--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Things are going to go wrong, and I think…" description: "\"Things are going to go wrong, and I think we are false to life if we don’t portray it. But there is also the hope that some lucky clown is going to com..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/james-a-michener-1627_clown_things-are-going-to-go-wrong-and-i-think_304967.jpg" --- # Things are going to go wrong, and I think we are false to… ![“Things are going to go wrong, and I think we are false to life if we don’t portray it. But there is also the hope that some lucky clown is going to come along and stumble into the gold mine. And I think you are also entitled to hold out that hope.” quote by James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/james-a-michener-1627_clown_things-are-going-to-go-wrong-and-i-think_304967.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/james-a-michener-1627_clown_things-are-going-to-go-wrong-and-i-think_304967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/james-a-michener-1627_clown_things-are-going-to-go-wrong-and-i-think_304967.jpg) > “Things are going to go wrong, and I think we are false to life if we don’t portray it. But there is also the hope that some lucky clown is going to come along and stumble into the gold mine. And I think you are also entitled to hold out that hope.” [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is fraught with failure, yet hope persists that unexpected luck will bring success; we are justified in maintaining that hope. **In simple terms:** Life goes wrong, but hope for lucky breakthroughs is justified. Key Takeaway Hold onto hope despite inevitable setbacks. Themes hope uncertainty resilience luck optimism Mood optimistic determined Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - creative projects - personal growth - entrepreneurship Key Concepts existentialism psychology storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What risks are you willing to take for a chance at success? - How do you balance hope with realistic planning? A Different Perspective Hope can lead to complacency if not paired with action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clown/) [Entitled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entitled/) [Going Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-wrong/) [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Hold Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hold-hope-608759/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hope Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-lucky-2905846/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucky/) [Mines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mines/) [Portray Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portray-hope-2905845/) [Think False](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-false-1542250/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I hope I'm lucky enough to be at Arsenal for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-vela/i-hope-i-m-lucky-enough-to-be-at-arsenal-for-a-long-time/) [Carlos Vela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-vela/) > [Acting will always be my first passion, it's what I live to do and I hope to be lucky enough to do it the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-werkheiser/acting-will-always-be-my-first-passion-it-s-what-i-live-to-do-and-i/) [Devon Werkheiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-werkheiser/) > [I don't have time to think about the false controversy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-don-t-have-time-to-think-about-the-false-controversy/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [I think it's false to believe that anything good is going to start from the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dellinger/i-think-it-s-false-to-believe-that-anything-good-is-going-to-start/) [David Dellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dellinger/) > [You ought to be true for the sake of the folks who think you are true. You never should stoop to a deed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-guest/you-ought-to-be-true-for-the-sake-of-the-folks-who-think-you-are-true/) [Edgar Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-guest/) > [Heretics think false things about God and call it their faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/heretics-think-false-things-about-god-and-call-it-their-faith/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Hold onto your hope and faith because one day you'll see that it is what helped you get to where you are today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hold-onto-your-hope-and-faith-because-one-day-you-ll-see-that-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I will hold on hope And I won't let you choke On the noose around your neck And I'll find strength in pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mumford-and-sons/but-i-will-hold-on-hope-and-i-won-t-let-you-choke-on-the-noose-around/) [Mumford And Sons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mumford-and-sons/) > [“No matter how buried it gets, or lost you feel, you must promise me, that you will hold on to hope and keep it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-parker-spiderman/no-matter-how-buried-it-gets-or-lost-you-feel-you-must-promise-me/) [Peter Parker Spiderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-parker-spiderman/) > [“The best kind of people are people who feel, and who hold hope in their hearts. Even if it sometimes means being hurt and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mosier/the-best-kind-of-people-are-people-who-feel-and-who-hold-hope-in/) [Paul Mosier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mosier/) > [Hold onto hope. Its the only thing that will keep you going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/hold-onto-hope-its-the-only-thing-that-will-keep-you-going/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [“I knew that she couldn’t hear me if she was there. But the sound was enough to grab me, to hold me to hope,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-kirsten-maravel/i-knew-that-she-couldn-t-hear-me-if-she-was-there-but-the-sound-was/) [Shawn Kirsten Maravel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-kirsten-maravel/) > [The amazing thing is that we're right to hold onto hope. The world may be broken but hope is not crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-amazing-thing-is-that-we-re-right-to-hold-onto-hope-the-world-may/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Well she won't leave this night alone And she won—t sleep at all And all the sorrow that she takes out on herself It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helio/well-she-won-t-leave-this-night-alone-and-she-won-t-sleep-at-all-and/) [Helio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helio/) > [We live in this irreparably broken world, and I don't wish to deny reality, but the amazing thing to me is not that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-live-in-this-irreparably-broken-world-and-i-don-t-wish-to-deny/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More by James A. Michener > [ “\[Very rich people\] with brains make a great effort to hold on to every penny they have while preaching to the general population that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/very-rich-people-with-brains-make-a-great-effort-to-hold-on-to-every/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [A writer can make a fortune in America, but he can't make a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/a-writer-can-make-a-fortune-in-america-but-he-can-t-make-a-living/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [As a writer I have persisted in my uncertainty, alternating between novels which could charitably be considered literature and world reporting which by another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/as-a-writer-i-have-persisted-in-my-uncertainty-alternating-between/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [ . . . Luddites were those frenzied traditionalists of the early 19th century who toured \[England\] wrecking new weaving machines on the theory that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/luddites-were-those-frenzied-traditionalists-of-the-early-19th/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [I am terrified of restrictive religious doctrine, having learned from history that when men who adhere to any form of it are in control,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/i-am-terrified-of-restrictive-religious-doctrine-having-learned-from/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [“This is not a promise, this is not threat, it's just the way it's gonna be!!