--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why do you think the lottery is so…" description: "\"Why do you think the lottery is so popular? Do you think anybody would play if the super payoff was a job on the night shift in a meat-packing plant? P..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/mike-royko-15745_idle_why-do-you-think-the-lottery-is-so-popul_3143508.jpg" --- # Why do you think the lottery is so popular? Do you think… ![“Why do you think the lottery is so popular? Do you think anybody would play if the super payoff was a job on the night shift in a meat-packing plant? People play it so if they win they can be rich and idle. Like I told you years ago - if work is so good, how come they have to pay us to do it?” quote by Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/mike-royko-15745_idle_why-do-you-think-the-lottery-is-so-popul_3143508.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/mike-royko-15745_idle_why-do-you-think-the-lottery-is-so-popul_3143508.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/mike-royko-15745_idle_why-do-you-think-the-lottery-is-so-popul_3143508.jpg) > “Why do you think the lottery is so popular? Do you think anybody would play if the super payoff was a job on the night shift in a meat-packing plant? People play it so if they win they can be rich and idle. Like I told you years ago - if work is so good, how come they have to pay us to do it?” [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People are drawn to lottery because it promises instant wealth without effort, reflecting a desire to escape labor's constraints. **In simple terms:** Lottery offers quick riches, appealing to those who dislike hard work. Key Takeaway Question the appeal of easy money versus earned income. Themes risk wealth labor society Mood cynical reflective Type sociological critical When to use this quote - job search - financial planning - policy debate - personal finance Key Concepts economic incentive psychology of gambling Questions to Reflect On - What does lottery popularity reveal about work attitudes? - How could society offer better incentives for labor? A Different Perspective Lottery may reinforce fatalism and ignore systemic inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Lottery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lottery/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Night shift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-shift/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) ## Related quotes > [Luck is not as random as you think. Before that lottery ticket won the jackpot, someone had to buy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/luck-is-not-as-random-as-you-think-before-that-lottery-ticket-won-the/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [I think the lottery changed everything for us. Once we got Sidney, it helped us turn this franchise around overnight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-lemieux/i-think-the-lottery-changed-everything-for-us-once-we-got-sidney-it/) [Mario Lemieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-lemieux/) > [The first feature film I did, when I did 'Night Shift,' I improvised quite a bit because I would improvise at the audition, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-keaton/the-first-feature-film-i-did-when-i-did-night-shift-i-improvised/) [Michael Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-keaton/) > [I used to work in a hotel kitchen at night and do theatre in the morning. After finishing my night shift - I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-tripathi/i-used-to-work-in-a-hotel-kitchen-at-night-and-do-theatre-in-the/) [Pankaj Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-tripathi/) > [My dad used to work a night shift when I was five years old, so I would get up when he went to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolph-ziggler/my-dad-used-to-work-a-night-shift-when-i-was-five-years-old-so-i/) [Dolph Ziggler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolph-ziggler/) > [I never really set out to research any of these stories. I try to lead an interesting life though. I guess the closest I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-bradford/i-never-really-set-out-to-research-any-of-these-stories-i-try-to-lead/) [Arthur Bradford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-bradford/) > [“One can only wonder what the motivation is for Mauna Kea astronomers to subject their nighttime support staff to extremely long and fatiguing night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/one-can-only-wonder-what-the-motivation-is-for-mauna-kea-astronomers/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [As we sit here and idly chat, there are woman, female human beings, rolling around in strange beds with strange men, and we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-winkler/as-we-sit-here-and-idly-chat-there-are-woman-female-human-beings/) [Henry Winkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-winkler/) > [My mum is proud to have been a nurse. At the beginning, she worked a basic 44-hour week, split shifts, night shifts and rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-reid/my-mum-is-proud-to-have-been-a-nurse-at-the-beginning-she-worked-a/) [Susanna Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-reid/) > [I was quite naïve, a boy from Southport. When I went to art college in Leeds, I lived in a basement flat, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-almond/i-was-quite-na-ve-a-boy-from-southport-when-i-went-to-art-college-in/) [Marc Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-almond/) > [Back then, the business depended on bohemians. ... They needed Kristofferson and Roger Miller ..It was the tail end of something...the last Tin Pan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/back-then-the-business-depended-on-bohemians-they-needed/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [“So I asked him to go on the night shift. It was a way”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/so-i-asked-him-to-go-on-the-night-shift-it-was-a-way/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“I requested off this damn night shift four times now. Barbara needs me. Barbara and little James. So I hope it's boy, so what?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-miller/i-requested-off-this-damn-night-shift-four-times-now-barbara-needs-me/) [Frank Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-miller/) > [I started in TV movies and then had success in my move to features with 'Night Shift' and 'Splash'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-grazer/i-started-in-tv-movies-and-then-had-success-in-my-move-to-features/) [Brian Grazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-grazer/) > [During a night shift, I'll work out twice during the day. If I have to work during the day, I usually have guys at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/during-a-night-shift-i-ll-work-out-twice-during-the-day-if-i-have-to/) [Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/) ## More by Mike Royko > [Hollywood has always been political. They consider it their right and duty to tell us what is politically good and right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/hollywood-has-always-been-political-they-consider-it-their-right-and/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [The subject of criminal rehabilitation was debated recently in City Hall. It's an appropriate place for this kind of discussion because the city has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/the-subject-of-criminal-rehabilitation-was-debated-recently-in-city/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [Hating the Yankees is as American as pizza pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income tax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/hating-the-yankees-is-as-american-as-pizza-pie-unwed-mothers-and/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [It's unnatural for people to run around the city streets unless they are thieves or victims. It makes people nervous to see someone running.