---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is only by being bold that you get…"
description: "\"It is only by being bold that you get anywhere. If you are a risk-taker, then the art is to protect the downside.\" — Richard Branson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/richard-branson-256_art_it-is-only-by-being-bold-that-you-get-an_2299866.jpg"
---

#  It is only by being bold that you get anywhere. If you are…

![“It is only by being bold that you get anywhere. If you are a risk-taker, then the art is to protect the downside.” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/richard-branson-256_art_it-is-only-by-being-bold-that-you-get-an_2299866.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/richard-branson-256_art_it-is-only-by-being-bold-that-you-get-an_2299866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/richard-branson-256_art_it-is-only-by-being-bold-that-you-get-an_2299866.jpg)

> “It is only by being bold that you get anywhere. If you are a risk-taker, then the art is to protect the downside.”

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Boldness drives progress, but risk‑takers must also manage potential downsides.

**In simple terms:** Being bold helps, but protect against loss.

Key Takeaway

Take bold risks while limiting downside.

Themes

boldness risk protection

Mood

confident cautious

Type

advice strategic

When to use this quote

- startup launches
- financial planning
- product development

Key Concepts

entrepreneurship investment strategy

Questions to Reflect On

- What safeguards can you put in place?
- How do you assess risk vs reward?

A Different Perspective

Bold moves can backfire without safeguards.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-is/) [Bold Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bold-risk-5434274/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Downside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/downside/) [Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect/) [Protect Downside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-downside-270932/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Risk Taker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk-taker/)

## Related quotes

> [I always tell other people to protect against the downside, and not risk roughing on new ventures, but I never stuck to that rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-always-tell-other-people-to-protect-against-the-downside-and-not/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I'm always attracted to bold, risk-taking scripts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-gillen/i-m-always-attracted-to-bold-risk-taking-scripts/)

[Aidan Gillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-gillen/)

> [Don't be afraid in nature: one must be bold, at the risk of having been deceived and making mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-pissarro/don-t-be-afraid-in-nature-one-must-be-bold-at-the-risk-of-having-been/)

[Camille Pissarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-pissarro/)

> [Protect the downside. Worry about the margin of safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cundill/protect-the-downside-worry-about-the-margin-of-safety/)

[Peter Cundill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cundill/)

> [I was a risk-taker as a young man, and I don't regret it. I'm not adventurous in quite the same way now, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-was-a-risk-taker-as-a-young-man-and-i-don-t-regret-it-i-m-not/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [“Cover the downside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/cover-the-downside/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I've always been a risk taker. Growing up, I had a lot of freedom and room to roam and do what I wanted, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-rapinoe/i-ve-always-been-a-risk-taker-growing-up-i-had-a-lot-of-freedom-and/)

[Megan Rapinoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-rapinoe/)

> [“It's a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you're ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-i-think-in-life-to-wait-until-you-re-ready-i/)

[Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/)

> [I have been a bit of a risk-taker all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-ride/i-have-been-a-bit-of-a-risk-taker-all-my-life/)

[Sally Ride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-ride/)

> [I just like to keep my money in the bank; I'm not a big risk-taker. I don't know anything about the stock market... I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gretzky/i-just-like-to-keep-my-money-in-the-bank-i-m-not-a-big-risk-taker-i/)

[Wayne Gretzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gretzky/)

> [Im a risk taker and Ive always been like that, especially when it comes to fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/im-a-risk-taker-and-ive-always-been-like-that-especially-when-it/)

[Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/)

> [I'm not a risk taker physically. I just have no interest in swinging myself off a mountaintop or parachute gliding or skiing down a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/i-m-not-a-risk-taker-physically-i-just-have-no-interest-in-swinging/)

[Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/)

> [For good or for bad, I'm a risk taker. I like high-stakes, high-reward type situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-avenatti/for-good-or-for-bad-i-m-a-risk-taker-i-like-high-stakes-high-reward/)

[Michael Avenatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-avenatti/)

> [“The heart is the anarchist of the mind. The naughty child that never grows up. The hopeless romantic. The dreamer. The optimist. The risk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-ray/the-heart-is-the-anarchist-of-the-mind-the-naughty-child-that-never/)

[Katie Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-ray/)

## More by Richard Branson

> [Lavish praise on people and people will flourish; criticize people and they'll shrivel up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/lavish-praise-on-people-and-people-will-flourish-criticize-people-and/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Fantasizing about the future is one of my favorite pastimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/fantasizing-about-the-future-is-one-of-my-favorite-pastimes/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I will work day and night to avoid failure, but if I can't, I'll pick myself up the next day. The most important thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-will-work-day-and-night-to-avoid-failure-but-if-i-can-t-i-ll-pick/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Tough times are inevitable in life and in business. But how you compose yourself during those times defines your spirit and will define your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/tough-times-are-inevitable-in-life-and-in-business-but-how-you/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [All successful people - not just entrepreneurs - have got things wrong over and over again before finding the right solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/all-successful-people-not-just-entrepreneurs-have-got-things-wrong/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [We have the enormous opportunity in our hands to make a positive difference for business, people, and the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/we-have-the-enormous-opportunity-in-our-hands-to-make-a-positive/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I'm a great believer in life to saying yes and not saying no, and hopefully making people smile and just having fun in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-m-a-great-believer-in-life-to-saying-yes-and-not-saying-no-and/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Money is a poor indicator of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/money-is-a-poor-indicator-of-success/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Business leaders take things far too seriously, and forget that most of the time people spend in their lives is at work, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/business-leaders-take-things-far-too-seriously-and-forget-that-most/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I love the freedom of movement that my phone gives me. That has definitely transformed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-love-the-freedom-of-movement-that-my-phone-gives-me-that-has/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Everything in your business can be outsourced... if you're not emotionally attached to doing it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/everything-in-your-business-can-be-outsourced-if-you-re-not/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [People have to decide on priorities if they want to get anywhere. The best lessons I learned was to just do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/people-have-to-decide-on-priorities-if-they-want-to-get-anywhere-the/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [There isn't a flight goes by when I don't stare out of the window and thank my stars for what I'm seeing and feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/there-isn-t-a-flight-goes-by-when-i-don-t-stare-out-of-the-window-and/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

[Explore all 805 Richard Branson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is only by being bold that you get anywhere. If you are a risk-taker, then the art is to protect the downside.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Branson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-is-only-by-being-bold-that-you-get-anywhere-if-you-are-a-risk/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-is-only-by-being-bold-that-you-get-anywhere-if-you-are-a-risk/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/richard-branson-256_art_it-is-only-by-being-bold-that-you-get-an_2299866.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/richard-branson-256_art_it-is-only-by-being-bold-that-you-get-an_2299866.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/richard-branson-256_art_it-is-only-by-being-bold-that-you-get-an_2299866.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is only by being bold that you get anywhere. If you are a risk-taker, then the art is to protect the…” — Richard Branson",
                "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": "Richard Branson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is only by being bold...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-is-only-by-being-bold-that-you-get-anywhere-if-you-are-a-risk/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-is-only-by-being-bold-that-you-get-anywhere-if-you-are-a-risk/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