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/this-is-not-a-promise-this-is-not-threat-it-s-just-the-way-it-s-gonna/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [“We went into the night and for the first time in my life I saw the stars hanging low over the desert, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/we-went-into-the-night-and-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-saw-the/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [The rules seem to be these: If you have written a successful novel, everyone invites you to write short stories. If you have written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/the-rules-seem-to-be-these-if-you-have-written-a-successful-novel/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [“A Roman came to Rabbi Gimzo the Water Carrier, and asked, "What is this study of the law that you Jews engage in?" and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/a-roman-came-to-rabbi-gimzo-the-water-carrier-and-asked-what-is-this/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/if-you-reject-the-food-ignore-the-customs-fear-the-religion-and-avoid/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [I think the crucial thing in the writing career is to find what you want to do and how you fit in. What somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/i-think-the-crucial-thing-in-the-writing-career-is-to-find-what-you/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [“The chance emergence of the was nothing. Remember this. But its persistence and patient accumulation of stature were everything. Only by relentless effort did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/the-chance-emergence-of-the-was-nothing-remember-this-but-its/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [During my lifetime I have met dozens of writers and photographers in dozens of different countries. But I have encountered no one who could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/during-my-lifetime-i-have-met-dozens-of-writers-and-photographers-in/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [My work as a naval officer in World War II enabled me to serve on 49 different South Pacific islands so that I came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/my-work-as-a-naval-officer-in-world-war-ii-enabled-me-to-serve-on-49/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [The sense of belonging is one of the great gifts men get in battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/the-sense-of-belonging-is-one-of-the-great-gifts-men-get-in-battle/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) [Explore all 220 James A. Michener quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) ## More Clown quotes > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [There are two types of people in this world. People who hate clowns...and clowns. (Bobby Pendragon)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-j-machale-2/there-are-two-types-of-people-in-this-world-people-who-hate-clowns/) [D. J. MacHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-j-machale-2/) > [I wanted to be a clown when I was a kid, so I love interacting and goofing around with kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stonestreet/i-wanted-to-be-a-clown-when-i-was-a-kid-so-i-love-interacting-and/) [Eric Stonestreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-stonestreet/) > [When fighting clowns, always go for the juggler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/when-fighting-clowns-always-go-for-the-juggler/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [I try to be the clown and court jester and make people laugh. At the same time, you have people in the hospital who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-simmons/i-try-to-be-the-clown-and-court-jester-and-make-people-laugh-at-the/) [Richard Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-simmons/) > [He's fat and a clown, Bill, a fat clown for all to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eamon-dunphy/he-s-fat-and-a-clown-bill-a-fat-clown-for-all-to-see/) [Eamon Dunphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eamon-dunphy/) > [You know, I was the class clown in Catholic school, but I never thought I would make a living out of it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sofia-vergara/you-know-i-was-the-class-clown-in-catholic-school-but-i-never-thought/) [Sofia Vergara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sofia-vergara/) > [You see, this heart, won't settle down; just like a child, running, scared, from a clown. Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/you-see-this-heart-won-t-settle-down-just-like-a-child-running-scared/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [Circus clown. That's a new one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/circus-clown-that-s-a-new-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I first started getting into acting, I was doing improv in acting class, and I had done a serious monologue and everyone was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-teller/when-i-first-started-getting-into-acting-i-was-doing-improv-in-acting/) [Miles Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-teller/) > [Writing is for men who can think and feel, not mindless sensation seekers out of nightclubs and bars. But these are bad times. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/writing-is-for-men-who-can-think-and-feel-not-mindless-sensation/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [“If i'm gonna be described as a clown for my actions, I might aswell be a whole circus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bee/if-i-m-gonna-be-described-as-a-clown-for-my-actions-i-might-aswell-be/) [Bee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bee/) > [I had a dream that a clown named dimples keep leaving the radio on in my room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-that-a-clown-named-dimples-keep-leaving-the-radio-on-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Is that love? It seems like a pale word, too easily tossed about by people who don’t know the meaning of it, who twist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/is-that-love-it-seems-like-a-pale-word-too-easily-tossed-about-by/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [I'm an actor, not a clown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-m-an-actor-not-a-clown/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) [Browse all 837 Clown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clown/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Things are going to go wrong, and I think we are false to life if we don’t portray it. But there is also the hope that some lucky clown is going to come along and stumble into the gold mine. And I think you are also entitled to hold out that hope.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James A. 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