Has been attributed to Seneca since the 1990s (eg. Gregory K. Ericksen, (1999), Women entrepreneurs only: 12 women entrepreneurs tell the stories of their success, page ix.). Other books ascribe the saying to either Darrell K. Royal (former American football player, born 1924) or Elmer G. Letterman (Insurance salesman and writer, 1897-1982). However, it is unlikely either man originated the saying. A version that reads "He is lucky who realizes that luck is the point where preparation meets opportunity" can be found (unattributed) in the 1912 The Youth's Companion: Volume 86. The quote might be a distortion of the following passage by Seneca (who makes no mention of "luck" and is in fact quoting his friend Demetrius the Cynic):<blockquote>"The best wrestler," he would say, "is not he who has learned thoroughly all the tricks and twists of the art, which are seldom met with in actual wrestling, but he who has well and carefully trained himself in one or two of them, and watches keenly for an opportunity of practising them." — Seneca, On Benefits, vii. 1 http://thriceholy.net/Texts/Benefits4.html</blockquote>
Disputed
“Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.”
“There's no such thing as luck. Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.”
“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.”
“Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.”
See You at the Top (2000)
“Luck is what happens to you when fate gets tired of waiting”
The Bee, from Insects for Everybody
How to Attract the Wombat (1949)
“When we began, we had no opportunities; we prepared in silence and created our own opportunity.”
On making your own artistic opportunities in the book Conversations with Diego Rivera: The Monster in His Labyrinth https://books.google.com/books?id=KpZRDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq
