--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the…" description: "\"“The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune, a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/james-allen-1607_chance_the-thoughtless-the-ignorant-and-the-ind_118227.jpg" --- # The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing… ![“The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune, and chance. Seeing a man grow rich, they say, "How lucky he is!" Observing another become intellectual, they exclaim, "How highly favoured he is!"…” quote by James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/james-allen-1607_chance_the-thoughtless-the-ignorant-and-the-ind_118227.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/james-allen-1607_chance_the-thoughtless-the-ignorant-and-the-ind_118227.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/james-allen-1607_chance_the-thoughtless-the-ignorant-and-the-ind_118227.jpg) > ““The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune, and chance. Seeing a man grow rich, they say, "How lucky he is!" Observing another become intellectual, they exclaim, "How highly favoured he is!" And noting the saintly character and wide influence of another, they remark, "How chance aids him at every turn!" They do not see the trials and failures and struggles which these men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their experience; have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have made, of the undaunted efforts they have put forth, of the faith they have exercised, that they might overcome the apparently insurmountable, and realize the Vision of their heart. They do not know the darkness and the heartaches; they only see the light and joy, and call it "luck". They do not see the long and arduous journey, but only behold the pleasant goal, and call it "good fortune," do not understand the process, but only perceive the result, and call it chance.”” [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People mistake visible success for luck, overlooking the hidden effort, sacrifice, and perseverance that truly create achievement. **In simple terms:** Luck is misread; success hides hard work. Key Takeaway Effort, not luck, drives achievement. Themes success effort perception Mood analytical encouraging Type reflection When to use this quote - career advancement - academic achievement - entrepreneurship Key Concepts attribution bias resilience Practical Applications - document your process - share behind‑the‑scenes stories Questions to Reflect On - How can you recognize hidden effort in others? - When have you misattributed success to luck? A Different Perspective Some outcomes are genuinely influenced by chance despite effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Fortune Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune-understand-1386458/) [Good fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-fortune/) [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Luck Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck-fortune-1386457/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [“They do not know the darkness and the heartaches; they only see the light and joy, and call it "luck"; do not see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/they-do-not-know-the-darkness-and-the-heartaches-they-only-see-the/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [People talk about overnight successes, and ultimately, there's a certain amount of, you want to call it luck or fortune or good fortune, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-lindelof/people-talk-about-overnight-successes-and-ultimately-there-s-a/) [Damon Lindelof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-lindelof/) > [“Luck and fortune are always on the side of the persistent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/luck-and-fortune-are-always-on-the-side-of-the-persistent/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [It's amazing how difficult it is for a man to understand something if he's paid a small fortune not to understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/it-s-amazing-how-difficult-it-is-for-a-man-to-understand-something-if/) [John C. Bogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/) > [When it was suggested to Pasteur that many of his great achievements depended on luck, he replied - I'm sure with more than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-wolpert/when-it-was-suggested-to-pasteur-that-many-of-his-great-achievements/) [Lewis Wolpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-wolpert/) > [Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/luck-is-not-chance-it-s-toil-fortune-s-expensive-smile-is-earned/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Fortune is a prize to be won. Adventure is the road to it. Chance is what may lurk in the shadows at the roadside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/fortune-is-a-prize-to-be-won-adventure-is-the-road-to-it-chance-is/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [It's O.K. to accept good fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/it-s-o-k-to-accept-good-fortune/) [Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/) > [Good fortune is a god among men, and more than a god.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/good-fortune-is-a-god-among-men-and-more-than-a-god/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [Whatever you have received more than others-in health, in talents, in ability, in success, in a pleasant childhood, in harmonious conditions of home life-all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/whatever-you-have-received-more-than-others-in-health-in-talents-in/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [Henceforth I ask not good fortune. I myself am good fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/henceforth-i-ask-not-good-fortune-i-myself-am-good-fortune/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/each-one-must-do-his-part-if-we-wish-to-show-that-the-nation-is/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“I hope you appreciate the magnitude of your impending good fortune.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-sure-thing/i-hope-you-appreciate-the-magnitude-of-your-impending-good-fortune/) [The Sure Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-sure-thing/) > [From disaster good fortune comes, and in good fortune lurks disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/from-disaster-good-fortune-comes-and-in-good-fortune-lurks-disaster/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I try to give back some of the good fortune that I've received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-rabbitt/i-try-to-give-back-some-of-the-good-fortune-that-i-ve-received/) [Eddie Rabbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-rabbitt/) ## More by James Allen > [A person is limited only by the thoughts that he chooses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/a-person-is-limited-only-by-the-thoughts-that-he-chooses/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [“The soul attracts that which it secretly harbours; that which it loves, and also that which it fears;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/the-soul-attracts-that-which-it-secretly-harbours-that-which-it-loves/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [“All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed by the same law and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/all-achievements-whether-in-the-business-intellectual-or-spiritual/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [“Cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. Mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/cause-and-effect-is-as-absolute-and-undeviating-in-the-hidden-realm/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/men-do-not-attract-that-which-they-want-but-that-which-they-are/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/he-who-would-accomplish-little-must-sacrifice-little-he-who-would/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of effort is the measure of the results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/in-all-human-affairs-there-are-efforts-and-there-are-results-and-the/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [The knowledge of the causal power of thought is the basis of all their (Hebrew) prophecies, as it is the basis of all real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/the-knowledge-of-the-causal-power-of-thought-is-the-basis-of-all/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [“mind is the master-weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/mind-is-the-master-weaver-both-of-the-inner-garment-of-character-and/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/a-man-sooner-or-later-discovers-that-he-is-the-master-gardener-of-his/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [Rely upon your own judgment; be true to your own conscience; follow the light that is within you; all outward lights are so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/rely-upon-your-own-judgment-be-true-to-your-own-conscience-follow-the/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [“By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/by-the-right-choice-and-true-application-of-thought-man-ascends-to/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [“Without self-discipline a man drifts lower and lower, approximating more and more nearly to the beast, until at last he grovels, a lost creature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/without-self-discipline-a-man-drifts-lower-and-lower-approximating/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [Spiritual meditation is the pathway to Divinity. It is a mystic ladder which reaches from earth to heaven, from error to Truth, from pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/spiritual-meditation-is-the-pathway-to-divinity-it-is-a-mystic-ladder/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a thought-evolved being. For such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/a-man-becomes-calm-in-the-measure-that-he-understands-himself-as-a/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) [Explore all 220 James Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) ## More Chance quotes > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/) [Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/) > [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/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/) [Alejandro Taubas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-taubas/) > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/) [Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/) > [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/) [Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/) > [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/) [Browse all 12,460 Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune, and chance. 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