Quotes about a chance

A collection of quotes on the topic of chance, doing, can, use.

Best quotes about a chance

„The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.“

— Arthur Conan Doyle, book The Hound of the Baskervilles

Source: The Hound of the Baskervilles

„Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.“

— Démosthenés ancient greek statesman and orator -384 - -322 BC

„A wise man will make more opportunities, than he finds.“

— Francis Bacon, book Essays

Of Ceremonies and Respect
Essays (1625)
Variant: Wise men make more opportunities than they find.
Source: The Essays

„Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.“

— Seneca the Younger Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist -4 - 65 BC

Has been attributed to Seneca since the 1990s (eg. Gregory K. Ericksen, (1999), Women entrepreneurs only: 12 women entrepreneurs tell the stories of their success, page ix.). Other books ascribe the saying to either Darrell K. Royal (former American football player, born 1924) or Elmer G. Letterman (Insurance salesman and writer, 1897-1982). However, it is unlikely either man originated the saying. A version that reads "He is lucky who realizes that luck is the point where preparation meets opportunity" can be found (unattributed) in the 1912 The Youth's Companion: Volume 86. The quote might be a distortion of the following passage by Seneca (who makes no mention of "luck" and is in fact quoting his friend Demetrius the Cynic):<blockquote>"The best wrestler," he would say, "is not he who has learned thoroughly all the tricks and twists of the art, which are seldom met with in actual wrestling, but he who has well and carefully trained himself in one or two of them, and watches keenly for an opportunity of practising them." — Seneca, On Benefits, vii. 1 http://thriceholy.net/Texts/Benefits4.html</blockquote>
Disputed

„Beware of missing chances; otherwise it may be altogether too late some day.“

— Franz Liszt Hungarian romantic composer and virtuoso pianist 1811 - 1886

„In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity“

— Albert Einstein German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity 1879 - 1955

„I will prepare and some day my chance will come.“

— Abraham Lincoln 16th President of the United States 1809 - 1865

Attributed in Laura Haddock (1931), Steps Upward in Personality
Misattributed
Variant: I will study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come.

„Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.“

— Henry David Thoreau, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

Source: A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

„If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door“

— Milton Berle American comedian and actor 1908 - 2002

Variant: If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.

„No man was ever wise by chance.“

— Seneca the Younger Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist -4 - 65 BC

All quotes about a chance

Total 2159 quotes chance, filter:

„Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.“

— Bob Marley Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician 1945 - 1981

Love, Life, People, Pleasure

„There’s no way that Michael Jackson or whoever Jackson should have a million thousand droople billion dollars and then there’s people starving. There’s no way! There’s no way that these people should own planes and there people don’t have houses. Apartments. Shacks. Drawers. Pants! I know you’re rich. I know you got 40 billion dollars, but can you just keep it to one house? You only need ONE house. And if you only got two kids, can you just keep it to two rooms? I mean why have 52 rooms and you know there’s somebody with no room?! It just don’t make sense to me. It don’t.“

— Tupac Shakur rapper and actor 1971 - 1996

People, Way, Sense, Housing

„For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stonewritten. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.“

— Charles Bukowski American writer 1920 - 1994

"The Meaning of Life: The Big Picture", Life Magazine (December 1988)
Interviews

Love, Death, God, War

„I thought, “I want to die. I want to die more than ever before. There’s no chance now of a recovery. No matter what sort of thing I do, no matter what I do, it’s sure to be a failure, just a final coating applied to my shame. That dream of going on bicycles to see a waterfall framed in summer leaves—it was not for the likes of me. All that can happen now is that one foul, humiliating sin will be piled on another, and my sufferings will become only the more acute. I want to die. I must die. Living itself is the source of sin.“

— Osamu Dazai, book No Longer Human

The Third Notebook:Part Two
No Longer Human

Dreams, Failure, Suffering, Summer

„Seven Steps to Success
1) Make a commitment to grow daily.
2) Value the process more than events.
3) Don't wait for inspiration.
4) Be willing to sacrifice pleasure for opportunity.
5) Dream big.
6) Plan your priorities.
7) Give up to go up.“

