--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anyway, you never know what worse luck…" description: "\"“Anyway, you never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from. I was too young for one war and too old for the next one. But I seen what com..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/cormac-mccarthy-181_bad-luck_anyway-you-never-know-what-worse-luck-yo_1883156.jpg" --- # Anyway, you never know what worse luck your bad luck has… ![“Anyway, you never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from. I was too young for one war and too old for the next one. But I seen what come out of it. You can be patriotic and still believe that some things cost more than they’re worth. Ask them Gold Star mothers what they paid and…” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/cormac-mccarthy-181_bad-luck_anyway-you-never-know-what-worse-luck-yo_1883156.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/cormac-mccarthy-181_bad-luck_anyway-you-never-know-what-worse-luck-yo_1883156.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/cormac-mccarthy-181_bad-luck_anyway-you-never-know-what-worse-luck-yo_1883156.jpg) > ““Anyway, you never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from. I was too young for one war and too old for the next one. But I seen what come out of it. You can be patriotic and still believe that some things cost more than they’re worth. Ask them Gold Star mothers what they paid and what they got for it. You always pay too much. Particularly for promises. There aint no such thing as a bargain promise.”” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War’s randomness spares some while condemning others; patriotism can coexist with disillusionment; promises often cost more than they’re worth. **In simple terms:** War’s chance; costly promises. Key Takeaway Question the value of promises. Themes war patriotism disillusionment Mood somber critical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - military service - family decisions - political activism Key Concepts existentialism moral cost Questions to Reflect On - What promises have you felt were too costly? - How do you balance duty with personal values? A Different Perspective May generalize personal experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-luck/) [Bargain Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bargain-promise-2673054/) [Luck Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck-bad-577196/) [No-country-for-old-men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-country-for-old-men-132144/) [Patriotic Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotic-believe-2673055/) [Worse Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse-luck-2673053/) ## Related quotes > [You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-never-know-what-worse-luck-your-bad-luck-has-saved-you-from/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [You always pay too much. Particularly for promises. There aint no such thing as a bargain promise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-always-pay-too-much-particularly-for-promises-there-aint-no-such/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“It is always one's stance upon uncertain ground that invites the attentions of one's enemies. Or discourages it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/it-is-always-one-s-stance-upon-uncertain-ground-that-invites-the/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“where'd you get that pistol? At the gettin place”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/where-d-you-get-that-pistol-at-the-gettin-place/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [The House is composed of very good men, not shining, but honest and reasonably well-informed, and in time will be found to improve, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fisher-ames/the-house-is-composed-of-very-good-men-not-shining-but-honest-and/) [Fisher Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fisher-ames/) > [Who has good luck is good, Who has bad luck is bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/who-has-good-luck-is-good-who-has-bad-luck-is-bad/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [The only thing you have to worry about is bad luck. I never had bad luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/the-only-thing-you-have-to-worry-about-is-bad-luck-i-never-had-bad/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [You create your own luck by the way you play. There is no such luck as bad luck. Fate has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-norman/you-create-your-own-luck-by-the-way-you-play-there-is-no-such-luck-as/) [Greg Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-norman/) > [Never believe on anything like luck and bad luck. Just believe in yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/never-believe-on-anything-like-luck-and-bad-luck-just-believe-in/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [There is nothing like, good luck or bad luck. We mold our own fortune. Happy St. Patrick's Day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-like-good-luck-or-bad-luck-we-mold-our-own-fortune/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is not easy. We all have problems-even tragedies-to deal with, and luck has nothing to do with it. Bad luck is only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lowery-nixon/life-is-not-easy-we-all-have-problems-even-tragedies-to-deal-with-and/) [Joan Lowery Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lowery-nixon/) > [“There is no such thing as 'bad luck', only bad people and their karma that follows...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-juarez/there-is-no-such-thing-as-bad-luck-only-bad-people-and-their-karma/) [Robert Juarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-juarez/) > [Nobody gets justice. People only get good luck or bad luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/nobody-gets-justice-people-only-get-good-luck-or-bad-luck/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [“Good luck to you and bad luck to your theories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/good-luck-to-you-and-bad-luck-to-your-theories/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Too much luck is bad luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/german-proverb/too-much-luck-is-bad-luck/) [German Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/german-proverb/) ## More by Cormac McCarthy > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. Out there dark little archipelagos of cloud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-set-forth-in-a-crimson-dawn-where-sky-and-earth-closed-in-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Nothing. Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/nothing-where-all-was-burnt-to-ash-before-them-no-fires-were-to-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [He said that whether a man's life was writ in a book someplace or whether it took its form day by day was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-whether-a-man-s-life-was-writ-in-a-book-someplace-or/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He lives in a room above a courtyard behind a tavern and he comes down at night like some fairybook beast to fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-lives-in-a-room-above-a-courtyard-behind-a-tavern-and-he-comes/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Ultimo hombre. Last man standing, must've been one. Where'd he go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ultimo-hombre-last-man-standing-must-ve-been-one-where-d-he-go/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Night fell upon them dark and starblown and the wagon grew swollen near mute with dew. On their chairs in such black immobility these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/night-fell-upon-them-dark-and-starblown-and-the-wagon-grew-swollen/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [ “We none of us knew him to speak \[Dutch\]. Asked him where he'd learned it you know what he said? What did he say.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/we-none-of-us-knew-him-to-speak-dutch-asked-him-where-he-d-learned-it/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You know that the things you put it your head stay there, right?' 'Yeah. But you remember some things, don't you?' 'Yeah. You remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-know-that-the-things-you-put-it-your-head-stay-there-right-yeah/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Explore all 927 Cormac McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More Bad luck quotes > [“You never talk to the pitcher when…” He shook his head. “You just never talk to the pitcher when--” “I just wanted to congratulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/you-never-talk-to-the-pitcher-when-he-shook-his-head-you-just-never/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) > [Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/bad-luck-isn-t-brought-by-broken-mirrors-but-by-broken-minds/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [I never knew an early-rising, hard-working, prudent man, careful of his earnings, and strictly honest who complained of bad luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/i-never-knew-an-early-rising-hard-working-prudent-man-careful-of-his/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“I didn't do any of what they told me,' she said, 'because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-didn-t-do-any-of-what-they-told-me-she-said-because-the-more-i/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Everyone knows it is bad luck to step on a toad or on the shadow of a tree, to walk under a ladder,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-knows-it-is-bad-luck-to-step-on-a-toad-or-on-the-shadow-of-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Because the core of my personal philosophy is that everything that happens to us benefits us, I was also spared the futility of cursing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-the-core-of-my-personal-philosophy-is-that-everything-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There is no bad luck in the world but whitefolks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-is-no-bad-luck-in-the-world-but-whitefolks/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [The biggest trap, the biggest dungeon in life isn't laziness or bad luck, it's comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/the-biggest-trap-the-biggest-dungeon-in-life-isn-t-laziness-or-bad/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [All of us have bad luck and good luck. The man who persists through the bad luck - who keeps right on going -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-collier/all-of-us-have-bad-luck-and-good-luck-the-man-who-persists-through/) [Robert Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-collier/) > [“I was just beginning to wonder how long I would have to wait when finally a guard sauntered up and said, “Galloway, get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-galloway/i-was-just-beginning-to-wonder-how-long-i-would-have-to-wait-when/) [Noah Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-galloway/) > [“Oh, I don’t buy lottery tickets... because if I won, and I was capable of that kind of odd luck, then I would also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissi-sepe/oh-i-don-t-buy-lottery-tickets-because-if-i-won-and-i-was-capable-of/) [Chrissi Sepe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissi-sepe/) > [“Before Tessa could answer, there was a knock at the door, and a familiar voice. "It's Jem. Tessa, are you there?" Charlotte sat bolt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/before-tessa-could-answer-there-was-a-knock-at-the-door-and-a/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“If you were crossing the road and saw a black cat passing, you may possibly get hit by a car, or a mail boy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/if-you-were-crossing-the-road-and-saw-a-black-cat-passing-you-may/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [I'm very superstitious, and I think it's bad luck. You don't have to show your love by tattooing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priya-sachdev/i-m-very-superstitious-and-i-think-it-s-bad-luck-you-don-t-have-to/) [Priya Sachdev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priya-sachdev/) > [To my bad luck, my first schedule for 'Natasaarvabhowma' was in Kolkata and I was not really introduced to the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anupama-parameswaran/to-my-bad-luck-my-first-schedule-for-natasaarvabhowma-was-in-kolkata/) [Anupama Parameswaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anupama-parameswaran/) [Browse all 529 Bad luck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-luck/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Anyway, you never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from. I was too young for one war and too old for the next one. But I seen what come out of it. You can be patriotic and still believe that some things cost more than they’re worth. 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