You know, when Daniel Kahneman says ‘People who are ‘lucky’ are often simply those…’ he’s really pointing out that luck isn’t magic. It’s a mindset. It’s about being open and ready to spot the opportunities everyone else misses.
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Meaning
At its core, this quote flips the script on luck. It’s not a random force; it’s a byproduct of your mental posture. Luck favors the attentive.
Explanation
Let me break this down for you. In my work, I’ve seen this play out again and again. Our brains have two systems—the fast, intuitive one (System 1) and the slow, analytical one (System 2).
What Kahneman’s getting at is that ‘lucky’ people have trained their System 1 to be more receptive. They’re not necessarily smarter, but they are more open. They notice the side-hustle idea in a casual complaint, they see the potential connection in a random conversation.
It’s about preparedness meeting circumstance. While others are on autopilot, focused on a single goal, the ‘lucky’ person’s peripheral vision is switched on. They’re scanning for patterns, for anomalies, for anything that could be useful. And that, my friend, looks like luck to everyone else.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Category | Success (341) |
| Topics | attitude (43), luck (5), opportunity (17) |
| Literary Style | conversational (15) |
| Emotion / Mood | hopeful (357) |
| Overall Quote Score | 84 (319) |
Origin & Factcheck
This insight comes straight from Kahneman’s 2011 magnum opus, Thinking, Fast and Slow. It was published in the United States and it completely reshaped how we think about thinking. You sometimes see similar sentiments floating around, but this specific, powerful phrasing is his.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Daniel Kahneman (54) |
| Source Type | Book (4032) |
| Source/Book Name | Thinking, Fast and Slow (54) |
| Origin Timeperiod | 21st Century (1892) |
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4032) |
Author Bio
Dr Daniel Kahneman transformed how we think about thinking. Trained in Israel and at UC Berkeley, he built a career spanning Hebrew University, UBC, UC Berkeley, and Princeton. His partnership with Amos Tversky produced prospect theory and the heuristics-and-biases program, culminating in the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. He engaged broad audiences through bestselling books and practical frameworks for better decisions. He continued writing and advising late into life, leaving ideas that shape economics, policy, medicine, and management. If you want to dive deeper, start with the Dr Daniel Kahneman book list and explore his enduring insights.
| Official Website
Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | People who are ‘lucky’ are often simply those who are open to more possibilities |
| Book Details | Publication Year: 2011; ISBN: 9780374275631; Latest Edition: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013; Number of pages: 499. |
| Where is it? | Part IV: Choices, Chapter 34: Frames and Reality, Approximate page 372 (2013 edition) |