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/it-s-unnatural-for-people-to-run-around-the-city-streets-unless-they/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [“The thing that got Daley mad," one of the delegates said later, "was that Ribicoff had been ass-kissing him just a day or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/the-thing-that-got-daley-mad-one-of-the-delegates-said-later-was-that/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [“A Pessimist sees the glass as half empty; A Cub Fan wonders when it's gonna spill.” ― Mike Royko”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/a-pessimist-sees-the-glass-as-half-empty-a-cub-fan-wonders-when-it-s/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [So if you visit Chicago, enjoy the many great courses, the Midwestern friendliness, and the cities other amenities. But if a stranger with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/so-if-you-visit-chicago-enjoy-the-many-great-courses-the-midwestern/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [When I conducted a beer-rating session last year, I wrote that most American beers taste as if they were brewed through a horse. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/when-i-conducted-a-beer-rating-session-last-year-i-wrote-that-most/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [Strict gun laws are about as effective as strict drug laws...It pains me to say this, but the NRA seems to be right: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/strict-gun-laws-are-about-as-effective-as-strict-drug-laws-it-pains/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [Forty years ago, we were on the tail of the Front Page era. There was a different point of view. Reporters and editors were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/forty-years-ago-we-were-on-the-tail-of-the-front-page-era-there-was-a/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [“So, for a variety of reasons, ranging from convenience to fear to economics, people stayed in their own neighborhood, loving it, enjoying the closeness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/so-for-a-variety-of-reasons-ranging-from-convenience-to-fear-to/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [It's much harder to be a liberal than a conservative. Why? Because it is easier to give someone the finger than a helping hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/it-s-much-harder-to-be-a-liberal-than-a-conservative-why-because-it/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [It's been my policy to view the Internet not as an 'information highway,' but as an electronic asylum filled with babbling loonies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/it-s-been-my-policy-to-view-the-internet-not-as-an-information/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [When I asked him how long he had been driving a taxi, he said, Dree mouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/when-i-asked-him-how-long-he-had-been-driving-a-taxi-he-said-dree/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [Contrary to popular belief. It's much wiser to take money from the poor than the rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/contrary-to-popular-belief-it-s-much-wiser-to-take-money-from-the/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) [Explore all 42 Mike Royko quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) ## More Idle quotes > [Nature, being a wise and provident lady, governs her parts very wisely, methodically, and orderly: Also, she is very industrious and hates to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cavendish/nature-being-a-wise-and-provident-lady-governs-her-parts-very-wisely/) [Margaret Cavendish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cavendish/) > [Fortunately, the mind is restless; when it uncovers a layer of its own deception, gives up an illusion, exposes a lie, it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chernin/fortunately-the-mind-is-restless-when-it-uncovers-a-layer-of-its-own/) [Kim Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chernin/) > [I'm homosexual. How and why are idle questions. It's a little like wanting to know why my eyes are green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/i-m-homosexual-how-and-why-are-idle-questions-it-s-a-little-like/) [Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/) > [For it is an absurdity to call a country civilized in which a decent and industrious man, laboriously mastering a trade which is valuble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/for-it-is-an-absurdity-to-call-a-country-civilized-in-which-a-decent/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [Why, just a couple of economic seasons ago, was idle cash considered an indication of bad management or lazy management? Because it meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/why-just-a-couple-of-economic-seasons-ago-was-idle-cash-considered-an/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [These eyes, tho' clear To outward view of blemish or of spot, Bereft of light, their seeing have forgot, Nor to their idle orbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/these-eyes-tho-clear-to-outward-view-of-blemish-or-of-spot-bereft-of/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [We do not know today whether we are busy or idle. In times when we thought ourselves indolent, we have afterwards discovered that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-do-not-know-today-whether-we-are-busy-or-idle-in-times-when-we/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Life is not long, and too much of it must not pass in idle deliberation how it shall be spent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/life-is-not-long-and-too-much-of-it-must-not-pass-in-idle/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is clear that the future of freedom and peace depend on the actions of America. This nation is freedom's home, and freedom's defender.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/it-is-clear-that-the-future-of-freedom-and-peace-depend-on-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I think my parents recognised that I'd always wanted to be a writer, and so they didn't think that this was some idle, faddish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-think-my-parents-recognised-that-i-d-always-wanted-to-be-a-writer/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Spring comes with flowers, autumn with the moon, summer with the breeze, winter with snow. When idle concerns don't fill your thoughts, that's your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wumen-huikai/spring-comes-with-flowers-autumn-with-the-moon-summer-with-the-breeze/) [Wumen Huikai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wumen-huikai/) > [Old Flossie settle down on the other side of What-the-Dickens and dragged some handiwork out of a sack. 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