--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is a disaster for most is an…" description: "\"What is a disaster for most is an opportunity for a few.\" — Richard Ney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/richard-ney-69541_disaster_what-is-a-disaster-for-most-is-an-opport_1085294.jpg" --- # What is a disaster for most is an opportunity for a few. ![“What is a disaster for most is an opportunity for a few.” quote by Richard Ney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/richard-ney-69541_disaster_what-is-a-disaster-for-most-is-an-opport_1085294.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/richard-ney-69541_disaster_what-is-a-disaster-for-most-is-an-opport_1085294.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/richard-ney-69541_disaster_what-is-a-disaster-for-most-is-an-opport_1085294.jpg) > “What is a disaster for most is an opportunity for a few.” Richard Ney ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Disasters can be reframed as opportunities for those who can adapt. **In simple terms:** Crises can become chances for some. Key Takeaway Seek opportunity in crisis. Themes resilience opportunity adaptation Mood reflective motivational pragmatic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - business strategy - personal growth - emergency response - investment decisions Key Concepts Risk management mindset innovation economics Questions to Reflect On - What resources enable you to see opportunity? - How do you prepare for unexpected crises? A Different Perspective Not everyone can turn disaster into gain; resources matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) ## Related quotes > [I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/i-always-tried-to-turn-every-disaster-into-an-opportunity/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [A clash of doctrine is not a disaster, it is an opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/a-clash-of-doctrine-is-not-a-disaster-it-is-an-opportunity/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [It is not till it is discovered that high individual incomes will not purchase the mass of mankind immunity from cholera, typhus, and ignorance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-h-tawney/it-is-not-till-it-is-discovered-that-high-individual-incomes-will-not/) [R. H. Tawney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-h-tawney/) > [Life constantly presents the greatest opportunity brilliantly disguised as the biggest disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/life-constantly-presents-the-greatest-opportunity-brilliantly/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [The same wind blows on us all; the winds of disaster, opportunity and change. Therefore, it is not the blowing of the wind, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-same-wind-blows-on-us-all-the-winds-of-disaster-opportunity-and/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/yes-life-in-chechnya-so-far-looks-more-like-a-life-after-a-natural/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Obviously, it's my goal to be the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but it wouldn't be a disaster if I didn't achieve that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-gomez/obviously-it-s-my-goal-to-be-the-top-scorer-in-the-bundesliga-but-it/) [Mario Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-gomez/) > [“She was—of course—perfectly normal— quiet and polite and reasonably intelligent and...normal and self destructive and lonely and terrified of every thing And she loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tah-the-trickster/she-was-of-course-perfectly-normal-quiet-and-polite-and-reasonably/) Tah the Trickster > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [You know, we can't beat ISIS. We can't do anything. We can't take care of our vets. We can't have good health care. "Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-we-can-t-beat-isis-we-can-t-do-anything-we-can-t-take-care/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [One of the undervalued contributors to Trump's stunning 2016 victory was the masterful performance Pence had in his debate against Hillary Clinton running mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/one-of-the-undervalued-contributors-to-trump-s-stunning-2016-victory/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) ## More by Richard Ney > [Money is the sixth sense that makes it possible to enjoy the other five.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ney/money-is-the-sixth-sense-that-makes-it-possible-to-enjoy-the-other/) Richard Ney > [With those kinds of statistics, there are real concerns that cannot be explained away other than race. How long do we turn a blind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ney/with-those-kinds-of-statistics-there-are-real-concerns-that-cannot-be/) Richard Ney > [Hidden behind the facade of pompous jargon and noble affections, there is more sheer larceny per square foot on the floor of the New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ney/hidden-behind-the-facade-of-pompous-jargon-and-noble-affections-there/) Richard Ney Explore all 4 Richard Ney quotes ## More Disaster quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [One of the undervalued contributors to Trump's stunning 2016 victory was the masterful performance Pence had in his debate against Hillary Clinton running mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/one-of-the-undervalued-contributors-to-trump-s-stunning-2016-victory/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [You know, we can't beat ISIS. We can't do anything. We can't take care of our vets. We can't have good health care. "Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-we-can-t-beat-isis-we-can-t-do-anything-we-can-t-take-care/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“She was—of course—perfectly normal— quiet and polite and reasonably intelligent and...normal and self destructive and lonely and terrified of every thing And she loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tah-the-trickster/she-was-of-course-perfectly-normal-quiet-and-polite-and-reasonably/) Tah the Trickster > [Obviously, it's my goal to be the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but it wouldn't be a disaster if I didn't achieve that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-gomez/obviously-it-s-my-goal-to-be-the-top-scorer-in-the-bundesliga-but-it/) [Mario Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-gomez/) > [Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/yes-life-in-chechnya-so-far-looks-more-like-a-life-after-a-natural/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Even disasters -- there are always disasters when you travel -- can be turned into adventures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/even-disasters-there-are-always-disasters-when-you-travel-can-be/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [We are always just one successful terrorist attack away from a nuclear disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/we-are-always-just-one-successful-terrorist-attack-away-from-a/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) > [The only aspect of our travels that is interesting to others is disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellmanmartha-gellman/the-only-aspect-of-our-travels-that-is-interesting-to-others-is/) Martha GellmanMartha Gellman [Browse all 2,239 Disaster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is a disaster for most is an opportunity for a few.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Ney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ney/what-is-a-disaster-for-most-is-an-opportunity-for-a-few/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disaster" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ney/what-is-a-disaster-for-most-is-an-opportunity-for-a-few/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/richard-ney-69541_disaster_what-is-a-disaster-for-most-is-an-opport_1085294.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/richard-ney-69541_disaster_what-is-a-disaster-for-most-is-an-opport_1085294.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/richard-ney-69541_disaster_what-is-a-disaster-for-most-is-an-opport_1085294.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is a disaster for most is an opportunity for a few.” — Richard Ney", "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 Ney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What is a disaster for most...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ney/what-is-a-disaster-for-most-is-an-opportunity-for-a-few/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ney/what-is-a-disaster-for-most-is-an-opportunity-for-a-few/#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 } } ] } ```