— John C. Maxwell American author, speaker and pastor 1947

Pleasure, Dreams, Waiting, Success

„Do not be afraid of your difficulties. Do not wish you could be in other circumstances than you are. For when you have made the best of an adversity, it becomes the stepping stone to a splendid opportunity.“

— Helena Petrovna Blavatsky occult writer 1831 - 1891

„One chance, bang!“

— Cristiano Ronaldo Portuguese association football player 1985

„I don’t think that everyone should become a mathematician, but I do believe that many students don’t give mathematics a real chance.“

— Maryam Mirzakhani Iranian mathematician 1977 - 2017

Interview with Research Fellow Maryam Mirzakhani | january 2008

Mathematics, Thinking

„The chance to overcome another challenge is simply, as I always feel, a blessing.“

— Yuzuru Hanyu Japanese figure skater (1994-) 1994

Other quotes, 2014
Original: (ja) 次のもう一個の課題を克服するチャンスが来たっていうのは、それはもうただただ、いつも思うように、こんな恵まれたことはないですよ。
Source: Interview with Shuzo Matsuoka, aired 9 December 2014 in 報道ステーション (Hodo Station) on TV Asahi.

Feeling

„I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.“

— Jimmy Carter American politician, 39th president of the United States (in office from 1977 to 1981) 1924

Variant: My faith demands - this is not optional - my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.

Life, Faith

„People think of life as being so sacred and they feel like this is their only chance and they have to do something with their life and make an impact As far as I'm concerned, it's just a pitstop for the afterlife. It's just a little test to see how you can handle reality.“

— Kurt Cobain American musician and artist 1967 - 1994

Life, People, Feeling, Thinking

„No human being will ever know the truth, for even if they happened to say it by chance, they would not know they had done so.“

— Xenophon ancient Greek historian and philosopher -430 - -354 BC

Truth

„Today is filled with anger, fueled with hidden hate.
Scared of being outkast, afraid of common fate.
Today is build on tragedies which no one want's to face.
Nightmares to humanity and morally disgraced.
Tonight is filled with Rage, violence in the air.
Children bred with ruthlessness cause no one at home cares.
Tonight I lay my head down but the pressure never stops,
knowing that my sanity content when I'm droped.
But tomorrow I see change, a chance to build a new,
build on spirit intent of heart and ideas based on truth.
Tomorrow I wake with second wind and strong because of pride.
I know I fought with all my heart to keep the dream alive.“

— Tupac Shakur rapper and actor 1971 - 1996

Hate, Fate, Children, Truth

„A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.“

— Richard Bach American spiritual writer 1936

Love, Life, Feeling, Sense

„We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it. It must be done for itself, for the beauty of science, and then there is always the chance that a scientific discovery may become like the radium a benefit for humanity.“

— Marie Curie French-Polish physicist and chemist 1867 - 1934

Lecture at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York (14 May 1921)

Beauty, Science, Forgetting

„IN THE END… We only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.“

— Lewis Carroll English writer, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer 1832 - 1898

Decision, Waiting

„Never miss a good chance to shut up.“

— Will Rogers American humorist and entertainer 1879 - 1935

The Manly Wisdom of Will Rogers (2001)

Funny

„I guess I'm pretty much of a lone wolf. I don't say I don't like people at all but, to tell you the truth I only like it then if I have a chance to look deep into their hearts and their minds.“

— Béla Lugosi Hungarian actor 1882 - 1956

People, Truth, Wolf, Heart

„Chance of source language influencing the target language and that of the translator intervening onto the style of original writer are major challenges in literary translation.“

— Suman Pokhrel Nepali poet, lyricist, playwright, translator and artist 1967

<span class="plainlinks"> Foreword, 'Tales of Transformation: English Translation of Tagore's Chitrangada and Chandalika', Lopamudra Banerjee, (2018). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DQPD8F4/</span>
From Prose

„I wish to establish some sort of system not guided by chance but by some sort of definite and exact principle.“

— Dmitri Mendeleev Russian chemist and inventor 1834 - 1907

An Outline of the System of the Elements

„Truly great people in history never wanted to be great for themselves. All they wanted was the chance to do good for others and be close to God.“

— Muhammad Ali, book The Soul of a Butterfly

Source: The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey

God, People, History

„Make your mistakes, take your chances, look silly, but keep on going. Don’t freeze up.“

