"Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: Hard work - and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't"
About this Quote
Lucille Ball rejects the myth of luck as a benevolent wind that carries people to success. She locates fortune in two concrete habits: relentless effort and sharp judgment. Hard work sets the stage, but the second clause is just as tough and rarer to master: knowing which chances deserve a yes and which are traps, detours, or busywork disguised as progress.
Her career gives that view a vivid backdrop. She toiled for years in bit parts and B movies, then built a radio audience before television took notice. When the network wanted I Love Lucy done live in New York, she and Desi Arnaz insisted on filming in Los Angeles with a three-camera setup on 35mm. They accepted a pay cut to retain ownership of the negatives. That call, born of rehearsal-room discipline and business clarity, delivered the rerun model and financial independence. Later, as head of Desilu, she backed risky projects others dismissed, including Star Trek and Mission: Impossible. Those greenlights were not stabs in the dark; they reflected a practiced ability to tell a real opportunity from a mirage.
Her line about being afraid of people who bank on luck signals more than skepticism. It marks a boundary against magical thinking and against collaborators who gamble with other peoples livelihoods. In a male-dominated industry that routinely underestimated her, she could not afford to drift. Preparation, persistence, and a cool-eyed filter for opportunities were her safeguards.
The ethic is both tough and empowering. Do the work that makes you ready, then use discernment to place limited bets where your strengths match the moment. Equally, have the spine to say no. Not every offer is a doorway; some are cul-de-sacs with good press releases. For Ball, luck is not a mystery but a practice: hours at the craft, followed by clear choices that turn preparation into momentum.
Her career gives that view a vivid backdrop. She toiled for years in bit parts and B movies, then built a radio audience before television took notice. When the network wanted I Love Lucy done live in New York, she and Desi Arnaz insisted on filming in Los Angeles with a three-camera setup on 35mm. They accepted a pay cut to retain ownership of the negatives. That call, born of rehearsal-room discipline and business clarity, delivered the rerun model and financial independence. Later, as head of Desilu, she backed risky projects others dismissed, including Star Trek and Mission: Impossible. Those greenlights were not stabs in the dark; they reflected a practiced ability to tell a real opportunity from a mirage.
Her line about being afraid of people who bank on luck signals more than skepticism. It marks a boundary against magical thinking and against collaborators who gamble with other peoples livelihoods. In a male-dominated industry that routinely underestimated her, she could not afford to drift. Preparation, persistence, and a cool-eyed filter for opportunities were her safeguards.
The ethic is both tough and empowering. Do the work that makes you ready, then use discernment to place limited bets where your strengths match the moment. Equally, have the spine to say no. Not every offer is a doorway; some are cul-de-sacs with good press releases. For Ball, luck is not a mystery but a practice: hours at the craft, followed by clear choices that turn preparation into momentum.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work Ethic |
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