--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you know you're worth nothing, only a…" description: "\"If you know you're worth nothing, only a gamble with death can gratify your vanity.\" — Don DeLillo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/don-delillo-294_death_if-you-know-you-re-worth-nothing-only-a_1677002.jpg" --- # If you know you're worth nothing, only a gamble with death… ![“If you know you're worth nothing, only a gamble with death can gratify your vanity.” quote by Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/don-delillo-294_death_if-you-know-you-re-worth-nothing-only-a_1677002.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/don-delillo-294_death_if-you-know-you-re-worth-nothing-only-a_1677002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/don-delillo-294_death_if-you-know-you-re-worth-nothing-only-a_1677002.jpg) > “If you know you're worth nothing, only a gamble with death can gratify your vanity.” [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self-worth tied to danger leads to self-destructive behavior. **In simple terms:** Worthlessness drives risky actions. Key Takeaway Seek value beyond external validation. Themes existentialism self-worth risk Mood introspective critical Type literary psychological When to use this quote - addiction recovery - career change - relationship counseling - personal development Key Concepts nihilism vanity psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does your self-worth depend on? - Can you find meaning without self-destruction? A Different Perspective Risk may not truly restore self-esteem. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity/) ## Related quotes > [“And, lastly (I may as well confess it, since my denial of it will be believed by nobody), perhaps I shall a good deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/and-lastly-i-may-as-well-confess-it-since-my-denial-of-it-will-be/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [I'm constantly jumping off cliffs and developing my wings on the way down. ... It's a gamble, a ... spiritual gamble. You are who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-m-constantly-jumping-off-cliffs-and-developing-my-wings-on-the-way/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [Life will always remain a gamble, with prizes sometimes for the imprudent, and blanks so often to the wise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/life-will-always-remain-a-gamble-with-prizes-sometimes-for-the/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [“could change the past and … cease to exist.” “But that’s the nature of risk, isn’t it? You gamble everything on the slenderest of hopes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-kate/could-change-the-past-and-cease-to-exist-but-that-s-the-nature-of/) [Lauren Kate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-kate/) > [Life is a gamble and I'm all about my poker chips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/life-is-a-gamble-and-i-m-all-about-my-poker-chips/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [“I never advise friends to put money in anything,. said Danny. 'It's a no-win situation - if they make a profit they forget that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-archer/i-never-advise-friends-to-put-money-in-anything-said-danny-it-s-a-no/) [Jeffrey Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-archer/) > [Marriage is a gamble, let's be honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/marriage-is-a-gamble-let-s-be-honest/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Life is a gamble. if you win ure lucky, but if you lose , you lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/space-man/life-is-a-gamble-if-you-win-ure-lucky-but-if-you-lose-you-lose/) Space\_man > [When you take high risks, the rewards are higher. So sometimes I'll gamble just to see what happens. If it doesn't work, I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-braxton/when-you-take-high-risks-the-rewards-are-higher-so-sometimes-i-ll/) [Toni Braxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-braxton/) > [When you're in the back of the pack, you can gamble a little bit more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-andretti/when-you-re-in-the-back-of-the-pack-you-can-gamble-a-little-bit-more/) [Michael Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-andretti/) > [Gambles are the most fun because it's part of being an actor or being a creative person. It's risky only in the vulnerable sense.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/gambles-are-the-most-fun-because-it-s-part-of-being-an-actor-or-being/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [Life is a gamble better check the point spread and when life sucks, I just enjoy the head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/life-is-a-gamble-better-check-the-point-spread-and-when-life-sucks-i/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [Life is a Gamble sometimes you won something and sometimes others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udayveer-singh/life-is-a-gamble-sometimes-you-won-something-and-sometimes-others/) [Udayveer Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/udayveer-singh/) > [ \[Motherhood is\] the biggest gamble in the world. It is the glorious life force. It's huge and scary-it's an act of infinite optimism. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilda-radner/motherhood-is-the-biggest-gamble-in-the-world-it-is-the-glorious-life/) [Gilda Radner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilda-radner/) > [The planet's survival has become so uncertain that any effort, any thought that presupposes an assured future amounts to a mad gamble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/the-planet-s-survival-has-become-so-uncertain-that-any-effort-any/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) ## More by Don DeLillo > [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [Everything is barely weeks. Everything is days. We have minutes to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/everything-is-barely-weeks-everything-is-days-we-have-minutes-to-live/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [The novel is the dream release, the suspension of reality that history needs to escape its own brutal confinements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-novel-is-the-dream-release-the-suspension-of-reality-that-history/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“As I listened I thought a featureless baggy man was striking me in slow motion with a well-polished stone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/as-i-listened-i-thought-a-featureless-baggy-man-was-striking-me-in/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Murray said, 'I don't trust anybody's nostalgia but my own. Nostalgia is a product of dissatisfaction and rage. It´s a settling of grievances between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/murray-said-i-don-t-trust-anybody-s-nostalgia-but-my-own-nostalgia-is/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“She is beginning to think it is possible that all creation is a spurt of blank matter that chances to make an emerald planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/she-is-beginning-to-think-it-is-possible-that-all-creation-is-a-spurt/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Those who have abandoned belief must still believe in us. They are sure that they are right not to believe but they know belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/those-who-have-abandoned-belief-must-still-believe-in-us-they-are/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“The plane had lost power in all three engines, dropped from thirty-four thousand feet to twelve thousand feet. Something like four miles. 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Maybe this is why we know so little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/marriage-is-something-we-make-from-available-materials-in-this-sense/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [The true life is not reducible to words spoken or written, not by anyone, ever. The true life takes place when we're alone, thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-true-life-is-not-reducible-to-words-spoken-or-written-not-by/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [I've come to think of Europe as a hardcover book, America as the paperback version.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-ve-come-to-think-of-europe-as-a-hardcover-book-america-as-the/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [There is a set of balances and rhythms to a novel that we can't experience in real life. So I think there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-a-set-of-balances-and-rhythms-to-a-novel-that-we-can-t/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“There is no lie in war or preparation of war that can't be defended. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-no-lie-in-war-or-preparation-of-war-that-can-t-be-defended/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) [Explore all 699 Don DeLillo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. 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Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. Powers > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. 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You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you know you're worth nothing, only a gamble with death can gratify your vanity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Don DeLillo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/if-you-know-you-re-worth-nothing-only-a-gamble-with-death-can-gratify/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/if-you-know-you-re-worth-nothing-only-a-gamble-with-death-can-gratify/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/don-delillo-294_death_if-you-know-you-re-worth-nothing-only-a_1677002.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/don-delillo-294_death_if-you-know-you-re-worth-nothing-only-a_1677002.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/don-delillo-294_death_if-you-know-you-re-worth-nothing-only-a_1677002.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you know you're worth nothing, only a gamble with death can gratify your vanity.” — Don DeLillo", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Don DeLillo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you know you're worth nothing,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/if-you-know-you-re-worth-nothing-only-a-gamble-with-death-can-gratify/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/if-you-know-you-re-worth-nothing-only-a-gamble-with-death-can-gratify/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```