--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What do you do, Jack, when any move you…" description: "\"“What do you do, Jack, when any move you make is the wrong move?” “You hope the other guy makes a bad move.”\" — Nelson DeMille" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/nelson-demille-3019_jack_what-do-you-do-jack-when-any-move-you-ma_2823647.png" --- # What do you do, Jack, when any move you make is the wrong… ![“What do you do, Jack, when any move you make is the wrong move?” “You hope the other guy makes a bad move.” quote by Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/nelson-demille-3019_jack_what-do-you-do-jack-when-any-move-you-ma_2823647.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/nelson-demille-3019_jack_what-do-you-do-jack-when-any-move-you-ma_2823647.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/nelson-demille-3019_jack_what-do-you-do-jack-when-any-move-you-ma_2823647.png) > ““What do you do, Jack, when any move you make is the wrong move?” “You hope the other guy makes a bad move.”” [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When you feel trapped by bad decisions, you may rely on opponents to err, hoping their mistake will free you. **In simple terms:** Relying on others' errors to escape your own bad choices. Key Takeaway Don’t count on others to fix your mistakes. Themes strategy risk dependence Mood anxious strategic Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - business negotiations - political maneuvering - personal relationships Key Concepts game theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - Can you create a plan that doesn’t depend on others’ failures? - What are the risks of hoping for an opponent’s mistake? A Different Perspective It can backfire if the opponent also makes a good move. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Wrong move](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-move/) ## Related quotes > [In the face of uncertainty, there is nothing wrong with hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-carl-simonton/in-the-face-of-uncertainty-there-is-nothing-wrong-with-hope/) O. Carl Simonton > [But what if you're wrong? What if there's more? What if there's hope you never dreamed of hoping for? What if you jump? And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-nordeman/but-what-if-you-re-wrong-what-if-there-s-more-what-if-there-s-hope/) [Nichole Nordeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-nordeman/) > [“No move is the wrong move, What? Sometimes any move at all is better than nothin. If you're right, you're one up. If you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gay/no-move-is-the-wrong-move-what-sometimes-any-move-at-all-is-better/) [William Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gay/) > [“one of Jack’s informative T-shirts: “Join The Army, See The World, Meet New People And Kill Them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/one-of-jack-s-informative-t-shirts-join-the-army-see-the-world-meet/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [You can't get it right, until you make it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-van-wyk/you-can-t-get-it-right-until-you-make-it-wrong/) [Helen Van Wyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-van-wyk/) > [Remember all those good things that used to make you do the wrong things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oamlad/remember-all-those-good-things-that-used-to-make-you-do-the-wrong/) [Oamlad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oamlad/) > [“Just because you don't like my opinion that does not make it wrong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-galek/just-because-you-don-t-like-my-opinion-that-does-not-make-it-wrong/) Candice Galek > [There are a lot of people who don't trust in me, so I just try to make them wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-mitrovic/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-don-t-trust-in-me-so-i-just-try-to-make/) [Aleksandar Mitrovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-mitrovic/) > [If things go wrong,dont stuck to comfort zone, or wait something miracle to happen.start new things with acquired experience of wrong done,make wrong done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/if-things-go-wrong-dont-stuck-to-comfort-zone-or-wait-something/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [If I heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times from Ray Hunt. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/the-meaning-of-life-has-not-much-to-do-with-good-and-evil-right-and/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [“Nostalgia is basically the ability to forget the things that sucked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/nostalgia-is-basically-the-ability-to-forget-the-things-that-sucked/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [“Credo quia impossibile.’ I believe it because it is impossible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/credo-quia-impossibile-i-believe-it-because-it-is-impossible/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [I had a very strong desire to be successful at something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/i-had-a-very-strong-desire-to-be-successful-at-something/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [“The window on the right featured contemporary bestselling authors like Brad Meltzer, James Patterson, David Baldacci, Nelson DeMille, and others who make more money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/the-window-on-the-right-featured-contemporary-bestselling-authors/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [...the most common cause of death among alpha males was ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/the-most-common-cause-of-death-among-alpha-males-was-ego/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [Lawrence Kelter is an exciting new novelist, who reminds me of an early Robert Ludlum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/lawrence-kelter-is-an-exciting-new-novelist-who-reminds-me-of-an/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [“I was starting to get to know the city, and when that happens in a screwed-up place, it’s time to leave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/i-was-starting-to-get-to-know-the-city-and-when-that-happens-in-a/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [“Before you go on any mission, you need to understand what you know, identify what you don’t know, and try to guess what could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/before-you-go-on-any-mission-you-need-to-understand-what-you-know/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [“An Englishman once said that he found it easier to be a member of a club than of the human race because the bylaws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/an-englishman-once-said-that-he-found-it-easier-to-be-a-member-of-a/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [I like the process of pencil and paper as opposed to a machine. 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They were okay, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/and-some-other-shit-and-the-wife-can-t-remember-her-name-would-cry-a/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [“Well, no one ever said the truth would make you happy—only free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/well-no-one-ever-said-the-truth-would-make-you-happy-only-free/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) [Explore all 139 Nelson DeMille quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) ## More Jack quotes > [I would've loved Jack Kennedy. I would've loved to have campaigned for him and supported him. I wish there were more like him today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-would-ve-loved-jack-kennedy-i-would-ve-loved-to-have-campaigned-for/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Neil Young and Bob Dylan are my main influences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-simpson/jack-johnson-john-mayer-neil-young-and-bob-dylan-are-my-main/) [Cody Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-simpson/) > [“Something’s up,’ I say, handing the phone back. ‘Not necessarily,’ Jack says. ‘You think this is the first time Lila’s been hot-headed? Seriously, dude,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alderson/something-s-up-i-say-handing-the-phone-back-not-necessarily-jack-says/) [Sarah Alderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alderson/) > [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/) > [“Try to think of it as though we are rewriting history––the first time this experience occurred you and I never kissed in this Dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-caligiuri/try-to-think-of-it-as-though-we-are-rewriting-history-the-first-time/) [Ross Caligiuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-caligiuri/) > [“You know, Jack . . . you don’t mind if I call you Jack, do you?” “It’s my name, just don’t wear it out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-bruen/you-know-jack-you-don-t-mind-if-i-call-you-jack-do-you-it-s-my-name/) [Ken Bruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-bruen/) > [“Move fast, travel light, an never tell 'em your real name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moira-young/move-fast-travel-light-an-never-tell-em-your-real-name/) [Moira Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moira-young/) > [“My dream is to create something so beautiful that it encourages people to present the best version of themselves to me everywhere I go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-caligiuri/my-dream-is-to-create-something-so-beautiful-that-it-encourages/) [Ross Caligiuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-caligiuri/) > [In 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'Jack Holmes and His Friend,' my idea was to take someone totally different from my real self and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-boy-s-own-story-and-jack-holmes-and-his-friend-my-idea-was-to/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I think if you have ability and talent in one way, you have it in all ways. I'm not a jack of all trades;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evel-knievel/i-think-if-you-have-ability-and-talent-in-one-way-you-have-it-in-all/) [Evel Knievel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evel-knievel/) > [When I first came to New York City, what I was thrilled about was not the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gibbons/when-i-first-came-to-new-york-city-what-i-was-thrilled-about-was-not/) [Dave Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gibbons/) > [“I guess it could be worse. My name could be Tlaquepaque, or Irkutsk, or Pyongyang. Or, you know, Pittsburgh. Sometimes I flip through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamara-summers/i-guess-it-could-be-worse-my-name-could-be-tlaquepaque-or-irkutsk-or/) [Tamara Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamara-summers/) > [We did 'Jack & Bobby' in the middle of the Kerry/Bush election. It hurt it a little bit. 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