Verb
play it safe (third-person singular simple present plays it safe, present participle playing it safe, simple past and past participle played it safe)
To take a cautious, risk-free approach.
Deciding to play it safe, he joined his father's accounting firm rather than pursue an acting career.
Antonyms: play big, go all in
After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life. Sophia Loren
Very few things are as dangerous as a bunch of incentive-driven individuals trying to play it safe. Alfie Kohn
Idiots are not responsible for what they do. The real guilt falls on rational people who sit on their hands while the morons run wild. You can opt out if you want to. Play it safe. But if you do, don't complain when the roof comes down. Jack McDevitt
My philosophy is that it's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe and not to explore at all. Sophia Loren
We should willingly take risks in supporting new projects. The tendency is to play it safe when funding is low, but we need to remember that the greatest risks have the greatest payoffs. Jerome Isaac Friedman
I want to show up to work and take risks. I don't ever want to play it safe. James Badge Dale