--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men will gamble and plot and fight and…" description: "\"Men will gamble and plot and fight and fall, all for the winning of a trophy. A woman's heart, a piece of land, a kingdom, a lordship, a contract, a sh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a8/jeanette-winterson-166_contracts_men-will-gamble-and-plot-and-fight-and-f_123951.png" --- # Men will gamble and plot and fight and fall, all for the… ![“Men will gamble and plot and fight and fall, all for the winning of a trophy. A woman's heart, a piece of land, a kingdom, a lordship, a contract, a ship, an egg -- it hardly matters the which or the what, as soon as it is seen to be desired by one, another will make a prize of it.” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a8/jeanette-winterson-166_contracts_men-will-gamble-and-plot-and-fight-and-f_123951.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a8/jeanette-winterson-166_contracts_men-will-gamble-and-plot-and-fight-and-f_123951.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a8/jeanette-winterson-166_contracts_men-will-gamble-and-plot-and-fight-and-f_123951.png) > “Men will gamble and plot and fight and fall, all for the winning of a trophy. A woman's heart, a piece of land, a kingdom, a lordship, a contract, a ship, an egg -- it hardly matters the which or the what, as soon as it is seen to be desired by one, another will make a prize of it.” [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human ambition drives competition for symbols of status—trophies, love, land—regardless of their intrinsic value, as desire fuels rivalry. **In simple terms:** People fight for symbols of status. Key Takeaway Desire turns any object into a contested prize. Themes ambition competition desire status human nature Mood reflectpective critical Type philosophical observation social commentary When to use this quote - political power struggles - sports rivalries - romantic pursuits - real estate bidding wars Key Concepts symbolic value psychology of desire Practical Applications - reflect on personal motivations - evaluate the true worth of goals Questions to Reflect On - Why do we assign meaning to arbitrary symbols? - How does desire shape societal conflicts? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contracts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contracts/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Eggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eggs/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gamble/) [Gamble Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gamble-plot-1440421/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Kingdoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdoms/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Lordship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lordship/) [Make Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-prize-783216/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-gamble-1440420/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ships/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Trophies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trophies/) [Trophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trophy/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) [Winning Trophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning-trophy-1440422/) [Woman's Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/womans-heart/) ## Related quotes > [...lest too light winning make the prize light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/lest-too-light-winning-make-the-prize-light/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“too light winning Make the prize light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/too-light-winning-make-the-prize-light/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I agree with Arsene Wenger that finishing in the top four is the equivalent of winning a trophy - even if you don't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-moyes/i-agree-with-arsene-wenger-that-finishing-in-the-top-four-is-the/) [David Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-moyes/) > [Winning a trophy is important for your mentality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil-van-dijk/winning-a-trophy-is-important-for-your-mentality/) [Virgil van Dijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil-van-dijk/) > [I really don't see myself in the Europa League and don't want to play in it. I couldn't care less about winning the trophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjen-robben/i-really-don-t-see-myself-in-the-europa-league-and-don-t-want-to-play/) [Arjen Robben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjen-robben/) > [We came from a poor, poor family and for them to see me winning a trophy in front of 90,000 people and getting a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emiliano-martinez/we-came-from-a-poor-poor-family-and-for-them-to-see-me-winning-a/) [Emiliano Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emiliano-martinez/) > [Winning a trophy would be a good way to finish a bad season in a positive way. But I'm not obsessed by the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thibaut-courtois/winning-a-trophy-would-be-a-good-way-to-finish-a-bad-season-in-a/) [Thibaut Courtois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thibaut-courtois/) > [It's the best feeling you can have, winning a trophy, and I have the luck in my career to win some and it's magnificent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-ten-hag/it-s-the-best-feeling-you-can-have-winning-a-trophy-and-i-have-the/) [Erik ten Hag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-ten-hag/) > [It is about winning a trophy. It doesn't make any difference to me who lifts it; I would just rather win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-henderson/it-is-about-winning-a-trophy-it-doesn-t-make-any-difference-to-me-who/) [Jordan Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-henderson/) > [For me, winning the Champions League would be an incredible feeling and winning that trophy was one of the reasons I joined Milan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cafu/for-me-winning-the-champions-league-would-be-an-incredible-feeling/) [Cafu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cafu/) > [Winning a trophy is my job, is it not? I am a footballer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-williamson/winning-a-trophy-is-my-job-is-it-not-i-am-a-footballer/) [Leah Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-williamson/) > [Winning a trophy is always nice, but my personal satisfaction comes from reflecting on the passion, motivation, and determination that went into getting me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-hilfiger/winning-a-trophy-is-always-nice-but-my-personal-satisfaction-comes/) [Tommy Hilfiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-hilfiger/) > [It's all I've dreamt winning a trophy with Chelsea. To go all the way in the Champions League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-mount/it-s-all-i-ve-dreamt-winning-a-trophy-with-chelsea-to-go-all-the-way/) [Mason Mount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-mount/) > [There's no better feeling than winning a trophy in front of your fans when they're celebrating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-lingard/there-s-no-better-feeling-than-winning-a-trophy-in-front-of-your-fans/) [Jesse Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-lingard/) > [You have to get your motivation from within, and it doesn't matter if you lose in the quarters, the semis, or the final. