“I may say that this is the greatest factor — the way in which the expedition is equipped — the way in which every difficulty is foreseen, and precautions taken for meeting or avoiding it. Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck.”

"Lucky"
Lyrics, OK Computer (1997)

Letter to his brother Jeff from Guadalcanal (28 January 1943); p. 27
To Reach Eternity (1989)
Context: In spite of all the training you get and precautions you take to keep yourself alive, it's largely a matter of luck that decided whether or not you get killed. It doesn't make any difference who you are, how tough you are, how nice a guy you might be, or how much you may know, if you happen to be at a certain spot at a certain time, you get it. I've seen guys out of one hole to a better one and get it the next minute, whereas if they'd stayed still they wouldn't have been touched. I've seen guys decide to stay in a hole instead of moving and get it. I've seen guys move and watch the hole they were in get blown up a minute later. And I've seen guys stay and watch the place to which they had intended to move get blown up. It's all luck.

Source: God Knows (1984)

The Bee, from Insects for Everybody
How to Attract the Wombat (1949)

Source: Wall and Piece (2005)

Dans un mois, dans un an (1957, Those Without Shadows, translated 1957)

Meeting Troubles half-way, reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919).

Speech https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1866/mar/13/adjourned-debate-second-night in the House of Commons (13 March 1866). <br class="br">1860s

Source: Keys to the Demon Prison