---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All of life is the exercise of risk."
description: "\"All of life is the exercise of risk.\" — William Sloane Coffin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/william-sloane-coffin-4839_exercise_all-of-life-is-the-exercise-of-risk-2997_2997902.png"
---

#  All of life is the exercise of risk.

![“All of life is the exercise of risk.” quote by William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/william-sloane-coffin-4839_exercise_all-of-life-is-the-exercise-of-risk-2997_2997902.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/william-sloane-coffin-4839_exercise_all-of-life-is-the-exercise-of-risk-2997_2997902.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/william-sloane-coffin-4839_exercise_all-of-life-is-the-exercise-of-risk-2997_2997902.png)

> “All of life is the exercise of risk.”

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

## About This Quote

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

Life constantly presents choices that involve uncertainty and potential loss, urging us to engage with risk as a fundamental part of existence.

**In simple terms:** Life is about taking chances.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty as part of living.

Themes

risk uncertainty growth decision-making

Mood

thoughtful inspired

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- entrepreneurship
- personal relationships
- investment choices

Key Concepts

Existentialism probability theory psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What risks are you avoiding and why?
- How can you assess risk without becoming paralyzed?

A Different Perspective

Risk can lead to harmful outcomes if not managed wisely.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/)

## Related quotes

> [The poor don't know that their function in life is to exercise our generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-poor-don-t-know-that-their-function-in-life-is-to-exercise-our/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“After you have demonstrated a practical-life exercise, and once your child has begun to use it with concentration, you must take care not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-polk-lillard/after-you-have-demonstrated-a-practical-life-exercise-and-once-your/)

[Paula Polk Lillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-polk-lillard/)

> [“Sometimes it seemed as if his whole life was an exercise in waiting; not waiting to leave, exactly, but simply waiting to go. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-his-whole-life-was-an-exercise-in-waiting/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [I've run my whole life - for more than exercise, for mental health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/i-ve-run-my-whole-life-for-more-than-exercise-for-mental-health/)

[Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/)

> [Life should be lived on the edge of life. You have to exercise rebellion: to refuse to tape yourself to rules, to refuse your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/life-should-be-lived-on-the-edge-of-life-you-have-to-exercise/)

[Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/)

> [God loves you enough , trusts you enough, to let affliction come into your life to see whether you will exercise the muscles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howe/god-loves-you-enough-trusts-you-enough-to-let-affliction-come-into/)

[John Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howe/)

> [To me it's really...it's so simple... that life should be lived on the edge of life. You have to exercise rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-me-it-s-really-it-s-so-simple-that-life-should-be-lived-on-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [People have choices in this life. They should exercise them responsibly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/people-have-choices-in-this-life-they-should-exercise-them-responsibly/)

[Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/)

> [Exercising leadership is an expression of your aliveness... But when you cover yourself up, you risk losing something as well. In the struggle to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-a-heifetz/exercising-leadership-is-an-expression-of-your-aliveness-but-when-you/)

[Ronald A. Heifetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-a-heifetz/)

> [The women of the poorer classes make sacrifices, and run risks, and bear privations, and exercise patience and kindness to a degree that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-women-of-the-poorer-classes-make-sacrifices-and-run-risks-and/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [My motto in life is 'Take risks;' you don't have a voice if you don't. You have to venture outside your boundaries. That's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-wearstler/my-motto-in-life-is-take-risks-you-don-t-have-a-voice-if-you-don-t/)

[Kelly Wearstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-wearstler/)

> [If you stumble over mere believability, what are you living for? Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/if-you-stumble-over-mere-believability-what-are-you-living-for-love/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [I found that nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-found-that-nothing-in-life-is-worthwhile-unless-you-take-risks/)

[Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/)

> [I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-within-my-unit-that-i-was-never-the/)

[Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/)

> [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/)

[Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/)

