4 ms·

"I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." -- Thomas Jefferson (apocryphal; see [0]) [0]: http://www.monticello.org

by jxf 13y ago

"I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." -- Thomas Jefferson (apocryphal; see [0]) [0]: http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/i-am-great-believer-luckquotation http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/i-am...

craigyk 13y ago
It takes both. luck is a constant that can range between 0 -> inf, and work is the multiplier 0 -> 1.
tomasien 13y ago
Bizarre - the last link I was on was a random ESPN quiz with UVa star Joe Harris in which that quote was one of the questions. (I realize this is a pretty meaningless and useless comment, but seeing this quote 2 times in less than 10 seconds was too much not to mention).
- evanspa 13y ago
  I'm unable to find a definitive reference, but Gary Player (golfing legend) is also attributed with the quote: "The harder I practice, the luckier I get." Perhaps that's why it was on ESPN. Pretty sure George Simmons has this quote of Player's on one of the chapter pages in his "Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell" book.
  - gruseom 13y ago
    Quote Investigator has tackled this one: http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/07/14/luck/ http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/07/14/luck/ The upshot is that its origin is unknown, but goes back at least to a Walter Winchell column from 1949. Gary Player used it and became associated with it. The attribution to Jefferson is nonsense, of course.
    - tomasien 13y ago
      Jefferson and Einstein, never trust a quote attributed to them!
  - tomasien 13y ago
    It was just because Thomas Jefferson said it and Joe Harris goes to the University he founded, it's just bizarre that I saw it 2 times in less than 10 seconds.
- MichaelGG 13y ago
  Is it bizarre? Given the number of people on HN, the number of things you're likely to read -- it seems inevitable that "bizarre" coincidences will certainly happen.
  - baddox 13y ago
    Presumably it's still bizarre for him to experience the phenomenon.
kristofferR 13y ago
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. – Seneca Fools wait for a lucky day but every day is a lucky day for an industrious man. – Buddha
- sien 13y ago
  Critics said he won many battles simply because of luck; Napoleon responded, "Give me lucky generals," aware that "luck" comes to leaders who recognize opportunity, and seize it. (wikipedia - Napoleon)
bippi 13y ago
Chance favors the prepared mind. --Louis Pasteur
smky80 13y ago
His slaves worked pretty hard too though. Just saying.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
rokhayakebe 13y ago
They wait for IT to come. I became IT.
- csense 13y ago
  You turned into a Segway? [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segway_PT#Early_history_and_pre-release_marketing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segway_PT#Early_history_and_pre...
benihana 13y ago
"The results of hard work and dedication always look like luck to saps." -- leveling up in Morrowind (no idea who to attribute this quote to)
baddox 13y ago
And buying more lottery tickets increases the chances of winning the lottery.
vijayr 13y ago
LUCK is also defined as 'Labor Under Correct Knowledge'

by jxf 13y ago

craigyk 13y ago

It takes both. luck is a constant that can range between 0 -> inf, and work is the multiplier 0 -> 1.

tomasien 13y ago

Bizarre - the last link I was on was a random ESPN quiz with UVa star Joe Harris in which that quote was one of the questions. (I realize this is a pretty meaningless and useless comment, but seeing this quote 2 times in less than 10 seconds was too much not to mention).

evanspa 13y ago
I'm unable to find a definitive reference, but Gary Player (golfing legend) is also attributed with the quote: "The harder I practice, the luckier I get." Perhaps that's why it was on ESPN. Pretty sure George Simmons has this quote of Player's on one of the chapter pages in his "Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell" book.
- gruseom 13y ago
  Quote Investigator has tackled this one: http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/07/14/luck/ http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/07/14/luck/ The upshot is that its origin is unknown, but goes back at least to a Walter Winchell column from 1949. Gary Player used it and became associated with it. The attribution to Jefferson is nonsense, of course.
  - tomasien 13y ago
    Jefferson and Einstein, never trust a quote attributed to them!
- tomasien 13y ago
  It was just because Thomas Jefferson said it and Joe Harris goes to the University he founded, it's just bizarre that I saw it 2 times in less than 10 seconds.
MichaelGG 13y ago
Is it bizarre? Given the number of people on HN, the number of things you're likely to read -- it seems inevitable that "bizarre" coincidences will certainly happen.
- baddox 13y ago
  Presumably it's still bizarre for him to experience the phenomenon.

kristofferR 13y ago

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. – Seneca Fools wait for a lucky day but every day is a lucky day for an industrious man. – Buddha

sien 13y ago
Critics said he won many battles simply because of luck; Napoleon responded, "Give me lucky generals," aware that "luck" comes to leaders who recognize opportunity, and seize it. (wikipedia - Napoleon)

bippi 13y ago

Chance favors the prepared mind. --Louis Pasteur

smky80 13y ago

His slaves worked pretty hard too though. Just saying.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

rokhayakebe 13y ago

They wait for IT to come. I became IT.

csense 13y ago
You turned into a Segway? [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segway_PT#Early_history_and_pre-release_marketing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segway_PT#Early_history_and_pre...

benihana 13y ago

"The results of hard work and dedication always look like luck to saps." -- leveling up in Morrowind (no idea who to attribute this quote to)

baddox 13y ago

And buying more lottery tickets increases the chances of winning the lottery.

vijayr 13y ago

LUCK is also defined as 'Labor Under Correct Knowledge'