--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Playing it safe is the riskiest choice we…" description: "\"Playing it safe is the riskiest choice we can ever make.\" — Sarah Ban Breathnach" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/sarah-ban-breathnach-833_choices_playing-it-safe-is-the-riskiest-choice-w_1949414.png" --- # Playing it safe is the riskiest choice we can ever make. ![“Playing it safe is the riskiest choice we can ever make.” quote by Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/sarah-ban-breathnach-833_choices_playing-it-safe-is-the-riskiest-choice-w_1949414.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/sarah-ban-breathnach-833_choices_playing-it-safe-is-the-riskiest-choice-w_1949414.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/sarah-ban-breathnach-833_choices_playing-it-safe-is-the-riskiest-choice-w_1949414.png) > “Playing it safe is the riskiest choice we can ever make.” [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing safety over risk often leads to missed opportunities and stagnation. **In simple terms:** Playing it safe can be the most dangerous decision. Key Takeaway Embrace calculated risks. Themes risk growth comfort zone decision making opportunity Mood anxious motivated Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - entrepreneurship - personal relationships - creative projects Key Concepts psychology behavioral economics fear of failure Questions to Reflect On - What potential gain are you avoiding? - How can you test a risk safely? A Different Perspective Risk avoidance can protect against loss but may also prevent progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Clever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clever/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Playing it safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-it-safe/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) ## Related quotes > [Ironically, in a changing world, playing it safe is one of the riskiest things you can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/ironically-in-a-changing-world-playing-it-safe-is-one-of-the-riskiest/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [I don't think playing it safe constitutes a retreat, necessarily. In other words, I don't think if, by playing safe he means we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-don-t-think-playing-it-safe-constitutes-a-retreat-necessarily-in/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [“Playing it safe is the most popular way to fail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-smith/playing-it-safe-is-the-most-popular-way-to-fail/) [Elliot Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-smith/) > [“Safety is overrated; taking risks is much less likely to kill us than ever before, and that means that playing it safe is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishen-lakhiani/safety-is-overrated-taking-risks-is-much-less-likely-to-kill-us-than/) [Vishen Lakhiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishen-lakhiani/) > [The most vulnerable people have tough exteriors because they are very scared inside, and it's very hard for people like that - people like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/the-most-vulnerable-people-have-tough-exteriors-because-they-are-very/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [Changes don't happen in the world by playing it safe, taking risks is the way to change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zainab-salbi/changes-don-t-happen-in-the-world-by-playing-it-safe-taking-risks-is/) [Zainab Salbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zainab-salbi/) > [Luke warm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/luke-warm-people-are-continually-concerned-with-playing-it-safe-they/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [I don't want to play safe, because there are a lot of people who are playing it safe, and I don't want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shweta-tripathi/i-don-t-want-to-play-safe-because-there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-are/) [Shweta Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shweta-tripathi/) > [“We rarely hear warnings about playing it safe. We don't see headlines that say, ... Man retires after a mediocre career and feels painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-sundheim/we-rarely-hear-warnings-about-playing-it-safe-we-don-t-see-headlines/) Doug Sundheim > [Playing it safe isn't fun; you have to take a chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/playing-it-safe-isn-t-fun-you-have-to-take-a-chance/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [“Life is about risk. Playing it safe doesn’t make you safe. All it does is keep you from experiencing as much of life as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ward/life-is-about-risk-playing-it-safe-doesn-t-make-you-safe-all-it-does/) [Keith Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ward/) > [As a general rule, the more precious the chips you'd consider betting, the more you should lean toward playing it safe. Check it down;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-negreanu/as-a-general-rule-the-more-precious-the-chips-you-d-consider-betting/) [Daniel Negreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-negreanu/) > [Nobody got anything great by playing it safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/nobody-got-anything-great-by-playing-it-safe/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [“Playing it safe and tiptoeing through life is exhausting. Keeping all of your gifts trapped inside tires the crap out of you. It takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-mateu/playing-it-safe-and-tiptoeing-through-life-is-exhausting-keeping-all/) Lysa Mateu > [To be sure, playing it safe isn't a flashy style of poker. Some even claim that it's too weak and passive. That