— Thomas Wolfe, book You Can't Go Home Again

Source: You Can't Go Home Again

„Only someone who is well prepared has the opportunity to improvise.“

— Ingmar Bergman Swedish filmmaker 1918 - 2007

„Was there any human urge more pitiful-or more intense- than wanting another chance at something?“

— Joe Hill Swedish-American labor activist, songwriter, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World 1879 - 1915

Source: NOS4A2

„The beauty of religious mania is that it has the power to explain everything. Once God (or Satan) is accepted as the first cause of everything which happens in the mortal world, nothing is left to chance… logic can be happily tossed out the window.“

— Stephen King, book The Stand

Source: The Stand

God, World, Beauty

„A man deserves a second chance, but keep an eye on him.“

— John Wayne American film actor 1907 - 1979

„We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.“

— Charles Bukowski American writer 1920 - 1994

Death

„Forgiving is not forgetting; its actually remembering--remembering and not using your right to hit back. Its a second chance for a new beginning. And the remembering part is particularly important. Especially if you dont want to repeat what happened.“

— Desmond Tutu South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner 1931

Forgiveness, Parting, Forgetting

„Never lose a chance of saying a kind word.“

— William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair

Source: Vanity Fair

„When I was little, my ambition was to grow up to be a book. Not a writer. People can be killed like ants. Writers are not hard to kill either. But not books: however systematically you try to destroy them, there is always a chance that a copy will survive and continue to enjoy a shelf-life in some corner on an out-of-the-way library somehwere in Reykjavik, Valladolid or Vancouver.“

— Amos Oz, book A Tale of Love and Darkness

Source: A Tale of Love and Darkness

Life, People, Books, Way

„You could spend your whole life imagining ghosts, worrying about the pathway to the future but all there will ever be is what's happening here and the decisions we make in this moments which are based in either love or fear. So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. What we really want seems impossibly out of reach and ridiculous to expect so we never dared the universe for it. I'm saying I'm the proof that you can ask the universe for it. My father could have been a great comedian, but he didn't believe that that was possible for him and so he made a conservative choice instead, he got a safe job as an accountant and when I was 12 years old he was let go from that safe job and our family had to do whatever we could do to survive. I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you could fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.“

— Jim Carrey Canadian-American actor, comedian, and producer 1962

Love, Life, Fear, Family

„Chance is necessity hidden behind a veil.“

— Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach Austrian writer 1830 - 1916

Der Zufall ist die in Schleier gehüllte Notwendigkeit.
Source: Aphorisms (1880/1893), p. 20.

„I was working on a title called, “Untitled Solo,” and I had made—using the chance operations—a series of movements written on scraps of paper for the legs and the arms, the head, all different. And it was done not to the music but with the music of Christian Wolff.“

— Merce Cunningham American dancer 1919 - 2009

Merce Cunningham, A Lifetime of Dance, 2000

Music

„On translating text into the new language as it is in source language, there is a chance of it being emerged as an absurd sentence in the target language making no sense at all. In the attempt to make the translation meaningful to the target language, there exists a risk of the original work getting meddled by the translator’s style.“

— Suman Pokhrel Nepali poet, lyricist, playwright, translator and artist 1967

Sense

„Each day has its own destiny. Yesterday is history, today is opportunity while tomorrow is mystery.“

— T. B. Joshua Nigerian Christian leader 1963

On destiny - "The Shock Of Reality" http://allafrica.com/stories/200908240244.html All Africa (August 24 2009)

History

„"People die from typewriters falling on their heads." (talking about taking chances because you can die at any moment.)“

— Jonathan Davis Heavy metal singer, frontman for Korn 1971

People

„I'm probably not going to get married unless I live with somebody for 10 or 20 years. But these people (Romeo and Juliet) took a chance and they did it. We don't have the balls that Romeo did.“

— Leonardo DiCaprio American actor and film producer 1974

http://www.flixster.com/actor/leonardo-di-caprio/leonardo-dicaprio-quotes

People

„I must and will work to ensure that the new democratic South Africa has a fair chance to succeed economically as well as politically, and to try to assist in fulfilling at least a part of the dream of the oppressed and deprived when the new South Africa is born.“

— Harry Schwarz South African activist 1924 - 2010

Speech to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C, April 1991.
As ambassador to the United States
Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-05-16/news/1991136167_1_south-africa-schwarz-frances-academy

Dreams, Parting

„I do not want to miss a good chance of getting us a slice of this magnificent African cake.“

— Leopold II of Belgium King of the Belgians 1835 - 1909

Thomas Pakenham, The Scramble for Africa: White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent From 1876 to 1912, New York: Avon Books, 1992, 22.

