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.
Great works are done when one is not calculating and thinking.
There is something that is much more scarce, something finer far, something rarer than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability.
Faith is the yes of the heart.
A genius is simply one who has taken full possession of his own mind and directed it toward objectives of his own choosing, without permitting outside influences to discourage or mislead him.
By honestly acknowledging your past errors, but never damning yourself for them, you can learn to use your past for your own future benefit.
To be able to endure odium is the first art to be learned by those who aspire to power.
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