"Never play cards with a man called Doc. Never eat at a place called Mom's. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own"
About this Quote
The genius is how he turns sentiment into a liability. "Mom's" should signal warmth and decency, but Algren knows nostalgia is often just marketing for bad food, bad credit, or worse company. Likewise "Doc" suggests expertise, yet in the demimonde it means the opposite: a man who will operate on you financially, emotionally, or with a needle.
The last line lands harder because it shifts from petty scams to intimacy. Gambling and diners are situational risks; sex is where you get recruited into someone elses catastrophe. "Troubles worse than your own" doesnt shame the woman so much as the narrators appetite for self-destruction. Its a rule meant for men who keep confusing rescue with romance, and punishment with love.
Written by a novelist obsessed with losers, grifters, and the tender bruises of urban life, the quote isnt advice for thriving. Its harm reduction for the damned: stay alert, read the room, and dont mistake a familiar sign for safety.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Algren, Nelson. (2026, January 16). Never play cards with a man called Doc. Never eat at a place called Mom's. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/never-play-cards-with-a-man-called-doc-never-eat-136627/
Chicago Style
Algren, Nelson. "Never play cards with a man called Doc. Never eat at a place called Mom's. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/never-play-cards-with-a-man-called-doc-never-eat-136627/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Never play cards with a man called Doc. Never eat at a place called Mom's. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/never-play-cards-with-a-man-called-doc-never-eat-136627/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