being said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-negreanu/to-be-sure-playing-it-safe-isn-t-a-flashy-style-of-poker-some-even/) [Daniel Negreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-negreanu/) ## More by Sarah Ban Breathnach > [The greatest secret to living a happy, fulfilled life is the realization that everything is created in our minds before it manifests itself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/the-greatest-secret-to-living-a-happy-fulfilled-life-is-the/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [I learned a priceless lesson and one that everyone can use today - it's never the amount of money we have or haven't; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/i-learned-a-priceless-lesson-and-one-that-everyone-can-use-today-it-s/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“Always remember that striving and struggling precede success, even in the dictionary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/always-remember-that-striving-and-struggling-precede-success-even-in/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [ “The thirst after happiness is never extinguished in the heart of \[woman\]. —JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/the-thirst-after-happiness-is-never-extinguished-in-the-heart-of/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [Every time we remember to say "thank you", we experience nothing less than heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/every-time-we-remember-to-say-thank-you-we-experience-nothing-less/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [...start thinking of yourself as an artist and your life as a work-in-progress. Works-in-progress are never perfect. But changes can be made...Art evolves. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/start-thinking-of-yourself-as-an-artist-and-your-life-as-a-work-in/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape us. —WINSTON CHURCHILL The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/we-shape-our-dwellings-and-afterwards-our-dwellings-shape-us-winston/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“start thinking of yourself as an artist and your life as a work-in-progress.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/start-thinking-of-yourself-as-an-artist-and-your-life-as-a-work-in-2/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [Harmony is the inner cadence of contentment we feel when the melody of life is in tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/harmony-is-the-inner-cadence-of-contentment-we-feel-when-the-melody/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“Realize the past no longer holds you captive. It can only continue to hurt you if you hold on to it. Let the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/realize-the-past-no-longer-holds-you-captive-it-can-only-continue-to/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“Beguile us in the way you know,” poet Robert Frost”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/beguile-us-in-the-way-you-know-poet-robert-frost/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line,” Lucille Ball advised. “You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/love-yourself-first-and-everything-else-falls-into-line-lucille-ball/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [Once you accept and rejoice in your authenticity, you begin to see things as YOU are. You begin to see the authentic self is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/once-you-accept-and-rejoice-in-your-authenticity-you-begin-to-see/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“Out of clutter, find simplicity. —ALBERT EINSTEIN After”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/out-of-clutter-find-simplicity-albert-einstein-after/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [Today you may not be familiar with the happiness habit. But like any new behavior, happiness can be learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/today-you-may-not-be-familiar-with-the-happiness-habit-but-like-any/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) [Explore all 357 Sarah Ban Breathnach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) ## More Choices quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) Alison James > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [Clarissa," he said, "here with the vampire, I see. When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/) [Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Playing it safe is the riskiest choice we can ever make.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Ban Breathnach" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/playing-it-safe-is-the-riskiest-choice-we-can-ever-make/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choices" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/playing-it-safe-is-the-riskiest-choice-we-can-ever-make/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/sarah-ban-breathnach-833_choices_playing-it-safe-is-the-riskiest-choice-w_1949414.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/sarah-ban-breathnach-833_choices_playing-it-safe-is-the-riskiest-choice-w_1949414.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/sarah-ban-breathnach-833_choices_playing-it-safe-is-the-riskiest-choice-w_1949414.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Playing it safe is the riskiest choice we can ever make.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach", "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": "Sarah Ban Breathnach", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Playing it safe is the riskiest...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/playing-it-safe-is-the-riskiest-choice-we-can-ever-make/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/playing-it-safe-is-the-riskiest-choice-we-can-ever-make/#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 } } ] } ```