“If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance”

“If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance” is an inspirational saying that has been printed on many images. The saying means that if you’re on thin ice (in a difficult situation, against dangerous odds), you might as well dance (have fun).
 
The song “Do It” by Jesse Winchester (1944-2014), from his album 110 to Go (1972), begins:
   
“If the wheel is fixed
I would still take a chance
If we’re treading on thin ice
Then we might as well dance.”
 
“If You’re Skating on Thin Ice, You Might As Well Dance” was found on a bumper sticker in 1986.
   
       
Wikipedia: Jesse Winchester
James Ridout “Jesse” Winchester Jr. (May 17, 1944 – April 11, 2014) was an American-Canadian musician and songwriter. He was born and raised in the southern United States. Opposed to the Vietnam War, he moved to Canada in 1967 to avoid military service and began his career as a solo artist. His highest-charting recordings were of his own songs, “Yankee Lady” in 1970 and “Say What” in 1981. He became a Canadian citizen in 1973, gained amnesty in the U.S. in 1977 and resettled in Memphis, Tennessee in 2002.
           
Genius
Do It
Jesse Winchester
Album Third Down, 110 to Go (1972)
If the wheel is fixed
I would still take a chance
If we’re treading on thin ice
Then we might as well dance
So I play the fool
But I can’t sit still
Help me get this rock
To the top of this hill
Do it
 
YouTube
Jesse Winchester—Do It
genesssa
Published on Jul 4, 2011
I couldn’t find this lovely and sad little song here so I uploaded it.
 
31 October 1972, Los Angeles (CA) Times, “Second Effort by Jesse Winchester” by Robert Hilburn, pt. 4, pg. 8, col. 3:
“Do It” is another song urging you to live up to your own high standards and beliefs: “If the wheel is fixed/ I would still take the chance/ It we’re treading on thin ice/ We might as well dance…”
 
Google Books
1 December 1974, Educational Theatre Journal “Theatre in Review” by Gordon M. Wickstrom, pg. 526:
“If you’re treading on thin ice, you might as well dance.”
 
1 March 1984, Childhood Education, “Promoting Thinking in Your Classroom II: Inconsistencies Between Means and Ends” by Selma Wassermann, pg. 232:
To list them may be to court professional excommunication but, if you’re skating on thin ice, you might as well dance.
 
2 March 1986, Albuquerque (NM) Journal, “State Lines,” pg. C1, col. 1:
STICKING POINTS : Two bumper stickers seen recently: “Go Ahead and Hit Me…I Need the Money” and “If You’re Skating on Thin Ice, You Might As Well Dance.”
     
Google Books
Listening to Dancing
By Janet Fisher
Nottingham, UK: Slow Dancer Press
1989
Pg. ?:
If we’re treading on thin ice Then we might as well dance”
Jesse Winchester
 
Google Books
Leadville, U.S.A.
By Edward B Larsh and Robert Nichols
Boulder, CO: Johnson Books
1993
Pg. 268:
If the wheel is fixed
I would still take a chance.
If you have to walk on thin ice,
you might as well dance. — Found on a restroom wall in Leadville
     
Yahoo! Answers (February 1, 2007)
If you are going to walk on thin ice, u might as well dance.. is my favourite quote.What does it mean for you? 
Best Answer:  If you’re already risking everything, why not have fun while risking it.
Or if you know everything is a disaster, or going to end in disaster, have fun while you’re still afloat.
I love that quote. It’s wonderful.
Kelly H
 
Twitter
Twila Marie
@twila_zoned
If you are going to walk on thin ice you might as well dance.
10:08 AM - 1 Jun 2007
     
Twitter
sandra_davidson
@sandra_davidson
Quote “If you’re gonna walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!” - Jessie Winchester
1:13 AM - 29 Oct 2008
 
Google Books
Déjà New Marketing:
Increase Sales with Social Media, Search Marketing, E-Mail Marketing, Blogs, and More
By John Bradley Jackson
Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing
2010
Pg. 56:
“If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!”
Anonymous
 
Google Books
$500,000* Worth of Inspiring Quotations for Our Times
By Web Augustine
Zinfandel Publishing
2011
Pg. 294:
“If you are going to walk on thin ice you might as well dance.”
     
Twitter
Dance Moms
@DanceMoms
“If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well #dance.” #quote
2:00 PM - 3 Oct 2014
 
Google Books
Highly Tweetable:
5000+ Awesome Quotes to Use on Twitter and Social Media
By Devin Metzger
Pronoun
2016
Pg. ?:
If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance. -Unknown Author
   
Twitter
Samantha McCoy
@SamanthaFit1
If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance. - Anonymous
11:00 PM - 8 Jul 2019