There is no such thing as luck It Meaning Factcheck Usage

You know, “There is no such thing as luck” is one of those ideas that completely reframes success. It’s not about chance, it’s about creating your own opportunities through relentless preparation.

Share Image Quote:

Table of Contents

• Meaning
• Explanation
• Origin & Factcheck
• Context
• Usage Examples
• FAQ

Meaning

At its core, this quote dismantles the myth of random luck. It argues that what we perceive as a lucky break is actually the direct result of hard work and preparation finally intersecting with a moment of chance.

Explanation

Let me break this down for you. I’ve seen this play out so many times in business and in life. People see someone get a “lucky” big contract or a “lucky” promotion. But when you look closer, that person had spent years honing their skills, building their network, studying their craft. The “opportunity” was just the door opening. Their “preparation” is what allowed them to walk through it. It’s the difference between hoping to win the lottery and building a business. One is passive. The other is about stacking the odds so heavily in your favor that when a chance appears, you’re the only one ready to seize it. You make your own luck.

Quote Summary

Context	Attributes
Original Language	English (3668)
Category	Success (341)
Topics	effort (77), luck (5), opportunity (17)
Literary Style	concise (408)
Emotion / Mood	rational (68)
Overall Quote Score	82 (297)

Origin & Factcheck

This gem comes straight from Robin Sharma’s 1999 bestseller, “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari.” It’s a fictional parable, but the wisdom is very real. You’ll sometimes see a similar sentiment, like “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity,” wrongly attributed to Seneca the Roman philosopher. While the Stoics had similar ideas, that exact phrasing isn’t found in his surviving works. The version we’re talking about is definitively Sharma’s, from Canada in the late 90s.

Attribution Summary

Context	Attributes
Author	Robin Sharma (51)
Source Type	Book (4032)
Source/Book Name	The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari (51)
Origin Timeperiod	Contemporary (1615)
Original Language	English (3668)
Authenticity	Verified (4032)

Where is this quotation located?

Quotation	There is no such thing as luck. It is simply preparation meeting opportunity
Book Details	Publication Year: 1997; ISBN: 9780062515674; Latest Edition: HarperSanFrancisco Edition (2011); Number of Pages: 198
Where is it?	Chapter: The Power of Preparation, Approximate page from 2011 edition: 107

Context

In the book, this isn’t just a throwaway line. It’s a central part of the philosophy the main character learns from a mythical group of sages in the Himalayas. They teach a system of living with profound intention, where you take absolute ownership of your life. This quote is the antidote to a victim mentality—it puts the power to create “luck” squarely back in your hands.

Usage Examples

So how do you actually use this? It’s a mindset shift.

• For a frustrated job seeker: Instead of saying “I just need a lucky break,” they can audit their skills. Is their resume perfectly tailored? Have they practiced interviewing? That’s the preparation. The job posting is the opportunity.
• For an aspiring entrepreneur: They don’t just “get lucky” with an investor. They’ve meticulously refined their pitch, know their numbers cold, and have a killer prototype. The investor meeting is just the moment their preparation pays off.
• For a team leader: Use it to motivate your team before a big project. “Our competitors might call it luck when we win. We’ll know it was the 100 hours of prep we put in that they didn’t.”

This is for anyone who’s ever felt stuck waiting for their ship to come in, without realizing they’re the ones who have to build the harbor.

To whom it appeals?

Context	Attributes
Theme	Principle (838)
Audiences	coaches (1277), entrepreneurs (1006), leaders (2619), professionals (751), students (3111)
Usage Context/Scenario	career coaching (104), entrepreneurship talks (9), goal setting programs (10), motivational speeches (345), success seminars (12)

Share This Quote Image & Motivate

FAQ

Question: But what about pure chance, like winning the lottery?

Answer: Great point. That’s true randomness. But this quote isn’t really about statistical anomalies. It’s about success in endeavors where skill, effort, and positioning matter—which is almost everything in a professional or personal growth context.

Question: Doesn’t this ignore privilege and circumstance?

Answer: It can seem that way. The key is that “preparation” is relative to your starting point. It’s about maximizing your own potential with the cards you’ve been dealt. It’s not about comparing your journey to someone else’s who started on third base.

Question: How do you stay motivated to prepare when you don’t see any opportunities?

Answer: This is the hardest part. You have to trust the process. Preparation isn’t just about skills; it’s also about putting yourself in “opportunity-rich” environments—networking, sharing your work online, staying visible. Action creates more potential intersections for opportunity to find you.