--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unless, of course, there's no such thing…" description: "\"Unless, of course, there's no such thing as chance;...in which case, we should either-optimistically-get up and cheer, because if everything is planned..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/salman-rushdie-153_action_unless-of-course-there-s-no-such-thing-a_2108218.jpg" --- # Unless, of course, there's no such thing as chance;...in… ![“Unless, of course, there's no such thing as chance;...in which case, we should either-optimistically-get up and cheer, because if everything is planned in advance, then we all have a meaning and are spared the terror of knowing ourselves to be random, without a why; or else, of course, we might-as…” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/salman-rushdie-153_action_unless-of-course-there-s-no-such-thing-a_2108218.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/salman-rushdie-153_action_unless-of-course-there-s-no-such-thing-a_2108218.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/salman-rushdie-153_action_unless-of-course-there-s-no-such-thing-a_2108218.jpg) > “Unless, of course, there's no such thing as chance;...in which case, we should either-optimistically-get up and cheer, because if everything is planned in advance, then we all have a meaning and are spared the terror of knowing ourselves to be random, without a why; or else, of course, we might-as pessimists-give up right here and now, understanding the futility of thought decision action, since nothing we think makes any difference anyway, things will be as they will. Where, then, is optimism? In fate or in chaos?” [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He debates whether life is predetermined or random, questioning where optimism belongs—fate or chaos. **In simple terms:** Life may be planned or random. Key Takeaway Find meaning despite uncertainty. Themes philosophy existentialism optimism Mood thoughtful introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - decision making - career planning - creative projects - personal crises Key Concepts determinism randomness meaning-making Questions to Reflect On - Do you prefer order or chaos? - Can optimism coexist with doubt? A Different Perspective Optimism can be paralyzing if over‑deterministic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Cheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheer/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate/) [Futility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/futility/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Here and now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/here-and-now/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Optimism Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism-fate-4243645/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Pessimist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimist/) [Pessimists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimists/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Terror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror/) [Things Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-optimism-4243646/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [“optimistically – get up and cheer, because if everything is planned in advance, then we all have a meaning, and are spared the terror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/optimistically-get-up-and-cheer-because-if-everything-is-planned-in/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I thought all my life that optimists and pessimists pass away the same way, so why be a pessimist?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-thought-all-my-life-that-optimists-and-pessimists-pass-away-the/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [“Immune to the blandishments of religions, countries, families, and whatever else that—with a smattering of emotive images and strains of maudlin music—can move the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/immune-to-the-blandishments-of-religions-countries-families-and/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [The play-it-safe pessimists of the world never accomplish much of anything, because they don't look clearly and objectively at situations, they don't recognize or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/the-play-it-safe-pessimists-of-the-world-never-accomplish-much-of/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe that bad events will last a long time, will undermine everything they do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/the-defining-characteristic-of-pessimists-is-that-they-tend-to/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [I like pessimists. They’re always the ones who bring life jackets for the boat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/i-like-pessimists-they-re-always-the-ones-who-bring-life-jackets-for/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“Actually he was a pessimist, and, like all pessimists, a ridiculously unobservant man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/actually-he-was-a-pessimist-and-like-all-pessimists-a-ridiculously/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Pessimists see a problem behind every opportunity. Optimists see an opportunity behind every problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/pessimists-see-a-problem-behind-every-opportunity-optimists-see-an/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [Optimists and pessimists die the exact same death, but they live very different lives!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/optimists-and-pessimists-die-the-exact-same-death-but-they-live-very/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Whatever pretended pessimists in search of notoriety may say, most people are naturally kind, at heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-branch-cabell/whatever-pretended-pessimists-in-search-of-notoriety-may-say-most/) [James Branch Cabell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-branch-cabell/) > [Pessimists are usually kind. The gay, bubbling over, have no time for the pitiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-o-faolain/pessimists-are-usually-kind-the-gay-bubbling-over-have-no-time-for/) [Sean O Faolain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-o-faolain/) > [Pessimists fear becoming the dupes of Hope. Optimists enjoy Hope's company, and consider being duped no great matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/pessimists-fear-becoming-the-dupes-of-hope-optimists-enjoy-hope-s/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“To see all pessimists as pessimists is to be a pessimist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/to-see-all-pessimists-as-pessimists-is-to-be-a-pessimist/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The bottom line on attitude is that a good one helps to increase your possibilities. Pessimists usually get what they expect. So do optimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/the-bottom-line-on-attitude-is-that-a-good-one-helps-to-increase-your/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Pessimists are not boring. Pessimists are right. Pessimists are superfluous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/pessimists-are-not-boring-pessimists-are-right-pessimists-are/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) ## More by Salman Rushdie > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“...proving once again that there was no escape from recurrence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/proving-once-again-that-there-was-no-escape-from-recurrence/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-little-bit-of-one-story-joins-onto-an-idea-from-another-and-hey/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) [Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. 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