"He who could foresee affairs three days in advance would be rich for thousands of years"

Foresight is one of humanity’s most coveted abilities, and the imaginative prospect of anticipating future events even just a few days ahead holds profound implications. The assertion that being able to predict what lies three days ahead could secure wealth for generations reveals both an admiration for the power of insight and a commentary on the unpredictability of human affairs. Life often unfolds in patterns that appear random or chaotic, rendering the efforts of planning, investing, or strategizing susceptible to chance and unforeseen disruption. The thought experiment suggested here emphasizes that economies, fortunes, and the movement of history hinge on unknown variables, if someone possessed the rare gift of accuracy in short-term prediction, they could consistently outmaneuver the vagaries that constrain others.

This observation extends beyond the accumulation of material riches; it also comments on the fleeting nature of advantage. Markets, politics, and social trends are notoriously volatile, influenced by innumerable small decisions and unpredictable events. In every field, from business speculation to political maneuvering, a person endowed with such predictive vision could always place themselves just ahead of rivals, making choices that appear prescient, avoiding mistakes, reaping rewards unavailable to others who operate in the dark. The magnitude of the potential wealth underscores just how much luck, as opposed to perfect knowledge, governs success.

Yet, there is also an implicit humility embedded in this perspective. Carlyle’s words gently acknowledge the impossibility of this vision; people, no matter how wise or calculating, remain fundamentally limited. The world resists simple calculation and cannot be reliably tamed by intellect alone. By framing unprecedented foresight as the key to enduring prosperity, the remark highlights the fundamental unpredictability woven through the fabric of life and business. Perhaps, then, the true wisdom lies not in expecting certainty, but in recognizing that risk, surprise, and change are permanent companions in the pursuit of any goal.