„All I know is that I care about this problem. And I want to make it better.
And having seen what I’ve seen — and given the chance — I feel it is my responsibility to say something.“

— Emma Watson British actress and model 1990

The "Burke quote" she uses here is a common but disputed attribution.
UN Speech on the HeForShe campaign (2014)
Context: You might be thinking who is this Harry Potter girl? And what is she doing speaking at the UN. And it’s a really good question. I've been asking myself the same thing. All I know is that I care about this problem. And I want to make it better.
And having seen what I’ve seen — and given the chance — I feel it is my responsibility to say something. Statesman Edmund Burke said: “All that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing.”
In my nervousness for this speech and in my moments of doubt I’ve told myself firmly — if not me, who, if not now, when. If you have similar doubts when opportunities are presented to you I hope that those words might be helpful.

Feeling, Problem

„It is just as much a matter of chance that I am still alive as that I might have been hit.“

— Erich Maria Remarque, book All Quiet on the Western Front

Source: All Quiet on the Western Front (1929), Ch. 6
Context: It is just as much a matter of chance that I am still alive as that I might have been hit. In a bomb-proof dugout I might have been smashed to atoms, and in the open survive ten hours' bombardment unscathed. No soldier survives a thousand chances. But every soldier believes in Chance and trusts his luck.

„I don’t think I have to prove anything to anyone. I don’t expect anyone to give me any breaks. I’m not one of those people who wants to scream, ‘Give me a chance. I will show you what I can do!’ You know, I really don’t care.“

— Robert Pattinson English actor 1986

People, Thinking

„Each and every one of us has a fire that burns inside us. They can try like hell to put it out, but as long as we know in our minds who we are meant to be, they will never stand a chance.“

— Andrew Biersack American singer-songwriter 1990

Hell

„I violate the Prohibition law, sure, Who doesn't? The only difference is that I take more chances than the man who drinks a cocktail before dinner and a flock of highballs after it.“

— Al Capone American gangster 1899 - 1947

Drink, Law

„Every challenge is a chance to succeed.“

— RJ Intindola (Gandolfo)

1977

„Jay Z: We are good friends, but what I got to say has nothing to do with our friendship. I have been in the industry long enough to know when I’m in the presence of a genius… and Chris Martin is just that. In years to come, Britain will look back at him as a modern day Shakespeare, he is an incredible recording artist, an incredible songwriter, but where he really comes alive is performing live. If you get the chance to see Coldplay live, do it, you ain’t gonna regret it.“

— Chris Martin musician, co-founder of Coldplay 1977

http://www.metroguiltypleasures.com/metro/coldplays-chris-martin-is-a-modern-day-shakespeare-says-jay-z/ source

Friendship

„Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.“

— William Jennings Bryan United States Secretary of State 1860 - 1925

"America's Mission", speech delivered by the leader of the Democratic Party at the Washington Day banquet given by the Virginia Democratic Association at Washington, D.C., (22 February 1899), as published in The Book of Public Speaking (Vol. 2) http://www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/The_Book_of_Public_Speaking_v2_1000538531/149

Waiting

„Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?“

— Steve Jobs American entrepreneur and co-founder of Apple Inc. 1955 - 2011

A comment he made in persuading John Sculley to become Apple's CEO, as quoted in Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple: A Journey of Adventure, Ideas, and the Future (1987) by John Sculley and John A. Byrne
1980s

Life, World, Water, Change

„Scientists have calculated that the chances of something so patently absurd actually existing are millions to one.
But magicians have calculated that million-to-one chances crop up nine times out of ten.“

— Terry Pratchett, book Mort

Source: Mort

Time

„It was my first big chance, but here I was, sitting back and letting it run through my fingers like so much water.“

— Sylvia Plath, book The Bell Jar

Source: The Bell Jar

Water

„All Nature is but art, unknown to thee
All chance, direction, which thou canst not see;
All discord, harmony not understood;
All partial evil, universal good.“

— Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

Source: An Essay on Man

Art, Nature, Universe, Evil

„You got to be ready to die every day - then you got a chance.“

— Daniel Woodrell Novelist 1953

Source: Winter's Bone

„The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself.“

— Thich Nhat Hanh Religious leader and peace activist 1926

Source: Buddha Mind, Buddha Body: Walking Toward Enlightenment

Truth, Secret, Idea

„A story about family, first loves, second chances, and the moments in life that leads you back home“

— Nicholas Sparks, book The Last Song

Source: The Last Song

Love, Life, Family, Home

„Thus every action must be due to one or other of seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reasoning, anger, or appetite.“

— Aristotle, Rhetoric

Book I, 1369a.5
Rhetoric
Variant: All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion and desire
Source: Selected Works

Nature, Anger

„(About sweeping)….
What he was in FACT doing was moving the dirt around with a broom, to give it a change of scenery and a chance to make new friends.“

— Terry Pratchett, book Maskerade

Source: Maskerade

Change

„Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us.“

— Paul Theroux American travel writer and novelist 1941

New York Times (July 28, 1976).

Life

„In the end, I've found that it doesn't really matter who you marry. If you like them at the beginning, you probably won't like them at the end. And if you start off hating them, there's always the chance you'll end up thinking they're all right.“

— Alain de Botton Swiss writer 1969

Source: Essays in Love

Hate, Thinking

„Seems to me it ain't the world that's so bad but what we're doing to it, and all I'm saying is: see what a wonderful world it would be if only we'd give it a chance. Love, baby - love. That's the secret.“

— Louis Armstrong American jazz trumpeter, composer and singer 1901 - 1971

Spoken intro to "What a Wonderful World" (1970 version)
Context: Seems to me, it aint the world that's so bad but what we're doin' to it. And all I'm saying is, see, what a wonderful world it would be if only we'd give it a chance. Love baby, love. That's the secret, yeah. If lots more of us loved each other, we'd solve lots more problems. And then this world would be a gasser. That's wha' ol' Pops keeps saying.
Context: Some of you young folks been saying to me, "Hey Pops, what you mean 'What a wonderful world'? How about all them wars all over the place? You call them wonderful? And how about hunger and pollution? That aint so wonderful either." Well how about listening to old Pops for a minute. Seems to me, it aint the world that's so bad but what we're doin' to it. And all I'm saying is, see, what a wonderful world it would be if only we'd give it a chance. Love baby, love. That's the secret, yeah. If lots more of us loved each other, we'd solve lots more problems. And then this world would be a gasser. That's wha' ol' Pops keeps saying.

Love, Secret, World, Baby

„It's a big deal when you finally get the chance to do the one thing you want to do -need to do- more than anything. It can kind of scare the crap out of you.“

— Sarah Dessen, book Just Listen

Source: Just Listen

„Stefan spat. "Oh, aye, he fell. O' course, Master Ralon helped him fall, several times. Poor li'l tyke didn't have a chance.“

— Tamora Pierce, book Alanna: The First Adventure

Source: Alanna: The First Adventure

Time, Help

„In any case, it's the cowardice of people like you who give dictators the chance to install themselves!“

— Marjane Satrapi Artist 1969

Source: Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

People

„I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… I'm free to choose what that something is, and the something I've chosen is my faith. Now, my faith goes beyond theology and religion and requires considerable work and effort. My faith demands -- this is not optional -- my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.“

— Jimmy Carter American politician, 39th president of the United States (in office from 1977 to 1981) 1924

Life, Faith, Religion, Effort

„Life offers you a thousand chances… all you have to do is take one.“

— Frances Mayes, book Under the Tuscan Sun

Source: Under the Tuscan Sun

Life

„When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain,
Before high piled books, in charact’ry,
Hold like rich garners the full-ripen’d grain;
When I behold, upon the night’s starr’d face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love!“

— John Keats English Romantic poet 1795 - 1821

then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.
"When I have fears that I may cease to be" (1817)
Source: The Complete Poems

Love, Books, World, Fear

„You must take your chance.“

— William Shakespeare English playwright and poet 1564 - 1616

„And when you're alone there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.“

— Dr. Seuss American children's writer and illustrator, co-founder of Beginner Books 1904 - 1991

Source: Oh, The Places You'll Go!

