--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With most people suicide is like Russian…" description: "\"“With most people suicide is like Russian roulette. Only one chamber has a bullet. With the Lisbon girls, the gun was loaded. A bullet for family abuse..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/jeffrey-eugenides-462_bullets_with-most-people-suicide-is-like-russian_3167388.png" --- # With most people suicide is like Russian roulette. Only… ![“With most people suicide is like Russian roulette. Only one chamber has a bullet. With the Lisbon girls, the gun was loaded. A bullet for family abuse. A bullet for genetic predisposition. A bullet for historical malaise. A bullet for inevitable momentum. The two other bullets are impossible to…” quote by jeffrey eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/jeffrey-eugenides-462_bullets_with-most-people-suicide-is-like-russian_3167388.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/jeffrey-eugenides-462_bullets_with-most-people-suicide-is-like-russian_3167388.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/jeffrey-eugenides-462_bullets_with-most-people-suicide-is-like-russian_3167388.png) > ““With most people suicide is like Russian roulette. Only one chamber has a bullet. With the Lisbon girls, the gun was loaded. A bullet for family abuse. A bullet for genetic predisposition. A bullet for historical malaise. A bullet for inevitable momentum. The two other bullets are impossible to name, but that doesn't mean the chambers were empty.”” [jeffrey eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) ## 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 likens suicide risk to a loaded gun with multiple possible triggers, suggesting many underlying causes. **In simple terms:** Suicide can be caused by many hidden factors. Key Takeaway Recognize and address hidden risk factors. Themes mental health risk causality Mood somber reflective Type cautionary analytical When to use this quote - family counseling - genetic counseling - public health policy - community support - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology genetics social factors Questions to Reflect On - What hidden factors might be influencing someone's risk? - How can we better identify invisible triggers? A Different Perspective Not all causes are identifiable, making prevention challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bullet Genetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullet-genetic-5591997/) [Bullet Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullet-historical-5591996/) [Bullet Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullet-inevitable-5751488/) [Bullets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullets/) [Chamber Bullet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chamber-bullet-5751487/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-abuse-230443/) [Russian roulette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russian-roulette/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) ## Related quotes > [It was the combination of many factors... With most people, suicide is like Russian roulette. Only one chamber has a bullet. With the Lisbon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/it-was-the-combination-of-many-factors-with-most-people-suicide-is/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [My Mom tells me I have a Father. But I don't know him! She tells me he was no good, he drank to much!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/my-mom-tells-me-i-have-a-father-but-i-don-t-know-him-she-tells-me-he/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [I grew up in Louisiana, and I grew up with a dysfunctional family with some very serious abuse from my stepfather, who could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mcgraw/i-grew-up-in-louisiana-and-i-grew-up-with-a-dysfunctional-family-with/) [Tim McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mcgraw/) > [“These numbers show that among the participants of the study, “Mom” (or a mom figure) was the primary family abuser.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-thomas/these-numbers-show-that-among-the-participants-of-the-study-mom-or-a/) [Shannon Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-thomas/) > [I came from an extraordinarily dysfunctional family, full of abuse and alcoholism. And eventually everyone within the family had committed suicide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/story-musgrave/i-came-from-an-extraordinarily-dysfunctional-family-full-of-abuse-and/) [Story Musgrave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/story-musgrave/) > [“If we conform our behavior to God’s ancient moral prescription, we are entitled to the sweet benefits of life. But if we defy its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-dobson/if-we-conform-our-behavior-to-god-s-ancient-moral-prescription-we-are/) [James C. Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-dobson/) > [“Wealth ... or death. Those were the choices Gateway offered. Humans had discovered this artificial spaceport, full of working interstellar ships left behind by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederik-pohl/wealth-or-death-those-were-the-choices-gateway-offered-humans-had/) [Frederik Pohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederik-pohl/) > [Stop tryin to be loud as me, cause you can't do that, Think about it...playing Russian roulette with an automatic!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredro-starr/stop-tryin-to-be-loud-as-me-cause-you-can-t-do-that-think-about-it/) [Fredro Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredro-starr/) > [“He said, "You are the russian roulette of my casino." ..and I shot him dead, then and there with my russian roulette.. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/he-said-you-are-the-russian-roulette-of-my-casino-and-i-shot-him-dead/) [Himmilicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himmilicious/) > [The Columbia accident made us realize that we had been playing Russian roulette with the shuttle crews -- that we had been very, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-hale/the-columbia-accident-made-us-realize-that-we-had-been-playing/) [Wayne Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-hale/) > [I generally don't read articles about myself/'Chappelle's Show,' nor do I read reviews. It's basically playing Russian Roulette. They're not all gonna be positive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-brennan/i-generally-don-t-read-articles-about-myself-chappelle-s-show-nor-do/) [Neal Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-brennan/) > [ This \[climate change\] is potentially so dangerous that we have to act strongly. Do we want to play Russian roulette with two bullets or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-stern/this-climate-change-is-potentially-so-dangerous-that-we-have-to-act/) [Nicholas Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-stern/) > [When the boys at school found out I had a potentially fatal peanut allergy, they used to hold me up against a wall and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-jones/when-the-boys-at-school-found-out-i-had-a-potentially-fatal-peanut/) [Milton Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-jones/) > [When I was doing drugs and alcohol, I thought I'll have a drink and a line of this and I'll smoke this. