--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everything is chance, or nothing is…" description: "\"Everything is chance, or nothing is chance. If I believed the first, I would be unable to live on, but I am not yet fully convinced of the second.\" — E..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/etty-hillesum-9002_chance_everything-is-chance-or-nothing-is-chanc_2568912.jpg" --- # Everything is chance, or nothing is chance. If I believed… ![“Everything is chance, or nothing is chance. If I believed the first, I would be unable to live on, but I am not yet fully convinced of the second.” quote by Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/etty-hillesum-9002_chance_everything-is-chance-or-nothing-is-chanc_2568912.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/etty-hillesum-9002_chance_everything-is-chance-or-nothing-is-chanc_2568912.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/etty-hillesum-9002_chance_everything-is-chance-or-nothing-is-chanc_2568912.jpg) > “Everything is chance, or nothing is chance. If I believed the first, I would be unable to live on, but I am not yet fully convinced of the second.” [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She wrestles with the nature of chance, questioning determinism and randomness, and remains uncertain about absolute certainty. **In simple terms:** Debates whether everything is chance or not. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty while seeking meaning. Themes philosophy existence uncertainty Mood contemplative introspective Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - making decisions - coping with doubt - philosophical reflection Key Concepts determinism randomness belief Questions to Reflect On - What role does chance play in your life? - Can you live with uncertainty? A Different Perspective Absolute certainty may be unattainable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believed Unable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-unable-1674694/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Chance Believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance-believed-1674692/) [Chance Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance-chance-348688/) [Convinced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced/) [Convinced Second](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced-second-1674693/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Powerlessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerlessness/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [The greater the lie, the greater the chance that it will be believed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-greater-the-lie-the-greater-the-chance-that-it-will-be-believed/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“You can take care of everything except chance. Chance can kill you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-williams/you-can-take-care-of-everything-except-chance-chance-can-kill-you/) [Charles Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-williams/) > [If you don't take the chance,then the chance will pass you by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/if-you-don-t-take-the-chance-then-the-chance-will-pass-you-by/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [“Chance and chance alone has a message for us. Everything that occurs out of necessity, everything expected, repeated day in and day out, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/chance-and-chance-alone-has-a-message-for-us-everything-that-occurs-2/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“I would have hoped you would have learned by now. No matter, a man who refuses to face his destiny offers himself to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-lion/i-would-have-hoped-you-would-have-learned-by-now-no-matter-a-man-who/) [J.B. Lion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-lion/) > [“I want you to give me a chance.” “A chance at what?” Shifting so that he could press his forehead to hers, he said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/i-want-you-to-give-me-a-chance-a-chance-at-what-shifting-so-that-he/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“One way to express the answer is that it might happen by 'chance'. But 'chance' is just a word expressing ignorance. It means 'determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/one-way-to-express-the-answer-is-that-it-might-happen-by-chance-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Nothing could be left to chance, because chance, after all, can be dangerous. But what I didn't realize all that time, what I missed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessi-kirby/nothing-could-be-left-to-chance-because-chance-after-all-can-be/) [Jessi Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessi-kirby/) > [“We get one chance and that one chance can make or break us. Turn our event into enchantment or one of tragedy. Either tears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckee/we-get-one-chance-and-that-one-chance-can-make-or-break-us-turn-our/) [Emily McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckee/) > [Above all, it's never blind chance: it's a chance that is always planned, but also always surprising. And I need it in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/above-all-it-s-never-blind-chance-it-s-a-chance-that-is-always/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Chance and chance alone has a message for us. Everything that occurs out of necessity, everything expected, repeated day in and day out, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/chance-and-chance-alone-has-a-message-for-us-everything-that-occurs/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [In a universe governed by God there are no chance events. Indeed, there is no such thing as chance. Chance does not exist. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/in-a-universe-governed-by-god-there-are-no-chance-events-indeed-there/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [I just want a chance a chance is all I want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slowly-fading/i-just-want-a-chance-a-chance-is-all-i-want/) [Slowly\_fading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slowly-fading/) > [“Give me another chance, one more chance, and I’ll walk a line so straight people will think I’ve been possessed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/give-me-another-chance-one-more-chance-and-i-ll-walk-a-line-so/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [Use your second chance as your last chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syed-muhd/use-your-second-chance-as-your-last-chance/) [Syed Muhd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syed-muhd/) ## More by Etty Hillesum > [A large group of us were crowded into the Gestapo hall, and at that moment the circumstances of all our lives were the same.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/a-large-group-of-us-were-crowded-into-the-gestapo-hall-and-at-that/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Every word born of an inner necessity - writing must never be anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/every-word-born-of-an-inner-necessity-writing-must-never-be-anything/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [That fear of missing out on things makes you miss out on everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/that-fear-of-missing-out-on-things-makes-you-miss-out-on-everything/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [There are moments when I feel like giving up or giving in, but I soon rally again and do my duty as I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/there-are-moments-when-i-feel-like-giving-up-or-giving-in-but-i-soon/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Here, beside this great black surface that is my desk, I feel as though I am on a desert island.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/here-beside-this-great-black-surface-that-is-my-desk-i-feel-as-though/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [The externals are simply so many props; everything we need is within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/the-externals-are-simply-so-many-props-everything-we-need-is-within-us/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [If one finds the strength to deal with small things, one finds it to deal with the large ones as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-finds-the-strength-to-deal-with-small-things-one-finds-it-to/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [All disasters stem from us. Why is there a war? Perhaps because now and then I might be inclined to snap at my neighbour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/all-disasters-stem-from-us-why-is-there-a-war-perhaps-because-now-and/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/sometimes-the-most-important-thing-in-a-whole-day-is-the-rest-we-take/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [We human beings cause monstrous conditions, but precisely because we cause them we soon learn to adapt ourselves to them. Only if we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/we-human-beings-cause-monstrous-conditions-but-precisely-because-we/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Despite everything, life is full of beauty and meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/despite-everything-life-is-full-of-beauty-and-meaning/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Sometimes my day is crammed full of people and talk and yet I have the feeling of living in utter peace and quiet. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/sometimes-my-day-is-crammed-full-of-people-and-talk-and-yet-i-have/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [To live fully, outwardly and inwardly, not to ignore the external reality for the sake of the inner life, or the reverse, that's quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/to-live-fully-outwardly-and-inwardly-not-to-ignore-the-external/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [If one burdens the future with one's worries, it cannot grow organically. I am filled with confidence, not that I shall succeed in worldly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-burdens-the-future-with-one-s-worries-it-cannot-grow/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies. We make mental provisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/we-have-to-fight-them-daily-like-fleas-those-many-small-worries-about/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) [Explore all 62 Etty Hillesum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) ## More Chance quotes > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/) [Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/) > [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/) [Alejandro Taubas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-taubas/) > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. 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