Looking back, of course, it was irresponsible, mad, forlorn, idiotic, but if you don’t take chances then you’ll never have a winning hand, and I’ve no regrets.
Meaning of the quote
The quote is saying that even though some of the things the person did in the past may have been risky or foolish, they don't regret it. If they had never taken those chances, they would have never had the opportunity to succeed. Taking risks can be scary, but it's the only way to get the best possible results.
About Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell is a British-American author known for his historical novels, particularly the Sharpe series about a Napoleonic Wars rifleman. He has written several acclaimed series, including The Saxon Stories about the making of England, and has had his works adapted for television.
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More quotes from Bernard Cornwell
Book tours and research provide a lot of travel – too much, I sometimes think, but we do take vacations.
British writer
Television is a young person’s medium.
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Anyone who claims to have an entirely clear conscience is almost certainly a bore.
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I’m fortunate that the books sell, but even more fortunate to live in Chatham, to be very happily married and to have, on the whole, a fairly clear conscience.
British writer
Then you start another book and suddenly the galley proofs of the last one come in and you have to wrench your attention away from what you’re writing and try to remember what you were thinking when you wrote the previous one.
British writer
Of course some days are easier than others, but my worst day is better than being in most humdrum occupations.
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Agents will read unpublished work because they might make money, and that’s their job. It isn’t mine.
British writer
Judy couldn’t move to Britain for family reasons, so I had to come to the States, and the U.S. government wouldn’t give me a Green Card, so I airily told her I’d write a book.
British writer
I’ll happily mentor anyone who wants mentoring, and most of that goes on by internet rather than face to face.
British writer
Looking back, of course, it was irresponsible, mad, forlorn, idiotic, but if you don’t take chances then you’ll never have a winning hand, and I’ve no regrets.
British writer
So the books have a greater appeal to a British audience, but that hasn’t stopped them making best-seller lists in places like Brazil, Japan and at least a dozen other countries.
British writer
So far it’s 43 books in 25 years.
British writer
And yes, there’s a simplicity to writing books because you’re not a member of a team, so you make all the decisions yourself instead of deferring to a committee.
British writer
I volunteered for this life, wanted it and am not going to bitch about it now that I’ve got it.
British writer
I know nothing about producing TV drama and any involvement on my part is liable to prove an obstacle to the producers, so I prefer to be a cheerleader and let them get on with it.
British writer
At risk of sounding foully pompous I think that writers’ groups are probably very useful at the beginning of a writing career.
British writer
Writing is a solitary occupation.
British writer
It’s fun. I sit down every day and tell stories. Some folk would kill to get that chance.
British writer
I sometimes wonder what would have happened if the first book had not sold… doesn’t bear thinking about, but I suppose we’d have made it work somehow.
British writer
One book at a time… though I’m usually doing the research for others while I’m writing, but that sort of research is fairly desultory and I like to stick to the book being written – and writing a book concentrates the mind so the research is more productive.
British writer
What I mean by that is that the point of life, as I see it, is not to write books or scale mountains or sail oceans, but to achieve happiness, and preferably an unselfish happiness.
British writer