ensure the payout or triple the chip volume to reach the final table?

I often find myself in a situation where I have a really good hand and 2 or 3 players go all in before cashing. This hand would triple my chips, but by not calling it to ensure I get paid, I run out of chips to play aggressively and fight for the final table, forcing me to wait for a good hand and go all in. The question is, was I right to make sure I get paid, or is it better to take the risk since late positions don't pay much? I speak in a situation where I am one position away from collecting.

It depends on the situation including stack sizes, positions and of course your hand. If you have AA, its a massive mistake to fold it to increase the chance of a min-cash. There is pretty much also never a situation, where KK is a fold preflop in a regular MTT (non satellite), but all other hands can sometimes be a fold.