interesting and valid observations, slowlearner. Now embrace the darker connotation of the statement "Chess is like life."
Chess helps with putting your thought process in order, think systematically and logical, trying to look at all options, opportunities and threats. You learn how to methodically outwit and destroy your enemy.
Isn't that a great skill to have in life?
Another analogy might be that once you push a pawn it can never go back from whence it came.
...and, without going into too much detail on this one, you can touch your piece all you want while sitting in front of your computer but if you touch it in public you had better be certain that doing something with it won't get you into trouble.
Opening= the opening of the womb, then just developing
Middle Game= middle age, mid life crisis
End game= for better or worse now stuck with the results of earlier choices
Post mortem analysis= perhaps tells the true story most accurately with nothing left to lose or win
I'm an obsessive compulsive and without going into great detail...
lol
There are a lot of interesting comments here; it is good to know that chess actually is therapeutic, and helps people with problems. Perhaps how one plays chess, and one's attitude towards it, depends on a number of things: one's natural talent; the number of games one has played; the experience gained; the study one has put in; one's primary occupation, presuming that is not chess; and one's age and stage in life.Whatever the differences, we are here because we love playing chess!
Just a different query: does anyone here play the game of Go or know how to play?
Actually, I'm here for the free pizza.
Posting just so I can find my way back to this thread. 
I enjoy the quote in the original post and many of the others in the thread.
learningthemoves, I like your analogy.
Yes, I do agree that chess trains you to have a well structured thinking process. This is why I think it is great to teach chess to kids, if they can stomach it.
On the other hand, I have observed about myself that I started to look at things in life in chess terms: Always trying to find logical steps how to out wit people I come to see as my opponents. Politicics and economy as a game where all participants just strive to win on their agenda.
Puzzling about finding the best moves is the great things about chess, competition with the mental results of megalomania or hating yourself for losing is the dark side of chess.
The problem with chess is that for someone to feel joy someone else must feel misery.
unless it's a draw
The problem with chess is that for someone to feel joy someone else must feel misery.
Much like marriage, then?
the marriage between a black king and a white queen, perhaps? Or between a black king and a white king? A white and a black queen? Or just anybody? hmm. As long as the bishops don't get married...
The bishops seem more interested in the pawns (baby queens)...maybe a hung pawn?
There is a professional chess therapist out there http://chess-therapy.org
I recently restarted Civilization game -- now, this can take a really long while.
I agree with statement that "Chess is like life".
- quality of decisions, choices, joy and the outcome are all determined almost excusively on how well you understand what is in front of you
- the outcome strongly depends on your biggest mistake
- practically all mistakes originate from restricting context of considerations, lack of awareness, imagination or inability to understand
- good solutions can only arise from good understanding of the problem
- people who are unable to understand - cannot see any problem
- it is not possible to learn without enduring consequences of mistakes and analyzing mistakes, both our own and others
Those who say chess is like Life demonstrate that they have developed pretty good understanding what Life actually is and what is its Purpose. Your place in the Universe definitely depends on your awareness, imagination and your ability to understand what is in front of your eyes.