Playing Cards Quotes

Card games are an ancient invention, and they’ve captured the imagination of people for centuries. Quotes about playing cards capture the uncertainty of life and the importance of knowing how to make use of what you have.

Whether you play Hearts online or have only played poker a couple of times, this article has some insightful quotes that help you understand card games a bit more–and maybe even think about life in some new ways!

Playing the Hand You’re Dealt

"Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well."

This quote is often attributed to Jack London, author of adventure stories like The Call of the Wild and White Fang. This quote draws the parallel between card games and life, in that no one can decide their circumstances, so the measure of success is what they do with the cards they’ve been dealt. London is also drawing attention to the fact that anyone can win when they hold winning cards–but almost no one does.

This is similar to the idea of fair-weather friends. It’s easy to support someone when their life is going well; it’s much harder to be kind to someone living through challenging times. London points out that the real test of a person is how they handle things when they’re in a losing situation.

Knowing When to Quit

“You’ve got to know when to hold ’em…know when to fold ’em….”

From the song The Gambler by Kenny Rogers, this line is also about playing the hand you’ve been dealt, but specifically, it’s about knowing when to give up. This quote is often used when people talk about deciding to back out of a situation or stop pursuing an outcome.

In this metaphor, Rogers created a concise way to articulate the sunk cost fallacy. This term refers to the habit of people to continue to pursue something they’ve invested time, money, or energy into. People don’t want to lose their investment, of course, but in reality, by continuing to pursue it, they ultimately spend more time or money on it and still get the same outcome. Knowing when to admit you can’t win is a valuable skill in both card games and in life.

It’s Still a Competition

“Trust everybody, but cut the cards.”

This quote was first coined by Finley Peter Dunne in the early 1900s, but it has been repeated by many public figures. In essence, Dunne is saying you should approach the people you encounter by assuming they are honest and mean well, but don’t take everything at face value.

The Game of Love

“Romance was a game, like Bridge, in which you said things instead of playing cards. Like Bridge, you had to pretend you were playing for money or playing for some stakes.”

This line from A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway centers less on the importance of managing the cards you’re dealt and more on the social aspect of games. While there are entertaining card games to play solo, we mostly understand our lives through games played with others.

In this quote, Hemingway is almost saying that the game itself does not matter, but rather how the players interact as people. Putting this in the frame of romance is interesting, because he’s saying that, when it comes to love, it’s more how you talk than what cards are in your hand.

This quote also has an underpinning of nihilism to it, unsurprising for the novel from which it comes, as Hemingway says romance isn’t actually significant–you just have to pretend it is. This quote can be instructional for life in general, however, as the idea that we must act as though our actions matter has been echoed by many philosophers.

Doing the Right Thing

"One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards."

A quote full of his signature wit, Oscar Wilde made this comment to encapsulate the opposite of London’s line about making due with a lousy hand. Wilde is saying that when you are dealt the winning hand–as so few people are–it’s important to stay humble. He’s also wryly suggesting that maybe it’s okay to cheat when you’re behind, just not when you’re ahead.

Know When to Play

Now that you have some solid card-game-inspired quotes in your back pocket, it’s time to play some of the most popular card games out there! Check out our post on Euchre alternatives to try with friends.