--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't go wrong with major life and…" description: "\"You can't go wrong with major life and death stories when it comes to a competition, so I thought I'd have a go at writing one.\" — Michael Winter" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/michael-winter-22444_competition_you-can-t-go-wrong-with-major-life-and-d_2931668.jpg" --- # You can't go wrong with major life and death stories when… ![“You can't go wrong with major life and death stories when it comes to a competition, so I thought I'd have a go at writing one.” quote by Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/michael-winter-22444_competition_you-can-t-go-wrong-with-major-life-and-d_2931668.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/michael-winter-22444_competition_you-can-t-go-wrong-with-major-life-and-d_2931668.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/michael-winter-22444_competition_you-can-t-go-wrong-with-major-life-and-d_2931668.jpg) > “You can't go wrong with major life and death stories when it comes to a competition, so I thought I'd have a go at writing one.” [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He chose to write a high‑stakes story for a competition, believing dramatic conflict attracts attention. **In simple terms:** Drama draws audience interest. Key Takeaway Use conflict to engage readers. Themes storytelling competition drama Mood strategic creative Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - writing contests - media pitches - blog posts - marketing copy Key Concepts narrative structure creative writing Questions to Reflect On - When does drama enhance vs. distract? - How can you balance tension with authenticity? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on drama can feel gimmicky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-death/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a prideful person when it comes to competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-lewis/i-m-a-prideful-person-when-it-comes-to-competition/) [Ray Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-lewis/) > [Mayorga tells a lot of jokes and stories, but he always comes up short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-mosley/mayorga-tells-a-lot-of-jokes-and-stories-but-he-always-comes-up-short/) [Shane Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-mosley/) > [When it comes to competition, I am really focused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hidilyn-diaz/when-it-comes-to-competition-i-am-really-focused/) [Hidilyn Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hidilyn-diaz/) > [Every time a young player comes in, he is excited and wants to prove himself, but also in football, the other players want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-southgate/every-time-a-young-player-comes-in-he-is-excited-and-wants-to-prove/) [Gareth Southgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-southgate/) > [There are so many untold stories when it comes to great women of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-washington/there-are-so-many-untold-stories-when-it-comes-to-great-women-of-color/) [Kerry Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-washington/) > [Telling stories comes naturally to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-kapoor/telling-stories-comes-naturally-to-me/) [Kunal Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-kapoor/) > [“A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/a-mother-s-love-for-her-child-is-like-nothing-else-in-the-world-it-2/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“We can never stop searching for Heaven, since there is always more of it than we can see. There, as in those tales that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-storace/we-can-never-stop-searching-for-heaven-since-there-is-always-more-of/) [Patricia Storace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-storace/) > [I'm not very interested in charting a day-to-day familiar reality. I'm always looking for territory in which to explore the BIG subjects, the life-or-death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/i-m-not-very-interested-in-charting-a-day-to-day-familiar-reality-i-m/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [My stories are of gas chambers, shootings, electrified fences, torture, scorching sun, mental abuse, and constant threat of death. But they are also stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livia-bitton-jackson/my-stories-are-of-gas-chambers-shootings-electrified-fences-torture/) [Livia Bitton-Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livia-bitton-jackson/) > [“I thought about the afterlife and wondered if people shared death stories. If so, i'd have the coolest story ever. You died in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-houck/i-thought-about-the-afterlife-and-wondered-if-people-shared-death/) [Colleen Houck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-houck/) > [I probably have reported, probably more about the unusual animal death stories then anyone else on this planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-moulton-howe/i-probably-have-reported-probably-more-about-the-unusual-animal-death/) Linda Moulton Howe > [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. You are the wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-eternal-principle-which-never-was-born-never-will-die-it-is-in/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Life and death are illusions. We are in a constant state of transformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/life-and-death-are-illusions-we-are-in-a-constant-state-of/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Life and death were so unpredictable. So close to each other. We existed moment to moment, never knowing who would be the next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/life-and-death-were-so-unpredictable-so-close-to-each-other-we/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) ## More by Michael Winter > [We found letters at the house we bought from a sailor to his wife who lived in the house. He went down to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/we-found-letters-at-the-house-we-bought-from-a-sailor-to-his-wife-who/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [How does the past ambush us? How can we be accurate about what happened, how can we be true to it? And can war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/how-does-the-past-ambush-us-how-can-we-be-accurate-about-what/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [If I didn't write sex scenes, all my characters would head to the kitchen and make cups of tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/if-i-didn-t-write-sex-scenes-all-my-characters-would-head-to-the/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [I've never in my life categorized a year of my life as good or bad. I just think I'm living a good life, warts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/i-ve-never-in-my-life-categorized-a-year-of-my-life-as-good-or-bad-i/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [I've grown up, luckily, with only a distant relationship to war and soldiering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/i-ve-grown-up-luckily-with-only-a-distant-relationship-to-war-and/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [“There is nothing worse than a proud stoic. -- The Big Why”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/there-is-nothing-worse-than-a-proud-stoic-the-big-why/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [I didn't like filtering the story through me, saying, 'Reader, you'll be safe with me. While it gets a little dangerous, it'll be okay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/i-didn-t-like-filtering-the-story-through-me-saying-reader-you-ll-be/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [When you join the army, you are asked to lay down your life for your country. That is a tremendous oath to take. