Business Quote by John C. Bogle
“If you're very talented and keep winning, you'll do just fine. It may take a while. But the talent is hard to identify and talent is hard to tell from luck. There's an awful lot of luck in this business. Past performance is not helpful in judging future performance.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Little Book of Common Sense Investing, 2007
Success depends on talent, luck, and time; past results don’t guarantee future outcomes.
In simple terms: Talent, luck, and time matter; past performance isn’t predictive.
Focus on long‑term fundamentals, not short‑term wins.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- stock market
- career planning
- entrepreneurship
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What metrics truly reflect skill over luck?
- How can you mitigate randomness in decisions?
Luck can dominate short‑term results, obscuring skill.