--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The gamble is everything, and losing…" description: "\"“The gamble is everything, and losing means death. The odds are more than a million to one against success.”\" — Hope Jahren" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/hope-jahren-4468_death_the-gamble-is-everything-and-losing-mean_2945442.jpg" --- # The gamble is everything, and losing means death. The odds… ![“The gamble is everything, and losing means death. The odds are more than a million to one against success.” quote by Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/hope-jahren-4468_death_the-gamble-is-everything-and-losing-mean_2945442.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/hope-jahren-4468_death_the-gamble-is-everything-and-losing-mean_2945442.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/hope-jahren-4468_death_the-gamble-is-everything-and-losing-mean_2945442.jpg) > ““The gamble is everything, and losing means death. The odds are more than a million to one against success.”” [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote portrays gambling as high-stakes, where loss feels fatal and odds are astronomically against success. **In simple terms:** Gambling is extremely risky with deadly consequences. Key Takeaway Understand the true odds before risking. Themes risk gambling probability death fortune Mood cautionary serious Type financial psychological When to use this quote - investment decisions - addiction counseling - risk management Key Concepts statistics behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - How can one assess true odds? - What alternatives exist to high‑risk gambling? A Different Perspective Not all risks are equal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [“When odds are one in a million,be that one”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-sabourin/when-odds-are-one-in-a-million-be-that-one/) Max Sabourin > [“Winning will make you famous. Losing means certain death. The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/winning-will-make-you-famous-losing-means-certain-death-the-nation-of/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“Dying is losing your means of Transport, Not your soul or Self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-geaney/dying-is-losing-your-means-of-transport-not-your-soul-or-self/) [Michelle Geaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-geaney/) > [Sometimes losing someone means gaining yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/sometimes-losing-someone-means-gaining-yourself/) Unkown > [Sometimes it becomes necessary to clear the path for others…:) Love is not means that you always win… Sometimes losing means love too](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-it-becomes-necessary-to-clear-the-path-for-others-love-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I forgive everyone.But don't give them a second chance,losing me once means can never get back the old me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/i-forgive-everyone-but-don-t-give-them-a-second-chance-losing-me-once/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [“Steady losing means you ain't using what you really think is right”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-prine/steady-losing-means-you-ain-t-using-what-you-really-think-is-right/) [John Prine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-prine/) > [“When you think about it, life is a risk. Every day is a risk. Getting in a car is a risk. Loving is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen/when-you-think-about-it-life-is-a-risk-every-day-is-a-risk-getting-in/) [Justina Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen/) > [Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/winning-means-fame-and-fortune-losing-means-certain-death-the-hunger/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [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/) > [I don't play golf competitively. I tell everybody that I cheat so they won't gamble with me. That's why you can't watch football. Everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-don-t-play-golf-competitively-i-tell-everybody-that-i-cheat-so-they/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [ \[Motherhood is\] 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/) > [Then they're like addicts; they can't help themselves... They will steal, cheat, embezzle and commit other crimes just to get money to gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/then-they-re-like-addicts-they-can-t-help-themselves-they-will-steal/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [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 Hope Jahren > [A tree's wood is also its memoir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/a-tree-s-wood-is-also-its-memoir/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“You and I are going to work our asses off, teach them shit over and over, risk our fucking lives for them, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/you-and-i-are-going-to-work-our-asses-off-teach-them-shit-over-and/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Men and women study things differently, and it's not because of our chromosomes. It's a product of our cultural conditioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/men-and-women-study-things-differently-and-it-s-not-because-of-our/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [One thing that was very important to me was that I felt comfortable in the lab from being very, very small. I knew that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me-was-that-i-felt-comfortable/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [If every seed turned into a plant, we'd be living in a very different world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/if-every-seed-turned-into-a-plant-we-d-be-living-in-a-very-different/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [The live oak can grow sturdily on the hottest hills of central California, contrasting dark green against the golden grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-live-oak-can-grow-sturdily-on-the-hottest-hills-of-central/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [I grew up playing with kids who were the kids of people my parents grew up playing with, and they know me like nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/i-grew-up-playing-with-kids-who-were-the-kids-of-people-my-parents/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [The world breaks a little bit every time we cut down a tree. It's so much easier to cut one down than to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-world-breaks-a-little-bit-every-time-we-cut-down-a-tree-it-s-so/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [For a tree, to endure four months of daylight is like you or I going without sleep for four months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/for-a-tree-to-endure-four-months-of-daylight-is-like-you-or-i-going/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [I feel like I'm the same scientist I was back when I couldn't get a grant. Now I'm that same person thinking that same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/i-feel-like-i-m-the-same-scientist-i-was-back-when-i-couldn-t-get-a/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Plants are decisive to a fault. A stem produces a bud that flowers once and once only. It offers pollen that is either dispersed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/plants-are-decisive-to-a-fault-a-stem-produces-a-bud-that-flowers/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Even a very little girl can wield a slide rule, the cursor serving as a haft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/even-a-very-little-girl-can-wield-a-slide-rule-the-cursor-serving-as/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“People will tell you that you have to know math to be a scientist, or physics or chemistry. They’re wrong. That’s like saying you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/people-will-tell-you-that-you-have-to-know-math-to-be-a-scientist-or/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [No matter how much funding I get, I'm always thinking, 'This is temporary. This is fragile. It could all end tomorrow, and how am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/no-matter-how-much-funding-i-get-i-m-always-thinking-this-is/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“Everybody does all kinds of shit that they don’t know why they do. They just know that they have to,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/everybody-does-all-kinds-of-shit-that-they-don-t-know-why-they-do/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) [Explore all 110 Hope Jahren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) ## 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. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. 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. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. 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": "“The gamble is everything, and losing means death. The odds are more than a million to one against success.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hope Jahren" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-gamble-is-everything-and-losing-means-death-the-odds-are-more/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-gamble-is-everything-and-losing-means-death-the-odds-are-more/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/hope-jahren-4468_death_the-gamble-is-everything-and-losing-mean_2945442.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/hope-jahren-4468_death_the-gamble-is-everything-and-losing-mean_2945442.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/hope-jahren-4468_death_the-gamble-is-everything-and-losing-mean_2945442.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The gamble is everything, and losing means death. The odds are more than a million to one against success.” — Hope Jahren", "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": "Hope Jahren", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The gamble is everything, and losing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-gamble-is-everything-and-losing-means-death-the-odds-are-more/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-gamble-is-everything-and-losing-means-death-the-odds-are-more/#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 } } ] } ```