You’ve seen it on a million LinkedIn banners. It’s plastered on locker room walls and scribbled into high school yearbooks like some kind of universal law of physics. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." It’s the ultimate "just do it" mantra, but honestly, the history behind that sentence—and whether it’s actually good advice—is a lot messier than a motivational poster suggests.
Most people think they know where it came from. They’ll point to Wayne Gretzky. Some younger fans, or fans of The Office, will swear it belongs to Michael Scott (who famously "quoted" Gretzky on a Dunder Mifflin whiteboard). But the phrase has become a weird cultural artifact. It’s a bit of sports lore that morphed into a business cliché, and eventually, a meme.
Where did 100 of the shots you don't take actually start?
Let’s get the facts straight. The Great One didn't just say this in a post-game interview after a random win in 1985. The origin traces back to an interview with Bob McKenzie for The Hockey News in January 1983. Gretzky was explaining his aggressive offensive style. He wasn't trying to be a life coach. He was talking about the literal mechanics of ice hockey.
It’s a simple mathematical reality on the ice. If the puck stays on your blade, the goalie doesn't have to do anything. If you fling it toward the net, there’s a non-zero chance of a deflection, a weird bounce, or a goalie screen.
But here’s the thing: Gretzky wasn't just a volume shooter. He was a cerebral player. He led the league in assists 16 times. If he truly believed in shooting every single time, his assist record wouldn't be the most untouchable stat in professional sports. He knew when to pass. The quote, in its popular form, strips away all that nuance. It makes it sound like mindless repetition is the key to success, when Gretzky’s real secret was vision.
The Michael Scott Effect
You can't talk about 100 of the shots you don't take without mentioning Steve Carell. In the 2009 episode "Michael Scott Paper Company," the joke is peak cringe comedy. Michael writes the quote, attributes it to Gretzky, and then signs his own name underneath.
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This moment actually changed the "search intent" of the phrase forever. Before that episode, it was a sincere athletic motivation. After? It became a tongue-in-cheek nod to overconfidence. It’s funny because Michael Scott is the king of taking shots he definitely should not take—like starting a rival paper company with zero capital.
Does the math actually hold up in the real world?
In sports, maybe. In life? It’s complicated.
Psychologists often talk about "omission bias." This is our tendency to judge harmful actions as worse than harmful inactions. We’re terrified of the "shot" that misses and makes us look like an idiot. Gretzky’s logic is meant to kill that fear.
But let’s look at the "shots" we take in other fields.
- Finance: If you take every "shot" at a volatile stock, you’re broke by Tuesday.
- Dating: High-volume "shooting" without any calibration usually leads to a very lonely existence and a bad reputation.
- Software Dev: Pushing every "shot" of code to production without testing is a recipe for a 3:00 AM emergency.
There is a cost to a missed shot. In hockey, a missed shot often leads to a fast break for the other team. In business, a "shot" is time, money, and social capital.
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The nuance of "Shot Selection"
Elite performers don't just take more shots. They have better shot selection. Stephen Curry doesn't just chuck the ball from half-court because "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take." He does it because he has spent thousands of hours making that specific shot a high-percentage play for him.
When we apply the Gretzky quote to our careers, we often forget the "practice" part. We focus on the "taking the shot" part. Taking a shot you aren't prepared for isn't brave; it's often just noisy.
Why this phrase still hits home in 2026
We live in an era of "paralysis by analysis." With AI tools (like the ones we're using right now to navigate the web) and endless data, it’s easier than ever to find a reason not to do something. You can find a statistic to prove your idea will fail in about four seconds.
That’s why 100 of the shots you don't take still matters. It’s the antidote to the "Optimized Life." Sometimes, you have to be a little bit "Michael Scott" about it. You have to ignore the data that says you’re underqualified or that the market is saturated.
I think about the "The Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz. He argues that having too many options leads to anxiety and inaction. The Gretzky quote simplifies the menu. It turns a complex decision-making process into a binary one: Do I want a 0% chance or a >0% chance?
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Real-world examples of the "Zero-Percent" rule
Take the story of Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. She had no background in fashion or retail. She was selling fax machines door-to-door. She took a "shot" by cold-calling hosiery mills. Most of them hung up. One didn't. If she had focused on her lack of credentials, she never would have made the call. She lived the quote before it was a meme.
Or look at the world of publishing. J.K. Rowling’s initial Harry Potter manuscript was rejected by 12 different publishers. She kept taking the shot. The 13th publisher—Bloomsbury—only took a chance because the chairman’s eight-year-old daughter read the first chapter and loved it.
How to actually use this mindset without being reckless
You shouldn't take every shot. That's a lie. You should take every shot that you can afford to lose.
Risk management is the silent partner of the Gretzky quote. If the "missed shot" means you lose your house, don't take it. If the "missed shot" just means you feel a bit embarrassed for a weekend, take it every single time.
- Define the "Gretzky Floor": What is the absolute worst thing that happens if this shot misses? If it's just a "no," the floor is high.
- Look for "Low-Cost, High-Upside" Scenarios: These are the shots Gretzky was talking about. A puck on net in the second period isn't a gamble; it's an opportunity.
- Audit your "Inactions": At the end of the month, look at three things you didn't do because you were afraid of the outcome. That’s your 100% miss rate in action.
Actionable Steps for the "Shot-Taker"
Stop waiting for the "perfect" setup. It doesn't exist. In hockey, the "perfect" lane rarely opens up; you have to create it by moving the puck.
- Identify one "Safe" Shot: Find one project or conversation you've been avoiding where the only real risk is a "no." Commit to taking that shot within the next 48 hours.
- Separate Practice from Performance: Don't take "life-changing" shots without hitting the "driving range" first. If you want to take a shot at a new career, start by taking "shots" at small freelance gigs or learning the skill on the side.
- Check your Attribution: Stop quoting Michael Scott if you want to be taken seriously in a boardroom, but keep his spirit if you need to survive a Tuesday afternoon.
The reality of 100 of the shots you don't take is that it’s a reminder of agency. You are the one holding the stick. The goalie is standing there, the crowd is screaming, and the clock is ticking. You can pass the puck and hope someone else does the work, or you can see what happens when you let it fly.
Most of the time, the puck hits the glass. Sometimes it gets blocked. But every once in a while, it finds the back of the net, and that’s the only reason we remember the name Gretzky in the first place.