--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't play it safe. Resist the seductions…" description: "\"Don't play it safe. Resist the seductions of the cowardly values our society has come to prize so highly: comfort, convenience, security, predictabilit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/william-deresiewicz-15471_comfort_don-t-play-it-safe-resist-the-seductions_326786.jpg" --- # Don't play it safe. Resist the seductions of the cowardly… ![“Don't play it safe. Resist the seductions of the cowardly values our society has come to prize so highly: comfort, convenience, security, predictability, control. These, too, are nets. Above all, resist the fear of failure. Yes, you will make mistakes. But they will be your mistakes, not someone…” quote by William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/william-deresiewicz-15471_comfort_don-t-play-it-safe-resist-the-seductions_326786.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/william-deresiewicz-15471_comfort_don-t-play-it-safe-resist-the-seductions_326786.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/william-deresiewicz-15471_comfort_don-t-play-it-safe-resist-the-seductions_326786.jpg) > “Don't play it safe. Resist the seductions of the cowardly values our society has come to prize so highly: comfort, convenience, security, predictability, control. These, too, are nets. Above all, resist the fear of failure. Yes, you will make mistakes. But they will be your mistakes, not someone else's. And you will survive them, and you will know yourself better for having made them, and you will be a fuller and a stronger person.” [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Embrace risk and reject society's comfort-driven values; failure is a personal teacher that builds resilience and self‑knowledge. **In simple terms:** Take risks, learn from your own mistakes. Key Takeaway Own your mistakes, grow stronger. Themes risk growth self‑discovery comfort failure Mood determined reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career change - entrepreneurship - creative projects - learning new skills - overcoming fear Key Concepts existentialism psychology personal development Questions to Reflect On - What comfort are you clinging to? - How can failure become a catalyst for growth? A Different Perspective Comfort can mask stagnation and limit potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear of failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-of-failure/) [Know yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-yourself/) [Making mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-mistakes/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Our society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-society/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Predictability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predictability/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Seduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seduction/) [Stronger person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stronger-person/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [“You think my first instinct is to protect you because you are small or a girl or a stiff, but you are wrong. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/you-think-my-first-instinct-is-to-protect-you-because-you-are-small/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Resist your fear; fear will never lead to you a positive end. Go for your faith and what you believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/resist-your-fear-fear-will-never-lead-to-you-a-positive-end-go-for/) [T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/) > [“In fact, most women who are sexually assaulted do not resist. The fear is overwhelming. They often feel helpless. Sometimes they make a conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/in-fact-most-women-who-are-sexually-assaulted-do-not-resist-the-fear/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [We have lived through fear all our lives, and when you have gone through a whole lot of fear, sometimes all you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leymah-gbowee/we-have-lived-through-fear-all-our-lives-and-when-you-have-gone/) [Leymah Gbowee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leymah-gbowee/) > [When you have strong views about how to approach thinking about the law, then that view is going to lead to certain results in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/when-you-have-strong-views-about-how-to-approach-thinking-about-the/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [I don't think anyone aims to be typical, really. Most people even vow to themselves some time in high school or college not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/i-don-t-think-anyone-aims-to-be-typical-really-most-people-even-vow/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [“Given the inverse relationship between predictability and uncertainty, the cost of maintaining business as usual rises significantly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spitz/given-the-inverse-relationship-between-predictability-and-uncertainty/) [Roger Spitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spitz/) > [“Whatever evolution this or that popular character has gone through between the book covers, his fate is fixed in our minds, and, similarly, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/whatever-evolution-this-or-that-popular-character-has-gone-through/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Do not let predictability disappoint you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb/do-not-let-predictability-disappoint-you/) Jeb > [“Something as superfluous as "play" is also an essential feature of our consciousness. If you ask children why they like to play, they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/something-as-superfluous-as-play-is-also-an-essential-feature-of-our/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [Sure, you can choose the safety and predictability of the cage, forfeiting the adventure God has destined for you. But you won't be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/sure-you-can-choose-the-safety-and-predictability-of-the-cage/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [“In fiction: we find the predictable boring. In real life: we find the unpredictable terrifying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/in-fiction-we-find-the-predictable-boring-in-real-life-we-find-the/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“... an artist should paint from the heart, and not always what people expect. Predictability often leads to the dullest work, in my opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-artist-should-paint-from-the-heart-and-not-always-what-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Predictability and great design are not friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-brooks/predictability-and-great-design-are-not-friends/) [Fred Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-brooks/) > [Predictability can eventually be defended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-nurse/predictability-can-eventually-be-defended/) [Nick Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-nurse/) ## More