Luck is the residue of opportunity and design.
Interpretation
Luck comes from being prepared when opportunities arise.
This quote highlights the idea that what we often call 'luck' is not merely random chance, but is largely a result of being prepared for opportunities when they present themselves. It emphasizes the importance of intentionality and design in achieving success, suggesting that those who actively create pathways and remain ready to seize chances are the ones who experience what appears to be good fortune.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech to encourage students to prepare for their future.
I don't like the subtle infiltration of 'something for nothing' philosophies into the very hearthstone of the American family. I believe that 'Thou shalt earn the bread by the sweat of thy face' was a benediction and not a penalty. Work is the zest of life; there is joy in its pursuit.
There never has been a man in the game who could put mind and muscle together quicker and with better judgment than Robinson.
Things worthwhile generally donβt just happen. Luck is a fact, but should not be a factor. Good luck is what is left over after intelligence and effort have combined at their best. Negligence or indifference are usually reviewed from an unlucky seat. The law of cause and effect and causality both work the same with inexorable exactitudes. Luck is the residue of design.
Cobb lived off the field as though he wished to live forever. He lived on the field as though it was his last day.
It (a baseball box score) doesn't tell how big you are, what church you attend, what color you are, or how your father voted in the last election. It just tells what kind of baseball player you were on that particular day.
Some day I'm going to have to stand before God, and if He asks me why I didn't let that [Jackie] Robinson fellow play ball, I don't think saying 'because of the color of his skin' would be a good enough answer.
That good is the enemy of great is not just a business problem. It is a human problem.
Spectacular achievements come from unspectacular preparation.
I wish I could do a lot of things different. I'm not going to tell you what they are, but if I had a list of all my films right now, I'd go, 'Okay, I'll cross that one out and cross that one out and cross that one out and cross that one out.' Really. But I've made over 40 films. How can I not have some losers in there?
I watched movies, obviously, just like anybody else, but there was nothing to make me think, 'I'm going to go to L.A. and become a movie star,' or anything like that.
I financed and made my own films from the start. My path has been autonomous and independent, so I don't have any horror stories about glass ceilings and expectations and tense studio meetings.
Success is due to our stretching to the challenges of life. Failure comes when we shrink from them.
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