33 Thrilling Quotes About Taking Risks in Life and Business

The following is a collection of quotes about taking risks in life from famous thinkers. The hope is that they will shed light on the importance of taking such chances in life and business.

In his book Skin in the Game, Nassim Taleb argues that “How much you truly ‘believe’ in something can only be manifested through what you are willing to risk for it.”

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’re always on the lookout for new and exciting opportunities. You’re not content to sit back and play it safe, you want to seize every opportunity that comes your way.

And that’s a good thing!

Taking risks is essential to achieving success in life and business.

From entrepreneurs who have risked everything to travelers who have embraced the unknown, these quotes are sure to inspire you to take some risks of your own!

So what are you waiting for? Start reading and get inspired to take some risks in your life and business today!

Quotes About Taking Risks

The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.

Mark Zuckerberg

Security is mostly a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

Helen Keller

Leap, and the net will appear.

John Burroughs

I don’t believe in pitfalls. I believe in taking risks and not doing the same thing twice.

Guy Laliberte

People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.

Peter Drucker

It is only by risking our persons from one hour to another that we live at all.

William James

The dangers of life are infinite, and among them is safety.

Goethe

The biggest risk a person can take is to do nothing.

Robert Kiyosaki

It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.

Seneca

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

Wayne Gretzky

Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go.

T.S. Eliot

The reward is in the risk.

Rachel Cohn

Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.

General George Patton

Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.

Jimmy Carter 

Freedom is always associated with risk taking, whether it leads to it or comes from it.

Nassim Taleb

It seems to be a law of nature, inflexible and inexorable, that those who will not risk cannot win.

John Paul Jones

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

Are you placing enough interesting, freakish, long shot, weirdo bets?

Tom Peters

If you risk nothing, then you risk everything.

Geena Davis

You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.

Paulo Coelho

To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.

Søren Kierkegaard

If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained.

Neil Gaiman

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.

Muhammad Ali

There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction.

John F. Kennedy

If you opt for a safe life, you will never know what it’s like to win.

Richard Branson

The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open.

Chuck Palahniuk

Necessity is the mother of taking chances.

Mark Twain

Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.

Denis Waitley

Trust the still, small voice that says, ‘this might work and I’ll try it.’

Diane Mariechild

I believe that the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity, is daring to dare.

Maya Angelou

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

Goethe

If you do not take risks for your opinion, you’re nothing.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Contemplate and Create

Thought-Provoking Queries and Actionable Challenges

Contemplate

• Mark Zuckerberg posits that not taking risks is the strategy guaranteed to fail. Reflect on your own experiences: Can you identify moments in your life or career where taking a risk led to unexpected and significant growth? What did these moments teach you about the nature of risk and reward?
• John Burroughs encourages us to “leap, and the net will appear.” Consider a situation where you hesitated to take a leap of faith. What held you back? How might trusting in the process and the “net” that would appear have changed the outcome?

Create

• Ralph Waldo Emerson advocates for treating life as an experiment, where the more trials you undertake, the better. Inspired by this perspective, challenge yourself to try something new and slightly out of your comfort zone this week. It could be as simple as trying a new cuisine, starting a conversation with someone you haven’t spoken to before, or picking up a hobby you’ve always been interested in but never pursued.
• Muhammad Ali claims that without the courage to take risks, one will accomplish nothing in life. With this in mind, outline a small risk you can take in your personal or professional life. It could be pitching an innovative idea at work, signing up for a class to learn a new skill, or finally booking a trip to a destination you’ve always wanted to visit. Identify the potential benefits and steps to mitigate any downsides, then commit to taking that risk within a defined timeframe.

Parting Words

All in all, it’s clear that taking risks is a key ingredient to success. And while you may not always succeed when you take a chance, the potential for growth and progress is always there.

What’s your favorite quote about taking risks in life? Have any other risk quotes you’d add to the list?

Leave a comment below and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!

You might also like these related quote collections:

• Quotes About Financial Freedom
• Quotes About Nonconformity
• Quotes About Seizing Opportunity
• Quotes About Exploration
• Quotes About Life Obstacles

Originally Published: September 12, 2019