---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've done the calculation and your…"
description: "\"I've done the calculation and your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not.\" — Fran Lebowitz"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/fran-lebowitz-690_chance_i-ve-done-the-calculation-and-your-chanc_3195824.png"
---

#  I've done the calculation and your chances of winning the…

![“I've done the calculation and your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not.” quote by Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/fran-lebowitz-690_chance_i-ve-done-the-calculation-and-your-chanc_3195824.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/fran-lebowitz-690_chance_i-ve-done-the-calculation-and-your-chanc_3195824.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/fran-lebowitz-690_chance_i-ve-done-the-calculation-and-your-chanc_3195824.png)

> “I've done the calculation and your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not.”

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Lottery odds are the same regardless of participation, highlighting the futility of hoping for a win.

**In simple terms:** Winning the lottery is as likely as not playing.

Key Takeaway

Don't rely on luck for success.

Themes

probability gambling expectation

Mood

skeptical pragmatic

Type

advice critical

When to use this quote

- financial planning
- gambling behavior
- risk management
- decision making

Key Concepts

statistics randomness risk assessment

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you spend money on low‑probability bets?
- How could you redirect that money to something productive?

A Different Perspective

Lottery tickets are a waste of money; better to invest in tangible goals.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Lottery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lottery/) [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) [Winning the lottery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning-the-lottery/)

## Related quotes

> [I figure you have the same chance of winning the lottery whether you play or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-figure-you-have-the-same-chance-of-winning-the-lottery-whether-you/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [My dad told me that no one could ever make it as a writer, that my chances were equivalent to winning the lottery -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppy-z-brite/my-dad-told-me-that-no-one-could-ever-make-it-as-a-writer-that-my/)

[Poppy Z. Brite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poppy-z-brite/)

> [Watching a pretty girl walk past you that you can't pick up is like winning the lottery and not being able to cash the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pradeep-chandra/watching-a-pretty-girl-walk-past-you-that-you-can-t-pick-up-is-like/)

Pradeep Chandra

> [You go and you buy a lottery ticket. You've got just as much chance of getting struck by lightning as you do of winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/you-go-and-you-buy-a-lottery-ticket-you-ve-got-just-as-much-chance-of/)

[Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/)

> [To get syndicated as a comic strip artist is as likely as winning the lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/to-get-syndicated-as-a-comic-strip-artist-is-as-likely-as-winning-the/)

[Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/)

> [Kroos was right to go abroad. It was like winning the lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/kroos-was-right-to-go-abroad-it-was-like-winning-the-lottery/)

[Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/)

> [Being with you is like winning the lottery but with no money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-with-you-is-like-winning-the-lottery-but-with-no-money/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Winning the lottery is winning the lottery. It's highly unlikely and very unusual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-lansens/winning-the-lottery-is-winning-the-lottery-it-s-highly-unlikely-and/)

[Lori Lansens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-lansens/)

> [I knew the HIV virus was something anyone could get but also believed the chances were very slim... I honestly believed I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-morrison/i-knew-the-hiv-virus-was-something-anyone-could-get-but-also-believed/)

[Tommy Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-morrison/)

> [How come you never read about a psychic winning the lottery?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-come-you-never-read-about-a-psychic-winning-the-lottery/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“What is the likelihood, of winning the lottery, then lose it all the next day when you step out your front door and get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/what-is-the-likelihood-of-winning-the-lottery-then-lose-it-all-the/)

[Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/)

> [“Weirdly—but as Danny and Amos had suspected—the further the winning number was from the number on a person's lottery ticket, the less regret they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/weirdly-but-as-danny-and-amos-had-suspected-the-further-the-winning/)

[Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/)

> [“The chances of winning the lottery are approximately one in fourteen million,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-smale/the-chances-of-winning-the-lottery-are-approximately-one-in-fourteen/)

[Holly Smale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-smale/)

