But what determines when one meets opportunity? I feel like that statement is just saying that things are always partly meritocratic. Yes, you have to be skill

But what determines when one meets opportunity? I feel like that statement is just saying that things are always partly meritocratic. Yes, you have to be skilled and prepared to take the best advantage of opportunities, but how does one get opportunities? Does one meet more/better opportunities because of skill and merit, or because of station and class of birth, or random chance? If the latter two outweigh the first, then I don't think we can say we really live in a Meritocracy.