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/when-i-was-doing-drugs-and-alcohol-i-thought-i-ll-have-a-drink-and-a/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [This is like playing Russian roulette with a Luger rather than a revolver. One bullet, one chamber - and we're pulling the trigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lynas/this-is-like-playing-russian-roulette-with-a-luger-rather-than-a/) [Mark Lynas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lynas/) ## More by jeffrey eugenides > [“Only the Lisbon house remained dark, a tunnel, an emptiness, past our smoke and flames.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/only-the-lisbon-house-remained-dark-a-tunnel-an-emptiness-past-our/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“She had just started living like a grown-up and she'd never felt more vulnerable, frightened or confused in her life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/she-had-just-started-living-like-a-grown-up-and-she-d-never-felt-more/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [It's often said that a traumatic experience early in life marks a person forever, pulls her out of line, saying, "Stay there. Don't move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/it-s-often-said-that-a-traumatic-experience-early-in-life-marks-a/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“Adolescents tend to seek love where they can find it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/adolescents-tend-to-seek-love-where-they-can-find-it/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“The window was still open,” Mr Lisbon said. “I don’t think we’d ever remembered to shut it. It was all clear to me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/the-window-was-still-open-mr-lisbon-said-i-don-t-think-we-d-ever/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I was aware that you weren't supposed to write about suburbia, that it was undignified in some way, the subject matter not momentous enough.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-was-aware-that-you-weren-t-supposed-to-write-about-suburbia-that-it/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“Dr. Armonson stitched up her wrist wounds. Within five minutes of the transfusion he declared her out of danger. Chucking her under the chin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/dr-armonson-stitched-up-her-wrist-wounds-within-five-minutes-of-the/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“I don't approve of women driving, mind you. And now they get to vote!" He grumbled to himself. "Remember that play we saw ("The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-don-t-approve-of-women-driving-mind-you-and-now-they-get-to-vote-he/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“Her face was calm, but inside she was tense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/her-face-was-calm-but-inside-she-was-tense/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I know that attaching memories to books may be going out of the world, but while it lasts, it's a strong record of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-know-that-attaching-memories-to-books-may-be-going-out-of-the-world/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I spend most of every day writing. I like to write every day if I can. I don't start extremely early.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-spend-most-of-every-day-writing-i-like-to-write-every-day-if-i-can/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/maybe-the-best-proof-that-the-language-is-patriarchal-is-that-it/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [We knew that Cecilia had killed herself because she was a misfit, because the beyond called to her, and we knew that her sisters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/we-knew-that-cecilia-had-killed-herself-because-she-was-a-misfit/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [You can tell when something's not moving forward anymore. When the doubts you have about it don't go away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/you-can-tell-when-something-s-not-moving-forward-anymore-when-the/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [Normality wasn't normal. It couldn't be. If normality were normal, everybody could leave it alone. They could sit back and let normality manifest itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/normality-wasn-t-normal-it-couldn-t-be-if-normality-were-normal/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) [Explore all 516 jeffrey eugenides quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) ## More Bullets quotes > [There is no silver bullet. There are always options and the options have consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-horowitz/there-is-no-silver-bullet-there-are-always-options-and-the-options/) [Ben Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-horowitz/) > [“One javelin through five people is like a murder kabob. 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Right now, he is preparing to carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-deliverator-belongs-to-an-elite-order-a-hallowed-subcategory-he-s/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [Guard yourself and your conscience no one else will and know that a bad decision at the right time can destroy you far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clavell/guard-yourself-and-your-conscience-no-one-else-will-and-know-that-a/) [James Clavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clavell/) > [“It takes thousands of bullets to kill an army but one to end a war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-martinez/it-takes-thousands-of-bullets-to-kill-an-army-but-one-to-end-a-war/) [Michael Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-martinez/) > [I hate it, it is tedious... when I write for my act, it is very improvisational, I write bullet points, I cannot sit in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-griffin/i-hate-it-it-is-tedious-when-i-write-for-my-act-it-is-very/) [Kathy Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-griffin/) > [Trump conducts meetings and actually tries to get something done rather than just have the meeting and rather than just announce a framework and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/trump-conducts-meetings-and-actually-tries-to-get-something-done/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [This is like playing Russian roulette with a Luger rather than a revolver. 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