Gambling Quotes: For and Against

Back in school, we were often asked to write pieces arguing for and against a certain subject matter. I always enjoyed playing devil’s advocate in these pieces, and thought it would be fun by bringing you a similar piece with a gambling angle.  Over the years, many people have been inspired by the words of others, and there are some great quotations and proverbs out there in favor of, and against, gambling.

Here is a list of my favourite quotes that argue against gambling, followed by those in favour of this great pastime (guess which side of the fence I’m on?!)

• The urge to gamble is so universal, and its practice so pleasurable, that I presume it must be evil ~ Heywood Bround
• The best throw of the dice is to throw them away ~ English proverb
• There is a very easy way to return from the casino with a small fortune: go there with a large one ~ Jack Yelton
• One of the healthiest ways to gamble is with a spade and a packet of seeds ~ Dan Bennett
• Horse racing is animated roulette ~ Roger Kahn
• Horse sense is good judgment that keeps horses from betting on people.

And now for my favorite quotes in favor of gambling:

• I am sorry I have not learned to play cards. It is very useful in life. It generates kindness and consolidates society ~ Samuel Johnson
• Gambling is the future of the internet. You can only look at so many dirty pictures ~ Simon Noble
• If I had the money and the drinking capacity, I’d probably live at a roulette table and let my life go to hell ~ Michael Ventura
• Gambling is a principle inherent in nature ~ Edmund Burke
• He had the calm confidence of a Christian with four aces ~ Mark Twain
• It can be argued that man’s instinct to gamble is the only reason he is still not a monkey up in the trees ~ Mario Puzo
• Gambling itself will only end when human nature has changed completely and and there are no more bets to win ~ Harold S. Smith