caravan traveling around Europe and the United States because my parents were just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/i-spent-the-first-seven-years-of-my-life-in-a-caravan-traveling/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [I've been to the Met Ball and the Tonys, but Cannes is particularly huge. Every time at these big events, it's just - whoa.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/i-ve-been-to-the-met-ball-and-the-tonys-but-cannes-is-particularly/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [As an actor, you spend years getting ready for an opportunity to arise, and when it does, you're ready for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/as-an-actor-you-spend-years-getting-ready-for-an-opportunity-to-arise/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [My education was seeing and touching the world. I would read about the history of a castle with my mother - who was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/my-education-was-seeing-and-touching-the-world-i-would-read-about-the/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [I might not have been academically gifted - I was bad at maths, and science was a struggle - but I was good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/i-might-not-have-been-academically-gifted-i-was-bad-at-maths-and/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [At school, I had to work really hard to get a D in maths. And I wasn't slacking off; I actually did work quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/at-school-i-had-to-work-really-hard-to-get-a-d-in-maths-and-i-wasn-t/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [I played a very complex, multidimensional character - Piglet in 'Winnie-the-Pooh' - at age 7 in England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/i-played-a-very-complex-multidimensional-character-piglet-in-winnie/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [Darren Criss is a legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/darren-criss-is-a-legend/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [It was always my dream to live in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/it-was-always-my-dream-to-live-in-new-york/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [Sometimes you catch people's eyes during the show, which is horrible and awkward. I can always see the people in the front row, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/sometimes-you-catch-people-s-eyes-during-the-show-which-is-horrible/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) [Explore all 38 Alex Sharp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) ## More Danger quotes > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [“Anything you fear is a shackle to ur soul. It is a phobia that tethers and blinds ur ability to see and comprehend your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/anything-you-fear-is-a-shackle-to-ur-soul-it-is-a-phobia-that-tethers/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“The set of circumstances that justifies the use of deadly force is a situation of immediate danger of death or great bodily harm to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massad-ayoob/the-set-of-circumstances-that-justifies-the-use-of-deadly-force-is-a/) [Massad Ayoob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massad-ayoob/) > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/) Christopher Wood > [There are dangers in consensus: it could be an attempt to satisfy people holding no particular views about anything. ... No great party can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-are-dangers-in-consensus-it-could-be-an-attempt-to-satisfy/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [“I’ll always come back to you,” he said. “Always.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-grant/i-ll-always-come-back-to-you-he-said-always/) [Donna Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-grant/) > [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/) [Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/) > [A sea setting us upon the ice has brought us close to danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hudson/a-sea-setting-us-upon-the-ice-has-brought-us-close-to-danger/) [Henry Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hudson/) > [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [There's a danger in starting a fire, you'll never know how many bridges you'll burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-danger-in-starting-a-fire-you-ll-never-know-how-many/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This is the gift of your species and this is the danger, because you do not choose to control your imaginings. You imagine wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/this-is-the-gift-of-your-species-and-this-is-the-danger-because-you/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) [Browse all 5,463 Danger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can do a good job when you play it safe, but you can't do a spectacular job. 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