Archive

Quotes

We do not suffer by accident. 

—Jane Austen, 1813

Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered.

—William Shakespeare, c. 1610

There are two times in a man’s life when he should not speculate: when he can’t afford it, and when he can.

—Mark Twain, 1897

Luck, in the great game of war, is undoubtedly lord of all.

—Arthur Griffiths, 1899

Luck takes the step that no one sees.

—Publilius Syrus, c. 50 BC

Misfortune, n. The kind of fortune that never misses.

—Ambrose Bierce, 1906

You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.

—Cormac McCarthy, 2005

Good fortune is light as a feather, but nobody knows how to hold it up. Misfortune is heavy as the earth, but nobody knows how to stay out of its way.

—Zhuangzi, c. 300 BC

Survivors look back and see omens, messages they missed.

—Joan Didion, 2005

Luck is believing you’re lucky. 

—William Carlos Williams, 1947

’Tis not a ridiculous devotion to say a prayer before a game at tables?

—Thomas Browne, 1642

Good fortune turns aside destruction by a great god.

—Instructions of Ankhsheshonqy, c. 100 BC

Those who trust to chance must abide by the results of chance.

—Calvin Coolidge, 1932