„But it's just because the chances are all against you, just because there is so little hope, that life is sweet over here.“

— Henry Miller, book Tropic of Cancer

Source: Tropic of Cancer

Life, Hope

„The light works," he said, indicating the window, "the gravity works," he said, dropping a pencil on the floor. "Anything else we have to take our chances with.“

— Douglas Adams, book Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Source: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Light

„This may be my only chance to see humans before these two are made into fertilizer for Moonwind's rosebushes.“

— Tamora Pierce, The Realms of the Gods

Source: The Realms of the Gods

„I had the chance to make every possible mistake and figure out a way to recover from it. Once you realize there is life after mistakes, you gain a self-confidence that never goes away.“

— Bob Schieffer Journalist, Anchor for CBS News 1937

Source: This Just in: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV

Life, Way, Confidence, Self-confidence

„The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment, it is not in luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone.“

— Orison Swett Marden American writer 1850 - 1924

Help

„I suppose if I gave myself the chance I could be an alcoholic.“

— Sylvia Plath American poet, novelist and short story writer 1932 - 1963

Source: The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

Alcohol

„Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see, one chance out between two worlds, fire walk with me!“

— David Lynch American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor 1946

World, Past, Future

„Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee
And I'll forgive Thy great big one on me.“

— Robert Frost, In the Clearing

"Forgive, O Lord," In the Clearing (1962)
First published in the Harvard Alumni Bulletin (12 November 1960), p. 157 http://books.google.com/books?id=9J_lAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Forgive+O+Lord+my+little+jokes+on+Thee+And+I'll+forgive+Thy+great+big+one+on+me%22&pg=PA157#v=onepage
1960s
Variant: Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee And I'll forgive Thy great big one on me.

Forgiveness

„I don’t regret the things I’ve done. I regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance.“

— Harlan Coben, book Missing You

Source: Missing You

„… stupidity is one of the two things we see most clearly in retrospect. The other is missed chances.“

— Stephen King, book 11/22/63

Source: 11/22/63

Stupidity

„That's what I like about the World Series. It gives me a chance to talk with lots of writers, a chance for them to understand me better than in the past. When Roberto Clemente is mentioned, he is always mentioned with injuries. They say I'm moody, selfish, temperamental. That's not the real me. I was born with a serious face. If you know my life, if you know me well by taking the time to learn to know me, then you'll understand me. Most places I go, people say "smile." I don't like that. I don't believe in being a hypocrite. If the occasion is for smiling, I will be smiling. I'm a very happy person.“

— Roberto Clemente Puerto Rican baseball player 1934 - 1972

As quoted in "Clemente Says He is Very Happy" https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=42oeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QckEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1983%2C4221206 by the Associated Press, in The Daytona Beach Morning Journal (October 16, 1971), p. 1-C
Other, <big><big>1970s</big></big>, <big>1971</big>

Life, People, World, Smile

„Everyone here would die for the sake of truth. Everyone here lies constantly for the tiniest chance of personal gain. This is what it means to be a scientist.“

— Greg Egan Australian science fiction writer and former computer programmer 1961

The Demon's Passage http://eidolon.net/?story=The%20Demons%20Passage
Fiction

Truth, Personality

„The Law teaches that the universe was invented and created by God, and that it did not come into being by chance or by itself.“

— Averroes, book On the Harmony of Religions and Philosophy

Part 1: The Creation of the Universe; Opening sentence
On the Harmony of Religions and Philosophy

God, Law, Universe

„It’s an honour to get a chance to represent my country on an international level. I will be wearing a sari in during the Indian round. Winning or losing the crown is immaterial for me as participating itself in such a coveted pageant is an achievement.“

— Sukirti Kandpal Indian actress 1987

On participating in Miss India Worldwide 2011 pageant https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Sukirti-took-part-in-a-beauty-pageant/articleshow/8556405.cms/
On participating in Miss India Worldwide 2011 pageant Part-2 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Sukirti-From-vampires-to-beauty-pageants/articleshow/8187416.cms/

