’Tis not a ridiculous devotion to say a prayer before a game at tables?
—Thomas Browne, 1642Quotes
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 BCThere 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, 1897Those who trust to chance must abide by the results of chance.
—Calvin Coolidge, 1932When the abbot throws the dice, the whole convent will play.
—Martin Luther, c. 1540Misfortune, n. The kind of fortune that never misses.
—Ambrose Bierce, 1906Fortune resists half-hearted prayers.
—Ovid, 8Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered.
—William Shakespeare, c. 1610Good or ill fortune is very little at our disposal.
—David Hume, 1742To put one’s trust in God is only a longer way of saying that one will chance it.
—Samuel Butler, c. 1890Luck takes the step that no one sees.
—Publilius Syrus, c. 50 BCNothing is as obnoxious as other people’s luck.
—F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1938Survivors look back and see omens, messages they missed.
—Joan Didion, 2005