The man who has planned badly, if fortune is on his side, may have had a stroke of luck; but his plan was a bad one nonetheless.
Interpretation
Luck cannot replace a good plan; poor planning can lead to misfortune despite favorable circumstances.
This quote by Herodotus emphasizes that while luck may occasionally benefit those who fail to plan properly, it does not rectify the inherent flaws in their planning. The essence of successful endeavors lies in careful and thoughtful planning, as luck is unreliable and does not change the quality of one's strategy.
In practice
In a motivational speech about the importance of preparation, this quote can be used to emphasize careful planning.
The Scythians take kannabis seed, creep in under the felts, and throw it on the red-hot stones. It smolders and sends up such billows of steam-smoke that no Greek vapor bath can surpass it. The Scythians howl with joy in these vapor-baths, which serve them instead of bathing, for they never wash their bodies with water.
Men trust their ears less than their eyes.
Great deeds are usually wrought at great risks.
The worst pain a man can have is to know much and be impotent to act.
All men's gains are the fruit of venturing.
Illness strikes men when they are exposed to change.
An army of principles will penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot.
It was a very cool thing to be a smart girl, as opposed to some other, different kind. And I think that made a great deal of difference to me growing up and in my life afterward.
Your word is the power that you have to create
Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed-the courage to say no, the courage to say yes. Decisions do determine destiny. I plead with you to make a determination right here, right now, not to deviate from the path which will lead to our goal: eternal life with our Father in Heaven.
Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold.
What soon grows old? Gratitude.
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