Country

„Go away,
Give me a chance to miss you.
Say goodbye,
It'll make me want to kiss you.
I love you so
Much more when you're not here,
Watchin all the bad shows,
Drinking all of my beer.I don't believe Adam and Eve
Spent every goddamn day together.
If you give me some room, there will be room enough for two.“

— Pink (singer) American singer-songwriter 1979

Leave Me Alone, written by Pink and Butch Walker
Song lyrics, I'm Not Dead (2006)

Love, Drink, Kiss

„While the children laughed
I was always afraid
Of the Smile of the clown
So I close my eyes
Till I can't see the light
And I hide from the sound

We're two of a Kind
Silence and I
We need a chance to talk things over
Two of a kind
Silence and I“

— Alan Parsons audio engineer, musician, and record producer from England 1948

"Silence and I", from the album Eye In The Sky. (Written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson.)
Quotes from songs

Children, Smile, Light, Silence

„[We are now] in a position to judge of the validity of the objection which has been made, that the principle of Natural Selection depends on a succession of favourable chances. The objection is more in the nature of an innuendo than of a criticism, for it depends for its force upon the ambiguity of the word chance, in its popular uses. The income derived from a Casino by its proprietor may, in one sense, be said to depend upon a succession of favourable chances, although the phrase contains a suggestion of improbability more appropriate to the hopes of the patrons of his establishment. It is easy without any very profound logical analysis to perceive the difference between a succession of favourable deviations from the laws of chance, and on the other hand, the continuous and cumulative action of these laws. It is on the latter that the principle of Natural Selection relies.“

— Ronald Fisher, book The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection

On the objection (still often made by creationists) that the theory of evolution predicts evolution occurs "only by chance", Ch. 2, p. 37.
The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection (1930)

Law, Hope, Nature, Sense

„A profound love between two people involves, after all, the power and chance of doing profound hurt.“

— Ursula K. Le Guin, Hainish Cycle

Source: Hainish Cycle, The Left Hand of Darkness (1969), Chapter 18 “On the Ice” (p. 249)

Love, People, Hurt

„In my opinion, the best chance you have of catching this guy is to get a site with a fresh body and stake it out.“

— Ted Bundy American serial killer 1946 - 1989

1984 interview with Detective Robert Keppel (regarding the Green River Killer)

Guy

„This is the chance to fulfill a dream.“

— Elon Musk South African-born American entrepreneur 1971

Conversation: Elon Musk on Wired Science (2007)

Dreams, Business, Back To Work

„It is a rather unpleasant sensation to feel yourself pulled by the strings and made to do things whether you want to or not — that is quite irrelevant — but to be compelled to act because something pulls you by the strings, something which you do not even see — that is exasperating. … I knew nobody who could help me and I did not have the chance that you have, someone who can tell you: "This is what you have to do!" There was nobody to tell me that. I had to find it out all by myself. And I found it. I started at five.“

— The Mother spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo 1878 - 1973

On developing her inner experiences, as narrated in later years to her disciples at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, in "Birth and Girlhood", also in The Mother On Herself http://www.miraura.org/bio/herself.html

Feeling, Help

„The only influences in [the painting 'The sick Child', Munch painted in his elderly home, remembering very accurate the last days of his dying little sister Sophie] 'The sick Child'.... were the ones that come from my home.... my childhood and my home. Only someone who knew the conditions at home could possibly understand why there can be no conceivable chance of any other place having played a part – my home is to my art as a midwife is to her children.... few painters have ever experienced the full grief of their subject as I did in 'The sick child.“

— Edvard Munch Norwegian painter and printmaker 1863 - 1944

It was not just I who was suffering; it was all my nearest and dearest as well.
Edvard Munch talks to Jens Tiis, c. 1933, Munch Museum; as quoted in Edvard Much – behind the scream, Sue Prideaux; Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2007, pp. 85-86
after 1930

Children, Art, Home, Understanding

„I think marriage is all about timing. Getting married is insanity; I mean, it's a risk – who knows if you're going to be together forever? But you both say, 'We're going to take this chance, in the same spirit.“

— Cate Blanchett Australian actress 1969

Cate Blanchett: 'Getting Married Is Insanity', People Magazine, 12 January 2007 http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20008317,00.html,

