You're right in all of that. There's a gross underestimation of the importance of the hand of feckless fortune in the success, or otherwise, of many endeavors -

You're right in all of that. There's a gross underestimation of the importance of the hand of feckless fortune in the success, or otherwise, of many endeavors - even in the lives of persons who aren't aiming for literary or musical fame, but simply for some marginal gain that advances their lot.