--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ..there was always a chance, that as bad…" description: "\"“..there was always a chance, that as bad as things were, America was a big juggling act and that we could all be kept up in the air somehow, and go ar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/e-l-doctrow-62098_billy-bathgate_there-was-always-a-chance-that-as-bad-as_2219626.jpg" --- # ..there was always a chance, that as bad as things were… ![“..there was always a chance, that as bad as things were, America was a big juggling act and that we could all be kept up in the air somehow, and go around not from hand to hand, but from light to dark, from night to day, in the universe of God after all.” quote by E. L. Doctrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/e-l-doctrow-62098_billy-bathgate_there-was-always-a-chance-that-as-bad-as_2219626.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/e-l-doctrow-62098_billy-bathgate_there-was-always-a-chance-that-as-bad-as_2219626.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/e-l-doctrow-62098_billy-bathgate_there-was-always-a-chance-that-as-bad-as_2219626.jpg) > ““..there was always a chance, that as bad as things were, America was a big juggling act and that we could all be kept up in the air somehow, and go around not from hand to hand, but from light to dark, from night to day, in the universe of God after all.”” [E. L. Doctrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctrow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life's uncertainties can be seen as a cosmic juggling act, where faith and perseverance keep us afloat. **In simple terms:** Life feels like a juggling act needing faith. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty with faith. Themes faith uncertainty perseverance existence Mood reflective philosophical Type quote inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - creative work - spiritual reflection Key Concepts cosmic perspective resilience Questions to Reflect On - What does “light to dark” symbolize for you? - How can you stay grounded amid chaos? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-big-429424/) [Billy-bathgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billy-bathgate-20134/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Juggling Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/juggling-act-472970/) [Things America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-america-442670/) ## Related quotes > [“Mr. Schultz did impulsive and unwise things, and I worried that I was one of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctrow/mr-schultz-did-impulsive-and-unwise-things-and-i-worried-that-i-was/) [E. L. Doctrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctrow/) > [“..it is a fact that money exhilarates people, it puts them in hysterias of good cheer, they suddenly care about you and want the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctrow/it-is-a-fact-that-money-exhilarates-people-it-puts-them-in-hysterias/) [E. L. Doctrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctrow/) > [“And the men who got down from the cab were not ordinary truck drivers in soft caps and mackinaws but men in overcoats and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctrow/and-the-men-who-got-down-from-the-cab-were-not-ordinary-truck-drivers/) [E. L. Doctrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctrow/) > [“I want you to get a haircut so you don't look like Ish Kabibble on a rainy night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctrow/i-want-you-to-get-a-haircut-so-you-don-t-look-like-ish-kabibble-on-a/) [E. L. Doctrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctrow/) > [President Barack Obama is a doer. And we in America will do big things with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hunt/president-barack-obama-is-a-doer-and-we-in-america-will-do-big-things/) [Jim Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hunt/) > [“I am not one thing. I am many things that America has been in my time. I had enough sense to keep moving, learning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-am-not-one-thing-i-am-many-things-that-america-has-been-in-my-time/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Like most working moms, my life is a constant juggling act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hollis/like-most-working-moms-my-life-is-a-constant-juggling-act/) [Rachel Hollis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hollis/) > [Being a mother, singer and actress is a definite juggling act, but I don't think I would be comfortable any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/being-a-mother-singer-and-actress-is-a-definite-juggling-act-but-i/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [Working mothers' laughter comes hardest when our double life is revealed for what it is: a juggling act in which the balls can drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/working-mothers-laughter-comes-hardest-when-our-double-life-is/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [I dropped my juggling balls and my face grew embarrassed. It wasn't until then that I looked around the circus of life and noted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefanie-schneider/i-dropped-my-juggling-balls-and-my-face-grew-embarrassed-it-wasn-t/) [Stefanie Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefanie-schneider/) > [The foreign press seems obsessed with the Freedom Tower, as if it was the only thing going on here. In fact, we're trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/the-foreign-press-seems-obsessed-with-the-freedom-tower-as-if-it-was/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [It is a juggling act and I have been in it for 12 years now, which is about 11 years longer than I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-burns/it-is-a-juggling-act-and-i-have-been-in-it-for-12-years-now-which-is/) [Edward Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-burns/) > [For women of my generation, it was the 'juggling act.' Jobs, marriage, children, homes, and aging parents were the balls we added, tossing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willow-bay/for-women-of-my-generation-it-was-the-juggling-act-jobs-marriage/) [Willow Bay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willow-bay/) > [It's a juggling act. Every time I get going on the album stuff or being musical, acting kicks in and I book a job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinsel-korey/it-s-a-juggling-act-every-time-i-get-going-on-the-album-stuff-or/) [Tinsel Korey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinsel-korey/) > [It's really hard to get fans in another country, especially here, because America is so, so big, so it's really hard to get known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/it-s-really-hard-to-get-fans-in-another-country-especially-here/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) ## More by E. L. Doctrow > [“..it is a fact that money exhilarates people, it puts them in hysterias of good cheer, they suddenly care about you and want the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctrow/it-is-a-fact-that-money-exhilarates-people-it-puts-them-in-hysterias/) [E. L. Doctrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctrow/) > [“I want you to get a haircut so you don't look like Ish Kabibble on a rainy night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctrow/i-want-you-to-get-a-haircut-so-you-don-t-look-like-ish-kabibble-on-a/) [E. L. Doctrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctrow/) > [“And the men who got down from the cab were not ordinary truck drivers in soft caps and mackinaws but men in overcoats and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctrow/and-the-men-who-got-down-from-the-cab-were-not-ordinary-truck-drivers/) [E. L. Doctrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctrow/) > [“Mr. Schultz did impulsive and unwise things, and I worried that I was one of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctrow/mr-schultz-did-impulsive-and-unwise-things-and-i-worried-that-i-was/) [E. L. Doctrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctrow/) [Explore all 5 E. L. Doctrow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctrow/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“..there was always a chance, that as bad as things were, America was a big juggling act and that we could all be kept up in the air somehow, and go around not from hand to hand, but from light to dark, from night to day, in the universe of God after all.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "E. 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