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
Archive
Quotes
Luck is not something you can mention in the presence of self-made men.
—E.B. White, 1944We do not suffer by accident.
—Jane Austen, 1813Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered.
—William Shakespeare, c. 1610Good fortune turns aside destruction by a great god.
—Instructions of Ankhsheshonqy, c. 100 BCTo put one’s trust in God is only a longer way of saying that one will chance it.
—Samuel Butler, c. 1890Luck, in the great game of war, is undoubtedly lord of all.
—Arthur Griffiths, 1899Casting lots causes contentions to cease, and keeps the mighty apart.
—Book of Proverbs, c. 350 BCNothing is as obnoxious as other people’s luck.
—F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1938A self-made man is one who believes in luck and sends his son to Oxford.
—Christina Stead, 1938To hold a throne is luck; to bestow it, virtue.
—Seneca the Younger, c. 45Good or ill fortune is very little at our disposal.
—David Hume, 1742One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards.
—Oscar Wilde, 1895