> [She was staying. A little longer. V smiled to himself. So this was what winning the lottery felt like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/she-was-staying-a-little-longer-v-smiled-to-himself-so-this-was-what/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [The good news is that going blind is not going to make you as unhappy as you think it will. The bad news is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-gilbert/the-good-news-is-that-going-blind-is-not-going-to-make-you-as-unhappy/)

[Daniel Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-gilbert/)

## More by Fran Lebowitz

> [Why not have your first baby at sixty, when your husband is already dead and your career is over? Then you can really devote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/why-not-have-your-first-baby-at-sixty-when-your-husband-is-already/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I've never had the experience of being edited and never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-never-had-the-experience-of-being-edited-and-never-will/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I think humor is warmer, and wit is colder. Wit is judgment, whereas humor invites some sort of response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-think-humor-is-warmer-and-wit-is-colder-wit-is-judgment-whereas/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Communists all seem to wear small caps, a look I consider better suited to tubes of toothpaste than to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communists-all-seem-to-wear-small-caps-a-look-i-consider-better/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [“lack, or loutish and crass kollective is a program dedicated to the proposition that vulgarity and bad taste are an inalienable right. the lackies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/lack-or-loutish-and-crass-kollective-is-a-program-dedicated-to-the/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I figure you have the same chance of winning the lottery whether you play or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-figure-you-have-the-same-chance-of-winning-the-lottery-whether-you/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [ \[Friendships\] are easy to get out of compared to love affairs, but they are not easy to get out of compared to, say, jail. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/friendships-are-easy-to-get-out-of-compared-to-love-affairs-but-they/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Smoking is, as far as I'm concerned, the entire point of being an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-the-entire-point-of-being-an-adult/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [If you want to get ahead in this world get a lawyer -- not a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/if-you-want-to-get-ahead-in-this-world-get-a-lawyer-not-a-book/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When it comes to sports I am not particularly interested. Generally speaking, I look upon them as dangerous and tiring activities performed by people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-it-comes-to-sports-i-am-not-particularly-interested-generally/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [The first time I ever saw platform shoes in the '70s, I knew they'd been revived from the '40s, and I felt sickened. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/the-first-time-i-ever-saw-platform-shoes-in-the-70s-i-knew-they-d/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Children ask better questions than adults. "May I have a cookie?" "Why is the sky blue?" and "What does a cow say?" are far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/children-ask-better-questions-than-adults-may-i-have-a-cookie-why-is/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [ I do not think everyone is created equal. In fact, I know they're not. \[The Constitution\] means that everyone should have the same laws… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-do-not-think-everyone-is-created-equal-in-fact-i-know-they-re-not/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When I fly, I'm never afraid the plane is going to crash. But there have often been times when I was afraid it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-fly-i-m-never-afraid-the-plane-is-going-to-crash-but-there/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Smoking is, if not my life, then at least my hobby. I love to smoke. Smoking is fun. Smoking is cool. Smoking is, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-if-not-my-life-then-at-least-my-hobby-i-love-to-smoke/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

[Explore all 408 Fran Lebowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## 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

> [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. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/)

[Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/)

> [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/)

[Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/)

> [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/)

[Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/)

[Browse all 12,460 Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I've done the calculation and your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fran Lebowitz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-done-the-calculation-and-your-chances-of-winning-the-lottery-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-done-the-calculation-and-your-chances-of-winning-the-lottery-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/fran-lebowitz-690_chance_i-ve-done-the-calculation-and-your-chanc_3195824.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/fran-lebowitz-690_chance_i-ve-done-the-calculation-and-your-chanc_3195824.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/fran-lebowitz-690_chance_i-ve-done-the-calculation-and-your-chanc_3195824.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've done the calculation and your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not.” — Fran Lebowitz",
                "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": "Fran Lebowitz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I've done the calculation and your...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-done-the-calculation-and-your-chances-of-winning-the-lottery-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-done-the-calculation-and-your-chances-of-winning-the-lottery-are/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
