--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing goes by luck in composition. It…" description: "\"Nothing goes by luck in composition. It allows of no tricks. The best you can write will be the best you are.\" — Henry David Thoreau" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/henry-david-thoreau-20_composition_nothing-goes-by-luck-in-composition-it-a_823458.jpg" --- # Nothing goes by luck in composition. It allows of no… ![“Nothing goes by luck in composition. It allows of no tricks. The best you can write will be the best you are.” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/henry-david-thoreau-20_composition_nothing-goes-by-luck-in-composition-it-a_823458.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/henry-david-thoreau-20_composition_nothing-goes-by-luck-in-composition-it-a_823458.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/henry-david-thoreau-20_composition_nothing-goes-by-luck-in-composition-it-a_823458.jpg) > “Nothing goes by luck in composition. It allows of no tricks. The best you can write will be the best you are.” [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Skill and effort, not chance, determine artistic quality; mastery reflects the creator's abilities. **In simple terms:** Talent and hard work shape writing. Key Takeaway Focus on improving your craft. Themes creativity skill effort Mood determined reflective Type advisory inspirational When to use this quote - writing practice - creative projects - skill development - self‑assessment Key Concepts self‑discipline authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How can you measure progress beyond outcomes? - What habits nurture consistent improvement? A Different Perspective Even with skill, external factors can affect reception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-write-349982/) [Composition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composition/) [Composition Allows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composition-allows-493760/) [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Luck Composition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck-composition-493759/) [Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tricks/) [Write Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-best/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Discover the time of day when you write best, and write then. For me it's about 7 am to noon. For other people it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/discover-the-time-of-day-when-you-write-best-and-write-then-for-me-it/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [A person who chooses to die or to risk death demonstrates that there are values, principles, maxims, that are more valuable to him than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-person-who-chooses-to-die-or-to-risk-death-demonstrates-that-there/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“The best advice is not to write what you know, it’s to write what you like. Write the kind of story you like best—write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-best-advice-is-not-to-write-what-you-know-it-s-to-write-what-you-4/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“You can best write about your own experiences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-can-best-write-about-your-own-experiences/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I do my best to write my way through it. It helps the laughing, reflective part come quicker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madi-diaz/i-do-my-best-to-write-my-way-through-it-it-helps-the-laughing/) [Madi Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madi-diaz/) > [To memorize something,it's best to write it down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koushun-takami/to-memorize-something-it-s-best-to-write-it-down/) [Koushun Takami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koushun-takami/) > [I just do the best I can and write something interesting, to tell stories in an interesting way and move forward from there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/i-just-do-the-best-i-can-and-write-something-interesting-to-tell/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [The best advice is not to write what you know, it’s to write what you like. Write the kind of story you like best—write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-best-advice-is-not-to-write-what-you-know-it-s-to-write-what-you-3/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Doctor Who' is the best show to write for, because of the actors and the scale of imagination that it demands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/doctor-who-is-the-best-show-to-write-for-because-of-the-actors-and/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [“The best advice is not to write what you know, it's to write what you like. Write the kind of story you like best-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-best-advice-is-not-to-write-what-you-know-it-s-to-write-what-you/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“When you are writing, you must treat it as the most important thing in the world, even when you know it is not. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/when-you-are-writing-you-must-treat-it-as-the-most-important-thing-in/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I think the book you always like best is the one you're about to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-think-the-book-you-always-like-best-is-the-one-you-re-about-to-write/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is something in our minds like sunshine and the weather, which is not under our control. When I write, the best things come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-something-in-our-minds-like-sunshine-and-the-weather-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I never get writer's block. My secret...I have purring cats in surround sound while I write...best white noise on the planet." R.Rose when asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-rose/i-never-get-writer-s-block-my-secret-i-have-purring-cats-in-surround/) [R. Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-rose/) > [“It’s a great day to write a best-seller.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffy-andrews/it-s-a-great-day-to-write-a-best-seller/) [Buffy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffy-andrews/) ## More by Henry David Thoreau > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Men say they know many things; But lo! they have taken wings, — The arts and sciences, And a thousand appliances; The wind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-say-they-know-many-things-but-lo-they-have-taken-wings-the-arts/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A traveler who looks at things with an impartial eye may see what the oldest inhabitant has not observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-traveler-who-looks-at-things-with-an-impartial-eye-may-see-what-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The still youthful energies of the globe have only to be directed in their proper channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-still-youthful-energies-of-the-globe-have-only-to-be-directed-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Concord's little arch does not span all our fate, nor is what transpires under it law for the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/concord-s-little-arch-does-not-span-all-our-fate-nor-is-what/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The lumberers rarely trouble themselves to put out their fires, such is the dampness of the primitive forest; and this is one cause, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-lumberers-rarely-trouble-themselves-to-put-out-their-fires-such/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“When he has obtained those things which are necessary to life, there is another alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-he-has-obtained-those-things-which-are-necessary-to-life-there/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Explore all 3,376 Henry David Thoreau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More Composition quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [At the risk of some oversimplification, if the skill composition of our work force meshed fully with the needs of our increasingly complex capital-stock,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/at-the-risk-of-some-oversimplification-if-the-skill-composition-of/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Writers and musicians know well the importance of extensive reading for successful writing or extensive listening for musical composition. Likewise, visual artists... understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laseau/writers-and-musicians-know-well-the-importance-of-extensive-reading/) [Paul Laseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laseau/) > [A composition is always more than the sum of its parts. In other words, a really good piece of music is more than itself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/a-composition-is-always-more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts-in-other-words/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [When I start writing a new imaginary future, I have no idea what it is. The characters arrive first. They help me figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-i-start-writing-a-new-imaginary-future-i-have-no-idea-what-it-is/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [Though I cannot claim to be a Christian in the sectarian sense, the example of Jesus suffering is a factor in the composition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/though-i-cannot-claim-to-be-a-christian-in-the-sectarian-sense-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I always look at money not as a motivating factor but as an element in the composition. You can't ignore it, but you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/i-always-look-at-money-not-as-a-motivating-factor-but-as-an-element/) [Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/) > [The unary Photograph has every reason to be banal, 'unity' of composition being the first rule of vulgar (and notably, of academic) rhetoric: 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-unary-photograph-has-every-reason-to-be-banal-unity-of/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [Musical compositions, it should be remembered, do not inhabit certain countries, certain museums, like paintings and statues. The Mozart Quintet is not shut up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-rabaud/musical-compositions-it-should-be-remembered-do-not-inhabit-certain/) [Henri Rabaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-rabaud/) > [Science does not enter a chaotic society to put order into it anymore, to simplify its composition, and to put an end to controversies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-latour/science-does-not-enter-a-chaotic-society-to-put-order-into-it-anymore/) [Bruno Latour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-latour/) > [If measure and symmetry are absent from any composition in any degree, ruin awaits both the ingredients and the composition... Measure and symmetry are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-measure-and-symmetry-are-absent-from-any-composition-in-any-degree/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [If you really want to be a good archaeologist, you have to understand ancient DNA; you have to understand chemical analysis to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/if-you-really-want-to-be-a-good-archaeologist-you-have-to-understand/) [Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/) > [Oil companies are radical because they're willing to alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/oil-companies-are-radical-because-they-re-willing-to-alter-the/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Composition is definitely what I'm born to do, and it came last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-friedman/composition-is-definitely-what-i-m-born-to-do-and-it-came-last/) [David Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-friedman/) [Browse all 766 Composition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nothing goes by luck in composition. 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