There’s a quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson that reads: I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.
This quote always puts a smile on my face partly because I’ve never been able to disprove it, and partly because it’s a witty way of saying that fortune is sometimes mistaken for good, old-fashioned hard work.
Far be it from me, however, to start questioning the existence of luck on such a sacred day for Irishmen and Irishwomen (and the Irish-at-heart) around the world. Instead, I’m going to share three more interesting quotations about luck in honour of St. Patrick’s Day. One never knows if (or when) these words of wisdom may come in handy on an upcoming English proficiency test.
Let’s begin:
- Luck is believing you’re lucky. This sentence was written by the famous American writer, Tennessee Williams. It means that luck is a matter of perspective. If he’s right, then luck can be improved with an adjustment of attitude and action. Sometimes setbacks in life are really just luck in disguise.
- Nothing is as obnoxious as other people’s luck. F. Scott Fitzgerald, another famous American writer, wrote this fatherly advice to his teenage daughter, Scottie, while she was studying at Princeton. Fitzgerald penned several letters to her in an effort to share his experiences about life and human nature. In this quotation, Fitzgerald seems to be saying that it’s important to be humble and unassuming because the human heart is easily repulsed by those who brag about their good fortune.
- Luck affects everything; let your hook always be cast; in the stream where you least expect it, there will be a fish. Ovid, an ancient Roman poet, wrote this quotation. What an interesting way of saying that luck finds you where you least expect it and when you least expect it, as long as you don’t take your fishing rod out of the water. Perseverance and patience are often intertwined with luck.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, friends!
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
-Irish Blessing