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/when-you-join-the-army-you-are-asked-to-lay-down-your-life-for-your/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [If you are having trouble with a story, it may not be an issue with the quality of the writing - there may just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/if-you-are-having-trouble-with-a-story-it-may-not-be-an-issue-with/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [I approached writing a story for the CBC Literary Awards as a mercenary venture - $5,000 for one story, not bad. Now, how do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/i-approached-writing-a-story-for-the-cbc-literary-awards-as-a/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [The truth is, everybody falls into an incinerator of some measure or other. Not literally one. The question is what are you going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/the-truth-is-everybody-falls-into-an-incinerator-of-some-measure-or/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [The fantastic thing about the memorial to the Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont-Hamel is that it's one of the rare examples where they've preserved a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/the-fantastic-thing-about-the-memorial-to-the-newfoundland-regiment/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [If you look at footage of the Newfoundland Regiment, you see they are at rest and giddy and being silly with one another. Silliness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/if-you-look-at-footage-of-the-newfoundland-regiment-you-see-they-are/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [Hockey wasn't invented but discovered. The game, and the large organizing idea behind Stephen Smith's deeply personal 'Puckstruck,' sleeps in ponds and in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/hockey-wasn-t-invented-but-discovered-the-game-and-the-large/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [To me, the idea that any kind of disaster helps create a nation seems a ridiculous one. There was no family in the house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/to-me-the-idea-that-any-kind-of-disaster-helps-create-a-nation-seems/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) [Explore all 27 Michael Winter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) ## More Competition quotes > [The Copa del Rey is a different competition. It is football in its purest form and is different from the continuity of the league.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-laudrup/the-copa-del-rey-is-a-different-competition-it-is-football-in-its/) [Michael Laudrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-laudrup/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [People think that the Club World Cup is an easy competition, but it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keylor-navas/people-think-that-the-club-world-cup-is-an-easy-competition-but-it-s/) [Keylor Navas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keylor-navas/) > [If you ask another competitor, they may tell you they felt very competitive towards me. But I can tell you that my biggest competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-kwan/if-you-ask-another-competitor-they-may-tell-you-they-felt-very/) [Michelle Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-kwan/) > [“At times, competition can be a good thing. But a person's value isn't something that can be ranked, is it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hotaru-odagiri/at-times-competition-can-be-a-good-thing-but-a-person-s-value-isn-t/) [Hotaru Odagiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hotaru-odagiri/) > [Our competition has always been anything that is wasting your time when you're bored at work. In a broad sense. We want people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/our-competition-has-always-been-anything-that-is-wasting-your-time/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [I've always considered making it legal for Americans to import their prescription drugs a free-trade issue. Imports create competition and keep domestic industry more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-grassley/i-ve-always-considered-making-it-legal-for-americans-to-import-their/) [Chuck Grassley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-grassley/) > [Honestly, we’ll compete with everybody. I love competition. As long as people invent their own stuff, I love competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/honestly-we-ll-compete-with-everybody-i-love-competition-as-long-as/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [The "health, education, and welfare" section of government is another boondoggle. First we manufacture indigent and superfluous people by legal monopolies in land, money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurance-labadie/the-health-education-and-welfare-section-of-government-is-another/) [Laurance Labadie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurance-labadie/) > [I try to keep up with everything - all wrestling across the board. I want to know what the competition is doing, what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hardy/i-try-to-keep-up-with-everything-all-wrestling-across-the-board-i/) [Matt Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hardy/) > [Sometimes in England, people look down at the Europa League, but being from the continent, I've always realised what an important competition it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mignolet/sometimes-in-england-people-look-down-at-the-europa-league-but-being/) [Simon Mignolet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mignolet/) > [“There is a scene in one of the Rocky movies where after the match Apollo Creed and Rocky are waiting for the scoring of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-passaro/there-is-a-scene-in-one-of-the-rocky-movies-where-after-the-match/) [John A. Passaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-a-passaro/) > [I've always written. When I was in school, the only teacher who ever liked me was my creative writing teacher. 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We have to be careful that it doesn't tell the same story over too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-irwin/competition-between-men-is-a-fuel-that-s-useful-to-us-we-have-to-be/) [Bill Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-irwin/) [Browse all 3,894 Competition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't go wrong with major life and death stories when it comes to a competition, so I thought I'd have a go at writing one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Winter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/you-can-t-go-wrong-with-major-life-and-death-stories-when-it-comes-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Competition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/you-can-t-go-wrong-with-major-life-and-death-stories-when-it-comes-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/michael-winter-22444_competition_you-can-t-go-wrong-with-major-life-and-d_2931668.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/michael-winter-22444_competition_you-can-t-go-wrong-with-major-life-and-d_2931668.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/michael-winter-22444_competition_you-can-t-go-wrong-with-major-life-and-d_2931668.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can't go wrong with major life and death stories when it comes to a competition, so I thought I'd have a…” — Michael Winter", "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": "Michael Winter", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can't go wrong with major...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/you-can-t-go-wrong-with-major-life-and-death-stories-when-it-comes-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/you-can-t-go-wrong-with-major-life-and-death-stories-when-it-comes-to/#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 } } ] } ```