by William Deresiewicz > [Life, if you live it right, keeps surprising you, and the thing that keeps surprising you the most…is yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/life-if-you-live-it-right-keeps-surprising-you-and-the-thing-that/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [ “\[Jane\] Austen was not a novelist for nothing: she knew that our stories are what make us human, and that listening to someone else's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/jane-austen-was-not-a-novelist-for-nothing-she-knew-that-our-stories/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [“No real excellence, personal or social, artistic, philosophical, scientific, or moral, can arise without solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/no-real-excellence-personal-or-social-artistic-philosophical/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [If you're oblivious to other people, chances are pretty good that you're going to hurt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/if-you-re-oblivious-to-other-people-chances-are-pretty-good-that-you/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [“there’s a bigger social reward for being able to talk about books than for actually reading them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/there-s-a-bigger-social-reward-for-being-able-to-talk-about-books/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [We proceed by doubt, by trial and error, by resisting the impulse to lunge after certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/we-proceed-by-doubt-by-trial-and-error-by-resisting-the-impulse-to/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [“...Novels--which, after all, are training grounds for responding to the world, imaginative sanctuaries in which to hone and test our ethical judgments and choices.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/novels-which-after-all-are-training-grounds-for-responding-to-the/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [People’s stories are the most personal thing they have, and paying attention to those stories is just about the most important thing you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/people-s-stories-are-the-most-personal-thing-they-have-and-paying/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [“Life is more than a job; jobs are more than a paycheck; and a country is more than its wealth. Education is more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/life-is-more-than-a-job-jobs-are-more-than-a-paycheck-and-a-country/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [“By the time they finish high school—after years of learning how to please their teachers and coaches, not to mention schmoozing with their parents’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/by-the-time-they-finish-high-school-after-years-of-learning-how-to/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [“Getting A’s no longer means that everything’s okay, assuming that it ever did. “We have students, who, no matter what else is going on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/getting-a-s-no-longer-means-that-everything-s-okay-assuming-that-it/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [“Both kinds of parenting, finally, are forms of overidentification. The helicopter parent turns the child into an instrument of her will. The overindulgent parent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/both-kinds-of-parenting-finally-are-forms-of-overidentification-the/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [“A friend who teaches at a top university once asked her class to memorize thirty lines of the eighteenth-century poet Alexander Pope. Every single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/a-friend-who-teaches-at-a-top-university-once-asked-her-class-to/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [“We have a crisis of leadership in America because our overwhelming power and wealth, earned under earlier generations of leaders, made us complacent, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/we-have-a-crisis-of-leadership-in-america-because-our-overwhelming/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [“A man never rises so high as when he knows not whither he is going.” The desire to eliminate uncertainty eliminates life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/a-man-never-rises-so-high-as-when-he-knows-not-whither-he-is-going/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) [Explore all 42 William Deresiewicz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) ## More Comfort quotes > [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/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/this-is-no-time-for-ease-and-comfort-it-is-time-to-dare-and-endure/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Comfort food is really anything you want at that time. That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. Because what was the point in crying when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/maybe-that-was-why-she-couldn-t-cry-she-realized-staring-dry-eyed-at/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I think that comfort is underrated in a lot of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/i-think-that-comfort-is-underrated-in-a-lot-of-ways/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) [Browse all 4,542 Comfort quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't play it safe. Resist the seductions of the cowardly values our society has come to prize so highly: comfort, convenience, security, predictability, control. These, too, are nets. Above all, resist the fear of failure. Yes, you will make mistakes. But they will be your mistakes, not someone else's. And you will survive them, and you will know yourself better for having made them, and you will be a fuller and a stronger person.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Deresiewicz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/don-t-play-it-safe-resist-the-seductions-of-the-cowardly-values-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comfort" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/don-t-play-it-safe-resist-the-seductions-of-the-cowardly-values-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/william-deresiewicz-15471_comfort_don-t-play-it-safe-resist-the-seductions_326786.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/william-deresiewicz-15471_comfort_don-t-play-it-safe-resist-the-seductions_326786.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/william-deresiewicz-15471_comfort_don-t-play-it-safe-resist-the-seductions_326786.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don't play it safe. Resist the seductions of the cowardly values our society has come to prize so highly…” — William Deresiewicz", "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": "William Deresiewicz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Don't play it safe. Resist the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/don-t-play-it-safe-resist-the-seductions-of-the-cowardly-values-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/don-t-play-it-safe-resist-the-seductions-of-the-cowardly-values-our/#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 } } ] } ```