Luck is the residue of opportunity and design.
Interpretation
Luck comes from being prepared when opportunities arise.
This quote highlights the idea that what we often call 'luck' is not merely random chance, but is largely a result of being prepared for opportunities when they present themselves. It emphasizes the importance of intentionality and design in achieving success, suggesting that those who actively create pathways and remain ready to seize chances are the ones who experience what appears to be good fortune.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech to encourage students to prepare for their future.
I don't like the subtle infiltration of 'something for nothing' philosophies into the very hearthstone of the American family. I believe that 'Thou shalt earn the bread by the sweat of thy face' was a benediction and not a penalty. Work is the zest of life; there is joy in its pursuit.
There never has been a man in the game who could put mind and muscle together quicker and with better judgment than Robinson.
Things worthwhile generally donβt just happen. Luck is a fact, but should not be a factor. Good luck is what is left over after intelligence and effort have combined at their best. Negligence or indifference are usually reviewed from an unlucky seat. The law of cause and effect and causality both work the same with inexorable exactitudes. Luck is the residue of design.
Cobb lived off the field as though he wished to live forever. He lived on the field as though it was his last day.
It (a baseball box score) doesn't tell how big you are, what church you attend, what color you are, or how your father voted in the last election. It just tells what kind of baseball player you were on that particular day.
Some day I'm going to have to stand before God, and if He asks me why I didn't let that [Jackie] Robinson fellow play ball, I don't think saying 'because of the color of his skin' would be a good enough answer.
My ambition didn't grow out of nowhere. It was planted in me by a community that nurtured me.
Don't take action with a trade until the market, itself, confirms your opinion. Being a little late in a trade is insurance that your opinion is correct. In other words, don't be an impatient trader.
The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion.
One of the benefits of playing to small audiences in small clubs for a few years is that you're allowed to fail.
For so long, I looked at myself as literally a kid who was talented who would go up and down the pool. That's it. Nothing else. Very few people knew who I really was.
As for accomplishments, I just did what I had to do as things came along.
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