Uncovered – The Best Good Luck Quotes

While all of us would like to think that our life achievements are earned through sheer hard work and dedication, it’s fair to say that luck almost always plays a significant role. This applies to every sector and walk of life too, whether you’re trying to make it as a pro footballer or wagering at the top online casinos in the US.

Interestingly, we tend to more readily acknowledge the good luck and fortune that’s enjoyed by others. The notion of luck and its role in our everyday lives has also been widely studied and commented on, from former Presidents of the United States and famous actors to some of the world’s first ever philosophers.

• Good Luck Origins – How Did the Phrase Originate?
• Good Quotes About Luck – A Look Back Through History
• Luck is Everything – One of the Best Quotes for Good Luck
• The Poor Worm – Does Your Good Luck Mean Misfortune for Everyone Else?
• Luck and Fame – How to Prevent Good Luck and Fortune from Changing Your Outlook
• Opportunity Meets Preparation – Does Good Luck Really Exist?
• How Good and Bad Luck are Opposite Sides of the Same Coin
• The Last Word – The Legacy of Good Luck Quotes

Good Luck Origins – How Did the Phrase Originate?

Interestingly, the earliest use of the phrase “good luck” emerged during the Middle English period, circa 1150 to 1500. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest verified usage was recorded in 1481, during a translation by famous printer, merchant and diplomat William Caxton.

Shortly, the phrase began to enjoy more widespread usage, gradually becoming the popular saying and platitude that it is today. Even the famous French astrologer and physician Nostradamus used the term in some of his predictions, including the following example detailing a seismic event he foresaw in 1999.

“The year 1999, seventh month, from the sky will come a great King of Terror. To bring back to life the great King of the Mongols, before and after Mars to reign by good luck.”

Nowadays, the aforementioned Oxford English Dictionary believes that there are approximately two occurrences of ‘good luck’ per million words written in modern English. This highlights its relative popularity, and the frequency with which it’s commented on in literature, sport and on television.

Good Quotes About Luck – A Look Back Through History

As we’ve touched on, some of the best quotes for good luck date back hundreds of years. They’ve also been opined by a diverse range of people, most commonly those who have enjoyed good fortune during their lives and boast excellent self-awareness. Here’s our selection of the very best good luck quotes!

Luck is Everything – One of the Best Quotes for Good Luck

“Luck is everything… My good luck in life was to be a really frightened person. I’m fortunate to be a coward, to have a low threshold of fear, because a hero couldn’t make a good suspense film.”

First up is this well-known quote from Alfred Hitchcock. The famous movie director, who masterminded cult classic films like ‘Psycho’ and ‘The Birds’, was a devout Catholic who always cut a modest and humble figure. He clearly recognized the role that luck played in his success too, despite achieving commercial and critical acclaim with only his fourth film (The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog in 1927).

This particular quote certainly offered an insight into Hitchcock’s persona, and how his innate fear and self-proclaimed cowardice inspired him to make great horror films. Certainly, Hitchcock’s films were renowned for being incredibly tense and suspenseful, with this seeming to stem directly from his own feelings of fear and unease.

Hitchcock’s’ demeanor and style stayed the same throughout his career, despite the director winning a slew of awards. These included a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Fellowship Award, the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. He also received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to acknowledge his achievements and a knighthood in 1980.

The Poor Worm – Does Your Good Luck Mean Misfortune for Everyone Else?

“I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm.”

This shorter and punchier quote came from former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served in the role between 1933 until his death in 1945. To this day, he remains the only US President to serve more than two terms (completing four in total), while he also oversaw the USA during World War II and the disaster of Pearl Harbor.

This famous quote certainly causes us to consider luck in a different way. Instead of focusing on the good luck that we or others may experience in life, it takes a tongue-in-cheek look at those who are less fortunate. It also hints at instances where our good luck directly results in misfortunate for others, such as when we receive a coveted promotion or scholarship ahead of others.

Because of its fun and insightful turn of phrase, it definitely deserves praise as one of the best good luck quotes. It also has the distinction of being one of many good quotes about luck, as it causes us to think about this phenomenon in a different and more reflective manner. This may promote a more rounded and humble mindset in the process.

Luck and Fame – How to Prevent Good Luck and Fortune from Changing Your Outlook

“What’s important is to be able to see yourself, I think, as having commonality with other people and not determine, because of your good luck, that everybody is less significant, less interesting, less important than you are. ”

Another of the good quotes about luck, this gem from iconic US actor Harrison Ford highlights the star’s grounded mindset and down-to-earth outlook. The star of hit Hollywood blockbusters like Star Wars and the Indiana Jones franchise (among others), Ford clearly hasn’t let his own good fortune change his outlook on life.

In fact, it appears to have made him acutely aware of his place in the world and the importance of retaining commonality with others (including those who may idolize him and watch his films). This quote reaffirms the equality that exists among human beings, and that we shouldn’t think less of those who may simply have been less fortunate than ourselves.

This has arguably aided Harrison’s career, which has seen the actor win the AFI Life Achievement Award, the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award and an Honorary César. This is in addition to numerous Academy Award nominations for his various roles, although it’s interesting to note that he was never able to win an Oscar.

Opportunity Meets Preparation – Does Good Luck Really Exist?

“Good luck is when opportunity meets preparation, while bad luck is when lack of preparation meets reality. ”

This is one of the best good luck quotes if you subscribe to the school of thought fortune isn’t quite as arbitrary as others may think. In fact, it suggests that good luck may be little more than a meeting of opportunity and preparation, and that those who benefit from fortune have actually worked in some way to achieve this.

Conversely, it suggests that people who believe themselves to be blighted by bad luck are actually victims of their own lack of forethought, forward planning or hard work. This is a controversial opinion in some respects, while it reflects a relatively elitist attitude that lacks nuance and subtlety.

This quote is attributed to Eliyahu Goldratt, who was a business management guru and serial innovator. He was the originator of the Optimized Production Technique, while he also conceived the Critical Chain Project Management tool. This makes it easy to see why he had the outlook that he did on life, despite having the good fortune of benefitting from an outstanding education in his home country.

How Good and Bad Luck are Opposite Sides of the Same Coin

“The universe works in crazy ways. Your good luck will come in waves, and so does your bad, so you have to take the good with the bad and press forward. ”

This simple but insightful quote came from the charismatic Aussie Nick Cummins, who forged a successful rugby career in his native country before starring in the sixth season of The Bachelor Australia. He offered this piece of wisdom when pressed about his life and sporting career, which include major health concerns within his family.

It deserves recognition as one of the most understated and yet inspiring good luck motivational quotes, as it encourages us all to treat good and bad fortune as two sides of the same coin. This creates a pragmatic mindset where we accept both good and back luck as being inevitable in our lives, before resolving to deal with them equally as we press forward in life.

In addition to being one of the great good luck quotes, it’s also easy to understand and universal in its appeal. It speaks to people as equals, by recognizing that good and back luck can come in numerous forms depending on your life circumstances. This is something that we should all keep in mind.

The Last Word – The Legacy of Good Luck Quotes

As you can see, the best quotes for good luck take numerous forms. They also discuss good fortune differently, forcing us to consider the situation for others and how important it is not to let this go to our heads. Such quotes certainly give us plenty to think about, regardless of whether we’re enjoying good or bad luck in our lives!