--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People always call it luck when you've…" description: "\"People always call it luck when you've acted more sensibly than they have.\" — Anne Tyler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/anne-tyler-1837_luck_people-always-call-it-luck-when-you-ve-a_2431210.png" --- # People always call it luck when you've acted more sensibly… ![“People always call it luck when you've acted more sensibly than they have.” quote by Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/anne-tyler-1837_luck_people-always-call-it-luck-when-you-ve-a_2431210.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/anne-tyler-1837_luck_people-always-call-it-luck-when-you-ve-a_2431210.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/anne-tyler-1837_luck_people-always-call-it-luck-when-you-ve-a_2431210.png) > “People always call it luck when you've acted more sensibly than they have.” [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People attribute success to luck when they actually used better judgment than others. **In simple terms:** Success often looks like luck to observers. Key Takeaway Recognize and credit your own sound decisions. Themes judgment perception success Mood reflective analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - business negotiations - personal relationships - career advancement Key Concepts cognitive bias self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate skill from luck? - What steps can you take to own your successes? A Different Perspective Luck attribution can undermine confidence and learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sensibly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensibly/) ## Related quotes > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/luck-i-don-t-know-anything-about-luck-i-ve-never-banked-on-it-and-i-m-2/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/luck-i-don-t-know-anything-about-luck-i-ve-never-banked-on-it-and-i-m/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [You can't rely on luck. I've had some stages in my career where I've said we're going to wing it, and we've always ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/you-can-t-rely-on-luck-i-ve-had-some-stages-in-my-career-where-i-ve/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [“Who needs luck when you've got a key?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moxie-mezcal/who-needs-luck-when-you-ve-got-a-key/) [Moxie Mezcal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moxie-mezcal/) > [Even as an empiricist, I have to say that I believe in luck. I've seen it too many times in politics to let it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/even-as-an-empiricist-i-have-to-say-that-i-believe-in-luck-i-ve-seen/) [Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/) > [Frankly - and believe me, I say this without any pretense - when I see the road I've taken, I have to say that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/frankly-and-believe-me-i-say-this-without-any-pretense-when-i-see-the/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [Little is the luck I've had, And oh, 'tis comfort small - To think that many another lad - Has had no luck at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-edward-housman/little-is-the-luck-i-ve-had-and-oh-tis-comfort-small-to-think-that/) [Alfred Edward Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-edward-housman/) > [There is no luck; you've got to make your luck. You've got to always be prepared-without trying to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-zawinul/there-is-no-luck-you-ve-got-to-make-your-luck-you-ve-got-to-always-be/) [Joe Zawinul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-zawinul/) > [There's no bad luck, There's just the luck you've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyle-lovett/there-s-no-bad-luck-there-s-just-the-luck-you-ve-found/) [Lyle Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyle-lovett/) > [Great wealth could make an enormous difference over the next decade if they sensibly support the scientific elite. Just the elite. Because the elite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-watson/great-wealth-could-make-an-enormous-difference-over-the-next-decade/) [James D. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-watson/) > [I do genuinely believe that young people who play sport at a competitive level, sensibly controlled, sensibly organised, that has to be a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/i-do-genuinely-believe-that-young-people-who-play-sport-at-a/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [When we make substitutions, we have to do it sensibly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hansi-flick/when-we-make-substitutions-we-have-to-do-it-sensibly/) [Hansi Flick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hansi-flick/) > [You can make great money in a utility type of business by borrowing cheaply and lending sensibly but that's not what's being done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-whitney/you-can-make-great-money-in-a-utility-type-of-business-by-borrowing/) [Meredith Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-whitney/) > [I was very skinny, but that was just my natural build. I always ate sensibly - being thin was in my genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twiggy/i-was-very-skinny-but-that-was-just-my-natural-build-i-always-ate/) [Twiggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twiggy/) > [“I wanted to get the tears out of the way so I could act sensibly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-wanted-to-get-the-tears-out-of-the-way-so-i-could-act-sensibly/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## More by Anne Tyler > [Try Jesus, you won't regret it, a billboard read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/try-jesus-you-won-t-regret-it-a-billboard-read/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“Every place I go I miss another place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/every-place-i-go-i-miss-another-place/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [I'm falling into disrepair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/i-m-falling-into-disrepair/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [None of my own experiences ever finds its way into my work. However, the stages of my life - motherhood, middle age, etc. -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/none-of-my-own-experiences-ever-finds-its-way-into-my-work-however/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [For my own family, I would always choose the makeshift, surrogate family formed by various characters unrelated by blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/for-my-own-family-i-would-always-choose-the-makeshift-surrogate/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [Mostly it's lies, writing novels. You set out to tell an untrue story and you try to make it believable, even to yourself. Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/mostly-it-s-lies-writing-novels-you-set-out-to-tell-an-untrue-story/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [When I read, I'm purely a reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/when-i-read-i-m-purely-a-reader/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“You wake in the morning, you’re feeling fine, but all at once you think, “Something’s not right. Something’s off somewhere; what is it?” And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/you-wake-in-the-morning-you-re-feeling-fine-but-all-at-once-you-think/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“...that was Julian for you: reckless. A dashing sailor, a speedy driver, a frequenter of single bars, he was the kind of man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/that-was-julian-for-you-reckless-a-dashing-sailor-a-speedy-driver-a/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“Disaster followed disaster... the hero stuck in there, though. Macon had long ago noticed that all adventure movies had the same moral: Perseverance pays.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/disaster-followed-disaster-the-hero-stuck-in-there-though-macon-had/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [It struck her all at once that dealing with other human beings was an awful lot of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/it-struck-her-all-at-once-that-dealing-with-other-human-beings-was-an/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“Justine hated pantsuits. Whenever she saw one, she had an urge to tell the owner some scandalous fortune, loudly enough to be heard everywhere:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/justine-hated-pantsuits-whenever-she-saw-one-she-had-an-urge-to-tell/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [My family can always tell when I'm well into a novel because the meals get very crummy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/my-family-can-always-tell-when-i-m-well-into-a-novel-because-the/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“She liked to think that she was wearing her beauty out—using it up, she liked to think. She took some satisfaction in it, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/she-liked-to-think-that-she-was-wearing-her-beauty-out-using-it-up/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [It is not how much you love someone, but who you are when you are with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/it-is-not-how-much-you-love-someone-but-who-you-are-when-you-are-with/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) [Explore all 202 Anne Tyler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) ## More Luck quotes > [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [“Coincidence is the exception, not the rule.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soheir-khashoggi/coincidence-is-the-exception-not-the-rule/) [Soheir Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soheir-khashoggi/) > [If you don't meet luck halfway with really hard work, luck won't get you all the way there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asia-kate-dillon/if-you-don-t-meet-luck-halfway-with-really-hard-work-luck-won-t-get/) [Asia Kate Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asia-kate-dillon/) > [“Failing to meet your true destiny is a tragic act of free will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/failing-to-meet-your-true-destiny-is-a-tragic-act-of-free-will/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [“Clent, however, suppressed any sense of pity without the slightest difficulty. His brain was busy with the icy clockwork of calculation. If only this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/clent-however-suppressed-any-sense-of-pity-without-the-slightest/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [If you scared to take chances, you'll never have the answers...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/if-you-scared-to-take-chances-you-ll-never-have-the-answers/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [Don't minimize the importance of luck in determining life's course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-trebek/don-t-minimize-the-importance-of-luck-in-determining-life-s-course/) [Alex Trebek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-trebek/) > [I had a visit from an artist friend who basically said, "Your paintings are wonderful. Now stop." It did resonate with me. It hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caio-fonseca/i-had-a-visit-from-an-artist-friend-who-basically-said-your-paintings/) [Caio Fonseca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caio-fonseca/) > [Everybody needs a chance to find love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-longoria/everybody-needs-a-chance-to-find-love/) [Eva Longoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-longoria/) > [We seal our fate with the choices we take, but don't give a second thought to the chances we take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/we-seal-our-fate-with-the-choices-we-take-but-don-t-give-a-second/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [Life is a luck coin, once you're thrown into the pond..only you can make your worth the most by making it to the people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zacomh/life-is-a-luck-coin-once-you-re-thrown-into-the-pond-only-you-can/) Zacomh > [Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/bad-luck-isn-t-brought-by-broken-mirrors-but-by-broken-minds/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) [Browse all 5,673 Luck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People always call it luck when you've acted more sensibly than they have.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Tyler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/people-always-call-it-luck-when-you-ve-acted-more-sensibly-than-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Luck" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/people-always-call-it-luck-when-you-ve-acted-more-sensibly-than-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/anne-tyler-1837_luck_people-always-call-it-luck-when-you-ve-a_2431210.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/anne-tyler-1837_luck_people-always-call-it-luck-when-you-ve-a_2431210.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/anne-tyler-1837_luck_people-always-call-it-luck-when-you-ve-a_2431210.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People always call it luck when you've acted more sensibly than they have.” — Anne Tyler", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anne Tyler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People always call it luck when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/people-always-call-it-luck-when-you-ve-acted-more-sensibly-than-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/people-always-call-it-luck-when-you-ve-acted-more-sensibly-than-they/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```