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-van-der-sar/you-have-to-get-your-motivation-from-within-and-it-doesn-t-matter-if/) [Edwin van der Sar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-van-der-sar/) ## More by Jeanette Winterson > [“After nine nights must come ten and every desperate meeting only leaves you desperate for another. There is never enough to eat, never enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/after-nine-nights-must-come-ten-and-every-desperate-meeting-only/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I have found that I am not a space where people want to live, at least not without decorating first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-have-found-that-i-am-not-a-space-where-people-want-to-live-at-least/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“Yes. Just pass me my leg will you? It's on top of the wardrobe where he threw it, and I think my right arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/yes-just-pass-me-my-leg-will-you-it-s-on-top-of-the-wardrobe-where-he/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Every second the Universe divides into possibilities and most of those possibilities never happen. It is not a uni-verse -- there is more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/every-second-the-universe-divides-into-possibilities-and-most-of/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [You are a pool of clear water where the light plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-are-a-pool-of-clear-water-where-the-light-plays/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“It's the cliches that cause the trouble. A precise emotion seeks a precise expression. If what I feel is not precise than how should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-s-the-cliches-that-cause-the-trouble-a-precise-emotion-seeks-a/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [What would it have meant to be happy? What would it have meant if things had been bright, clear, good between us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-would-it-have-meant-to-be-happy-what-would-it-have-meant-if/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“Mrs Ratlow was a widow, and she was head of English, but she still did all the cooking and cleaning for her two sons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/mrs-ratlow-was-a-widow-and-she-was-head-of-english-but-she-still-did/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“I shall have nowt to talk to now the baby is boiled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-shall-have-nowt-to-talk-to-now-the-baby-is-boiled/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“What art does is to coax us away from the mechanical and towards the miraculous. The so-called uselessness of art is a clue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-art-does-is-to-coax-us-away-from-the-mechanical-and-towards-the/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Happy Valentines Day to those who have found love, in whatever shape or form, and to those who are still hunting, don’t give up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/happy-valentines-day-to-those-who-have-found-love-in-whatever-shape/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“It took me a long time to realise that there are two kinds of writing: the one you write and the one that writes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-realise-that-there-are-two-kinds-of-writing/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [A curse on this game. How can you stick at a game when the rules keep on changing? I shall call myself Alice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/a-curse-on-this-game-how-can-you-stick-at-a-game-when-the-rules-keep/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“He turned away and I turned to him in vivid heat to look on the sun-dried world. The groves and towers were gone. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/he-turned-away-and-i-turned-to-him-in-vivid-heat-to-look-on-the-sun/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) [Explore all 1,016 Jeanette Winterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## More Contracts quotes > [So, in the last year, the whole cast sued for release from our contracts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-rettig/so-in-the-last-year-the-whole-cast-sued-for-release-from-our-contracts/) [Tommy Rettig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-rettig/) > [I would have had a clause in my contract; I would've definitely put some fine print in my contract that said, "If the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-would-have-had-a-clause-in-my-contract-i-would-ve-definitely-put/) [Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/) > [It is merely the egoism of the man, who wants to bury a woman like a treasure. All attempts at using vows, contracts, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/it-is-merely-the-egoism-of-the-man-who-wants-to-bury-a-woman-like-a/) [Leopold von Sacher-Masoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/) > [Record contracts are just like - I'm gonna say the word, slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince/record-contracts-are-just-like-i-m-gonna-say-the-word-slavery/) [Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince/) > [These are the men who, without virtue, labour, or hazard, are growing rich, as their country is impoverished; they rejoice, when obstinacy or ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/these-are-the-men-who-without-virtue-labour-or-hazard-are-growing/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nowadays, in the contract that actors sign, you have to agree that you're going to do a certain amount of publicity-the hard part they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/nowadays-in-the-contract-that-actors-sign-you-have-to-agree-that-you/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [24.9 percent of American children live in poverty, while the proportions in Germany, France and Italy are 8.6, 7.4 and 10.5 percent. And once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hutton/24-9-percent-of-american-children-live-in-poverty-while-the/) [Will Hutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hutton/) > [Columbia tried to put me behind other groups, so I didn't wanna wait, they let me out of the contract and I'm glad they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmx/columbia-tried-to-put-me-behind-other-groups-so-i-didn-t-wanna-wait/) [DMX](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmx/) > [I've proposed a contract with the American voter that will give the government back to the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-ve-proposed-a-contract-with-the-american-voter-that-will-give-the/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I believe people ought to be treated fairly under the law. I see no reason why if the marriage contract conveys certain things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-believe-people-ought-to-be-treated-fairly-under-the-law-i-see-no/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [We sign contracts to fight, not to dip, duck and dodge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stephens/we-sign-contracts-to-fight-not-to-dip-duck-and-dodge/) [Jeremy Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stephens/) > [The earth itself assures us it is a living entity. Deep below surface one can hear its slow pulse, feel its vibrant rhythm. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-waters/the-earth-itself-assures-us-it-is-a-living-entity-deep-below-surface/) [Frank Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-waters/) > [Society is indeed a contract. It is a partnership in all science; a partnership in all art; a partnership in every virtue, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/society-is-indeed-a-contract-it-is-a-partnership-in-all-science-a/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I don't generate a storyline and then fill it out in the course of writing. The story actually generates in the course of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-don-t-generate-a-storyline-and-then-fill-it-out-in-the-course-of/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [Corporations are created by the people, acting through their governments. We grant them corporate charters that confer certain legal rights and privileges, like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-mcgovern/corporations-are-created-by-the-people-acting-through-their/) [Jim McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-mcgovern/) [Browse all 1,004 Contracts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contracts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Men will gamble and plot and fight and fall, all for the winning of a trophy. 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