He was ... a degenerate gambler. That is, a man who gambled simply to gamble and must lose. As a hero who goes to war must die. Show me a gambler and Ill show you a loser, show me a hero and Ill show you a corpse.
ATTRIBUTION:
Mario Puzo (b. 1920), U.S. novelist. Fools Die, ch. 2 (1978).