## More by William Sloane Coffin

> [“Joy is the most important Christian emotion. Duty calls only when gratitude fails to prompt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/joy-is-the-most-important-christian-emotion-duty-calls-only-when/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [Every nation makes decisions based on self-interest and defends them on the basis of morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/every-nation-makes-decisions-based-on-self-interest-and-defends-them/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [It is one thing to say with the prophet Amos, "Let justice roll down like mighty waters," and quite another to work out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/it-is-one-thing-to-say-with-the-prophet-amos-let-justice-roll-down/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [“A friend...risks her friendship for the sake of her friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/a-friend-risks-her-friendship-for-the-sake-of-her-friend/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [“We are not slaves but children of our Father, free to do good, free to sin. So when in anguish over any human violence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/we-are-not-slaves-but-children-of-our-father-free-to-do-good-free-to/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [In our time all it takes for evil to flourish is for a few good men to be a little wrong and have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/in-our-time-all-it-takes-for-evil-to-flourish-is-for-a-few-good-men/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [We have sold our birthright of freedom and justice for a mess of national security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/we-have-sold-our-birthright-of-freedom-and-justice-for-a-mess-of/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [“And if we exalt freedom as Christians, we must remember that freedom is grounded in love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/and-if-we-exalt-freedom-as-christians-we-must-remember-that-freedom/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [“It is terribly important to realize that the leap of faith is not so much a leap of thought as of action. For while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/it-is-terribly-important-to-realize-that-the-leap-of-faith-is-not-so/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [We must be governed by the force of law, not by the law of force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/we-must-be-governed-by-the-force-of-law-not-by-the-law-of-force/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [Only reverence can restrain violence - reverence for human life and the environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/only-reverence-can-restrain-violence-reverence-for-human-life-and-the/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [“But what I am beginning to suspect is that most guilty people reject the possibility of forgiveness not because it is too good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/but-what-i-am-beginning-to-suspect-is-that-most-guilty-people-reject/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [Of God's love we can say two things: it is poured out universally for everyone from the Pope to the loneliest wino on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/of-god-s-love-we-can-say-two-things-it-is-poured-out-universally-for/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [“And if God is a suffering God, if this whole universe is borne on a heart infinite in compassion, then the more we suffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/and-if-god-is-a-suffering-god-if-this-whole-universe-is-borne-on-a/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [“...love does have a reward. Just as the proper benefits of education are the opportunities of continuing education, so the rewards of loving are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/love-does-have-a-reward-just-as-the-proper-benefits-of-education-are/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

[Explore all 106 William Sloane Coffin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

## More Exercise quotes

> [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/)

[Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/)

> [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/)

[Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/)

> [I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-within-my-unit-that-i-was-never-the/)

[Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/)

> [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/)

> [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/)

[George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/)

> [If your goal is to look different, you'll see results faster with strength training than with cardio alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kaiser/if-your-goal-is-to-look-different-you-ll-see-results-faster-with/)

[Anna Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kaiser/)

> [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/)

[Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/)

> [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/)

[Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/)

> [One should try to locate power at the extreme of its exercise, where it is always less legal in character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/one-should-try-to-locate-power-at-the-extreme-of-its-exercise-where/)

[Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/)

> [What do you think of our gym &lt;3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-do-you-think-of-our-gym-3/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses exists; not that the child shall know colors, forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-exactly-in-the-repetition-of-the-exercises-that-the-education/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [One things guys have to remember is consistency... You can't make up for three years of eating poorly in just one workout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apolo-ohno/one-things-guys-have-to-remember-is-consistency-you-can-t-make-up-for/)

[Apolo Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apolo-ohno/)

> [For girls who want to get their waistline down a little bit and don't have any weights in the house, they can actually use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepa/for-girls-who-want-to-get-their-waistline-down-a-little-bit-and-don-t/)

[Pepa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pepa/)

> [The human body has been designed to resist an infinite number of changes and attacks brought about by its environment. The secret of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-johnson/the-human-body-has-been-designed-to-resist-an-infinite-number-of/)

Harry Johnson

[Browse all 7,281 Exercise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "All of life is the exercise of risk.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Sloane Coffin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/all-of-life-is-the-exercise-of-risk/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Exercise"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/all-of-life-is-the-exercise-of-risk/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/william-sloane-coffin-4839_exercise_all-of-life-is-the-exercise-of-risk-2997_2997902.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/william-sloane-coffin-4839_exercise_all-of-life-is-the-exercise-of-risk-2997_2997902.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/william-sloane-coffin-4839_exercise_all-of-life-is-the-exercise-of-risk-2997_2997902.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“All of life is the exercise of risk.” — William Sloane Coffin",
                "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 Sloane Coffin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "All of life is the exercise...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/all-of-life-is-the-exercise-of-risk/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/all-of-life-is-the-exercise-of-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
