--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Frankly - and believe me, I say this…" description: "\"Frankly - and believe me, I say this without any pretense - when I see the road I've taken, I have to say that thanks to good luck, because without goo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/james-macarthur-17816_believe_frankly-and-believe-me-i-say-this-withou_571381.jpg" --- # Frankly - and believe me, I say this without any pretense… ![“Frankly - and believe me, I say this without any pretense - when I see the road I've taken, I have to say that thanks to good luck, because without good luck one can do nothing, I've come out pretty well.” quote by James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/james-macarthur-17816_believe_frankly-and-believe-me-i-say-this-withou_571381.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/james-macarthur-17816_believe_frankly-and-believe-me-i-say-this-withou_571381.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/james-macarthur-17816_believe_frankly-and-believe-me-i-say-this-withou_571381.jpg) > “Frankly - and believe me, I say this without any pretense - when I see the road I've taken, I have to say that thanks to good luck, because without good luck one can do nothing, I've come out pretty well.” [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He attributes his successes to luck, suggesting that without fortune, personal effort alone would be insufficient. **In simple terms:** Good luck was essential to his achievements. Key Takeaway Recognize luck’s role. Themes fortune humility self‑reflection Mood reflective humble Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - career retrospectives - public speaking - writing memoirs - teaching Key Concepts determinism agency gratitude Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance luck with effort? - Can gratitude improve future outcomes? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on luck may diminish personal agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Pretense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretense/) ## Related quotes > [“Frankly, I believe that identity is what's inside us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-coster/frankly-i-believe-that-identity-is-what-s-inside-us/) Theo Coster > [“Good luck, good will, good fortune, not ill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/good-luck-good-will-good-fortune-not-ill/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [So nothing is ever good or bad unless you think it so, and vice versa. All luck is good luck to the man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boethius/so-nothing-is-ever-good-or-bad-unless-you-think-it-so-and-vice-versa/) [Boethius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boethius/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hitchcock/luck-is-everything-my-good-luck-in-life-was-to-be-a-really-frightened/) [Alfred Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hitchcock/) > [Who has good luck is good, Who has bad luck is bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/who-has-good-luck-is-good-who-has-bad-luck-is-bad/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [No matter what your laundry list of requirements in choosing a mate, there has to be an element of good luck and good fortune…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-duke/no-matter-what-your-laundry-list-of-requirements-in-choosing-a-mate/) [Patty Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-duke/) > [“Never confuse good luck with good planning”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-goldstone/never-confuse-good-luck-with-good-planning/) [Lawrence Goldstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-goldstone/) > [Luck? Good luck? GM, the last time I checked, luck is for losers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cm-punk/luck-good-luck-gm-the-last-time-i-checked-luck-is-for-losers/) [CM Punk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cm-punk/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [People always call it luck when you've acted more sensibly than they have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/people-always-call-it-luck-when-you-ve-acted-more-sensibly-than-they/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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/) ## More by James MacArthur > [I don't think anyone connected with Five-O believed the show would last as long as it did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/i-don-t-think-anyone-connected-with-five-o-believed-the-show-would/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [Actually, if I could find a woman who was that wonderful; that understanding, well, I'd give her everything in the world that was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/actually-if-i-could-find-a-woman-who-was-that-wonderful-that/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [They all went down in droves because just scenes of palm trees and beaches can get pretty boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/they-all-went-down-in-droves-because-just-scenes-of-palm-trees-and/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [I am happy to have now as Danny finally a more difficult role, in which I can shoot and fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/i-am-happy-to-have-now-as-danny-finally-a-more-difficult-role-in/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [You should hear the guy who dubs me in Japan. I like him the most. He has a high squeaky voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/you-should-hear-the-guy-who-dubs-me-in-japan-i-like-him-the-most-he/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [For years I have played the twenty-something lover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/for-years-i-have-played-the-twenty-something-lover/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [I had accumulated some capital and was at an age at which I was interested in generating income. But even though I was risk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/i-had-accumulated-some-capital-and-was-at-an-age-at-which-i-was/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [I got into the acting business very young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/i-got-into-the-acting-business-very-young/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [Walt Disney was not a merchant of sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/walt-disney-was-not-a-merchant-of-sadness/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [Who knows what kind of life I might have had had I not been fortunate enough to have the parents I've had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/who-knows-what-kind-of-life-i-might-have-had-had-i-not-been-fortunate/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [As long as I continue to breathe, as long as there's injustice in this world, I will use the voice that God has given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/as-long-as-i-continue-to-breathe-as-long-as-there-s-injustice-in-this/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [Nobody really knows what makes a hit TV show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/nobody-really-knows-what-makes-a-hit-tv-show/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [Once you're a winner, you can give all sorts of reasons why you're a winner. Of course, you could all those same reasons to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/once-you-re-a-winner-you-can-give-all-sorts-of-reasons-why-you-re-a/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [We were living in a tumultuous time, when the world was upside down. Freeman produced a show that was black and white, the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/we-were-living-in-a-tumultuous-time-when-the-world-was-upside-down/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) > [It's sometimes unnerving to think of that, and I wish it were possible for all children in the world to have the good fortune…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/it-s-sometimes-unnerving-to-think-of-that-and-i-wish-it-were-possible/) [James MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) [Explore all 36 James MacArthur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Frankly - and believe me, I say this without any pretense - when I see the road I've taken, I have to say that thanks to good luck, because without good luck one can do nothing, I've come out pretty well.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James MacArthur" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/frankly-and-believe-me-i-say-this-without-any-pretense-when-i-see-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/frankly-and-believe-me-i-say-this-without-any-pretense-when-i-see-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/james-macarthur-17816_believe_frankly-and-believe-me-i-say-this-withou_571381.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/james-macarthur-17816_believe_frankly-and-believe-me-i-say-this-withou_571381.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/james-macarthur-17816_believe_frankly-and-believe-me-i-say-this-withou_571381.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Frankly - and believe me, I say this without any pretense - when I see the road I've taken, I have to say…” — James MacArthur", "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": "James MacArthur", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macarthur/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Frankly - and believe me, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/frankly-and-believe-me-i-say-this-without-any-pretense-when-i-see-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macarthur/frankly-and-believe-me-i-say-this-without-any-pretense-when-i-see-the/#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 } } ] } ```