Go look up quotes on luck. They always revolve around the same idea, which is couched as inspirational, but is nihilistic in a way particular to a certain rise-and-grind ethos. You know the kind I’m talking about:
- Ben Franklin: “Diligence is the mother of good luck.”
- Ray Kroc: “Luck is a dividend of sweat.”
- Dave Thomas: “The harder you work, the more luck you have.”
Why two of these I picked at random are cheap burger magnates probably has meaning, but the point stands: We all are trained to believe that luck has to it a moral component and that blaming luck for anything is weak and fragile and seeped in excuses.