--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only safe thing in filmmaking is to…" description: "\"The only safe thing in filmmaking is to take a chance.\" — Mike Nichols" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/mike-nichols-6630_chance_the-only-safe-thing-in-filmmaking-is-to_251947.png" --- # The only safe thing in filmmaking is to take a chance. ![“The only safe thing in filmmaking is to take a chance.” quote by Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/mike-nichols-6630_chance_the-only-safe-thing-in-filmmaking-is-to_251947.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/mike-nichols-6630_chance_the-only-safe-thing-in-filmmaking-is-to_251947.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/mike-nichols-6630_chance_the-only-safe-thing-in-filmmaking-is-to_251947.png) > “The only safe thing in filmmaking is to take a chance.” [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Taking risks is the only reliable way to achieve safety in film, as certainty is an illusion. **In simple terms:** Risk is essential for safety in movies. Key Takeaway Embrace calculated risks. Themes creativity risk filmmaking Mood inspirational cautionary Type advice motivational When to use this quote - budget planning - script development - directorial decisions - career moves Key Concepts innovation uncertainty Questions to Reflect On - When have you taken a risk that paid off? - What safeguards can you add when risking? A Different Perspective Risk can lead to failure and loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Filmmaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaking/) [Take a chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/take-a-chance/) ## Related quotes > [That's the great thing about filmmaking: Things happen you don't know are going to happen at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/that-s-the-great-thing-about-filmmaking-things-happen-you-don-t-know/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [The only safe thing is to take a chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-safe-thing-is-to-take-a-chance/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Filmmaking is a chance to live many lifetimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/filmmaking-is-a-chance-to-live-many-lifetimes/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [“It's always better to take a chance than to be left doing the safe thing and wondering what you're missing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-bell/it-s-always-better-to-take-a-chance-than-to-be-left-doing-the-safe/) [Christine Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-bell/) > [I always thought that's the wonderful thing about filmmaking: people see things differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/i-always-thought-that-s-the-wonderful-thing-about-filmmaking-people/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I've learned one general thing in filmmaking: to work with one strong idea. One strong concept that pushes you to work in a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-khondji/i-ve-learned-one-general-thing-in-filmmaking-to-work-with-one-strong/) [Darius Khondji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darius-khondji/) > [“as the needs of all living things must, we have proved that it is a very safe thing to trust in the Lord our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/as-the-needs-of-all-living-things-must-we-have-proved-that-it-is-a/) [Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/) > [Being a drag queen out on the subway or out on the street is still not the most safe thing you can be doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aquaria/being-a-drag-queen-out-on-the-subway-or-out-on-the-street-is-still/) [Aquaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aquaria/) > [“praising God is just such a safe thing to do. You don't even have to give it any thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/praising-god-is-just-such-a-safe-thing-to-do-you-don-t-even-have-to/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [When I take risks, I win. When I do the safe thing, it's a disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-and-the-queens/when-i-take-risks-i-win-when-i-do-the-safe-thing-it-s-a-disaster/) [Christine and the Queens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-and-the-queens/) > [“Sometimes to be safe, you have to do the thing that scares you the most.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/falafel-jones/sometimes-to-be-safe-you-have-to-do-the-thing-that-scares-you-the-most/) Falafel Jones > [“It was not a safe thing to lead Joe into temptation; he had no resistance to it at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/it-was-not-a-safe-thing-to-lead-joe-into-temptation-he-had-no/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [A dream is not a very safe thing to be near... I know; I had one once. It's like a loaded pistol with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/a-dream-is-not-a-very-safe-thing-to-be-near-i-know-i-had-one-once-it/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [The excitement about independent filmmaking is that they're a little more open to taking chances. The studios are a little more careful, as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malin-akerman/the-excitement-about-independent-filmmaking-is-that-they-re-a-little/) [Malin Akerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malin-akerman/) > [The only safe thing is to take a chance. Play safe and you are dead. Taking risks is the essence of good work, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/the-only-safe-thing-is-to-take-a-chance-play-safe-and-you-are-dead/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) ## More by Mike Nichols > [Stand-up comedy is a very hard thing on the spirit. There are people who transcend it, like Jack Benny and Steve