Marriage, Thinking, Time

„The more devils we have within us, the more chance we have to form angels.“

— Nikos Kazantzakis, book The Last Temptation of Christ

Source: The Last Temptation of Christ (1951), Ch. 10

Angels

„What was a reasonable offer? In the first place, there ought to be an amnesty. … The second point in the terms should be a grant of money to rebuild the burned homesteads and restock the devastated farms. … Nothing would do more to accelerate the return of peace and order than to give the people occupation and a chance of living. Then, it should be part of any reasonable offer to the Boers that there should be a speedy restoration of self-governing institutions.“

— James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce British academic, jurist, historian and Liberal politician 1838 - 1922

Speech to the Women's National Liberal Association Conference, Memorial Hall, London (12 June 1901), quoted in The Times (13 June 1901), p. 12.
1900s

Money, People, Peace, Parting

„…just like anybody else with an obsession, whether it be fishing, bowling or skiing, he has ways he can vicariously satisfy it. Maybe he is going to peep shows and reading detective magazines. I think there's an excellent chance that one way he gets off is by going to look at what that call the slasher films.“

— Ted Bundy American serial killer 1946 - 1989

1984 interview with Detective Robert Keppel (regarding the Green River Killer)

Way, Thinking, Fish, Reading

„I smoke marijuana every chance I get.“

— Allen Ginsberg American poet 1926 - 1997

America (1956)

Marijuana

„I used to act dumb. It was an act. I am 26 years old, and that act is no longer cute. It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me. I know now that I can make a difference, that I have the power to do that. I have been thinking that I want to do different things when I am out of here. I have become much more spiritual. God has given me this new chance.“

— Paris Hilton American socialite 1981

As quoted at ABC News (11 June 2007) http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3264588

God, Girl, Thinking, Personality

„To give every child the chance to be educated is a gift of promise. A gift of wonderment. A gift that opens up possibilities that can transform lives and develop thinkers, leaders, and creators of great art.“

— Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned wife of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani 1958

Speech at Jazz at Lincoln Centre; quoted on official website http://www.mozabintnasser.qa/en/Pages/ArticlePreview.aspx?ArticleGuid=de04d373-9eaa-46c8-9f4d-033ff7b8fe1f&Type=Speech# (May 16 2013)

Education, Art

„Till I had you I didn't know that I was missing out. Had to grow up and see the world through different shades of doubt. Give me one more chance to dream again. One more chance to feel again through your young heart. If only for one day let me try. I wanna see Christmas through your eyes. I want everything to be the way it used to be. Back to being a child again, thinking the world was mine... I see the rain, you see the rainbow hiding in the clouds. Never afraid to let your love show. Won't you show me how. Wanna learn how to believe again. Find the innocence in me again, through your young heart. Help me find a way, help me try. I wanna see Christmas through your eyes. I want everything to be the way it used to be. Back to being a child again, thinking the world was kind. I wanna see Christmas, Christmas through your eyes.“

— Gloria Estefan Cuban-American singer-songwriter, actress and divorciada 1957

Christmas Through Your Eyes
2007, 2008

Love, World, Dreams, Way

„I make no excuses. It is what is it. I came up short. I took a chance, it didn't pay off. I'll be back.“

— Conor McGregor Irish mixed martial artist and boxer 1988

"UFC 196 post-event press conference" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfu31-vEwgo (March 2016), Ultimate Fighting Championship, Zuffa, LLC
2010s, 2016

„I had always dreamt of participating in a beauty pageant and I got a chance to live my dream. It was a very good learning experience. However, due to my hectic schedule, I did not get enough time to prepare for the Talent round. But I am happy as I won the Miss Bollywood Diva.“

— Sukirti Kandpal Indian actress 1987

Beauty, Dreams, Learning, Time

„Hi and Merry Christmas. I’m honored to have a chance to speak with you and your family this year. Recently we learned that our governments, working in concert, have created a system of worldwide system of mass surveillance watching everything we do. Great Britain’s George Orwell warned us of the danger of this kind of information.“

— Edward Snowden American whistleblower and former National Security Agency contractor 1983

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/edward-snowden-after-months-of-nsa-revelations-says-his-missions-accomplished/2013/12/23/49fc36de-6c1c-11e3-a523-fe73f0ff6b8d_story.html 2013 Christmas Message

Family, Learning, Christmas