“People always call it luck when you’ve acted more sensibly than they have.”

—  Anne Tyler

Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "People always call it luck when you’ve acted more sensibly than they have." by Anne Tyler?
Anne Tyler photo
Anne Tyler 22
American novelist 1941

Related quotes

Timothy Zahn photo
James D. Watson photo

“To have success in science, you need some luck.
But to succeed in science, you need a lot more than luck.”

James D. Watson (1928) American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist.

Succeeding in Science: Some Rules of Thumb (1993)
Context: To have success in science, you need some luck.
But to succeed in science, you need a lot more than luck. And it's not enough to be smart — lots of people are very bright and get nowhere in life. In my view, you have to combine intelligence with a willingness not to follow conventions when they block your path forward.

John Ruskin photo
E. B. White photo

“At this juncture we might conceivably act in a sensible, rather than a popular, manner”

E. B. White (1899–1985) American writer

The Wild Flag (1943)
Context: The delegate from Patagonia spoke up. 'I fear that the wild flag, one for all, will prove an unpopular idea.'
'It will, undoubtedly,' sighed the Chinese delegate. 'But now that there are only a couple of hundred people on earth, even the word "unpopular" loses most of its meaning. At this juncture we might conceivably act in a sensible, rather than a popular, manner.' And he produced eighty-two more shoeboxes and handed a wild flag to each delegate, bowing ceremoniously.
Next day the convention broke up and the delegates returned to their homes, marveling at what they had accomplished in so short a time. And that is the end of our dream.

James A. Garfield photo
Rudy Rucker photo

“People always have bad news for you when they call you “sir.””

Source: Mathematicians in Love (2006), Chapter 3, “Rocking with Washer Drop” (p. 101)

W. H. Auden photo

“No opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.”

"Notes on Music and Opera", p. 472
The Dyer's Hand, and Other Essays (1962)

David Foster Wallace photo

“I wish you way more than luck.”

David Foster Wallace (1962–2008) American fiction writer and essayist

Source: This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life

Harry Reid photo

“RS: You’ve called Bush a loser.
Reid: And a liar.
RS: You’ve apologized for the loser comment.
Reid: But never for the liar, have I?”

Harry Reid (1939) American politician

Stone interview http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/7371967/the_gunslinger/Rolling, May 24, 2005

Related topics