Martin, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/stand-up-comedy-is-a-very-hard-thing-on-the-spirit-there-are-people/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [It's the hardest thing on earth to like yourself, and then when you do, it's a catastrophe. I mean, the people I know who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/it-s-the-hardest-thing-on-earth-to-like-yourself-and-then-when-you-do/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [I used to say that winning the Oscar means being back at the Beverly Hills Hotel at 1 A.M. feeling empty. It's the industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/i-used-to-say-that-winning-the-oscar-means-being-back-at-the-beverly/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [I'm an enormous fan of 'The West Wing.' It was one of the very few shows I would watch every week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/i-m-an-enormous-fan-of-the-west-wing-it-was-one-of-the-very-few-shows/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [I don't expect anything from reviews. Sometimes I am bemused by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/i-don-t-expect-anything-from-reviews-sometimes-i-am-bemused-by-them/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [My first memory in the world is my gym teacher ripping my mother's necklace off her neck and throwing it out the window and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/my-first-memory-in-the-world-is-my-gym-teacher-ripping-my-mother-s/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [Whether something is a success or not has never had much to do with what you do next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/whether-something-is-a-success-or-not-has-never-had-much-to-do-with/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [The reason that most British actors are better than most American actors in the end is that they don't make any money. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/the-reason-that-most-british-actors-are-better-than-most-american/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [Fear of comedy is all so much about who you do it with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/fear-of-comedy-is-all-so-much-about-who-you-do-it-with/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [If you lose a parent, it never goes away. As a kid, I dreamed about my father coming back for 15 or 20 years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/if-you-lose-a-parent-it-never-goes-away-as-a-kid-i-dreamed-about-my/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [Nerves provide me with energy... It's when I don't have them, when I feel at ease, that I get worried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/nerves-provide-me-with-energy-it-s-when-i-don-t-have-them-when-i-feel/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [Technically, maybe I learned most of all from George Stevens, and among his movies I learned the most from 'A Place in the Sun.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/technically-maybe-i-learned-most-of-all-from-george-stevens-and-among/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [Jewish introspection and Jewish humor is a way of surviving . . . if you're not handsome and you're not athletic and you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/jewish-introspection-and-jewish-humor-is-a-way-of-surviving-if-you-re/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > ['Streetcar' is no longer about the moment at all. There is no Blanche DuBois anywhere; south, north, east or west. We don't have Blanche…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/streetcar-is-no-longer-about-the-moment-at-all-there-is-no-blanche/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [Most great plays of the past lose their grip on immediacy; on application to our lives right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/most-great-plays-of-the-past-lose-their-grip-on-immediacy-on/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) [Explore all 98 Mike Nichols quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) ## More Chance quotes > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/) [Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/) > [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/) Alejandro Taubas > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/) [Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/) > [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/) [Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/) > [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) [Browse all 12,460 Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only safe thing in filmmaking is to take a chance.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mike Nichols" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/the-only-safe-thing-in-filmmaking-is-to-take-a-chance/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/the-only-safe-thing-in-filmmaking-is-to-take-a-chance/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/mike-nichols-6630_chance_the-only-safe-thing-in-filmmaking-is-to_251947.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/mike-nichols-6630_chance_the-only-safe-thing-in-filmmaking-is-to_251947.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/mike-nichols-6630_chance_the-only-safe-thing-in-filmmaking-is-to_251947.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only safe thing in filmmaking is to take a chance.” — Mike Nichols", "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": "Mike Nichols", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only safe thing in filmmaking...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/the-only-safe-thing-in-filmmaking-is-to-take-a-chance/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/the-only-safe-thing-in-filmmaking-is-to-take-a-chance/#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 } } ] } ```