--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All this, this luck – what did it mean?…" description: "\"“All this, this luck – what did it mean? Coming so suddenly, and on such a scale, it was as baffling as a misfortune.”\" — Philip Roth" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/philip-roth-681_luck_all-this-this-luck-what-did-it-mean-comi_1974021.jpg" --- # All this, this luck – what did it mean? Coming so… ![“All this, this luck – what did it mean? Coming so suddenly, and on such a scale, it was as baffling as a misfortune.” quote by Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/philip-roth-681_luck_all-this-this-luck-what-did-it-mean-comi_1974021.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/philip-roth-681_luck_all-this-this-luck-what-did-it-mean-comi_1974021.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a8/philip-roth-681_luck_all-this-this-luck-what-did-it-mean-comi_1974021.jpg) > ““All this, this luck – what did it mean? Coming so suddenly, and on such a scale, it was as baffling as a misfortune.”” [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unexpected luck can feel confusing and unfair, like a sudden misfortune. **In simple terms:** Sudden luck feels baffling. Key Takeaway Reflect on the meaning of unexpected events. Themes fate luck confusion Mood reflective philosophical Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - personal setbacks - career changes - financial windfalls Key Concepts existentialism randomness Questions to Reflect On - How does luck shape your life? - Can misfortune become opportunity? A Different Perspective Luck can also bring positive outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Misfortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misfortune/) ## Related quotes > [“Sometimes responsibility sneaked up on you without your seeing it coming, and then, very suddenly, it wouldn’t let you go anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/sometimes-responsibility-sneaked-up-on-you-without-your-seeing-it/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [Good luck, I'm beginning to discover, is just as baffling as the bad. There never seems to be a reason for it - no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-shreve/good-luck-i-m-beginning-to-discover-is-just-as-baffling-as-the-bad/) [Anita Shreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-shreve/) > [What's really baffling to me is the way that the technology has risen up to help us become more materialistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-s-really-baffling-to-me-is-the-way-that-the-technology-has-risen/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I don't think I'm ever forgiven for anything, which is baffling because I'm not on TV that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-think-i-m-ever-forgiven-for-anything-which-is-baffling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ It's baffling why the issues relating to climate change - \[which\] have far more obvious and tangible and much more clear-cut evidence about the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/it-s-baffling-why-the-issues-relating-to-climate-change-which-have/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Early youth is a baffling time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-catton/early-youth-is-a-baffling-time/) [Bruce Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-catton/) > [Sometimes a concept is baffling not because it is profound but because it is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-a-concept-is-baffling-not-because-it-is-profound-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When things are baffling they usually don't unbaffle themselves.There's just, you know, a certain amount of baffling stuff that always, like, really baffles you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/when-things-are-baffling-they-usually-don-t-unbaffle-themselves-there/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“If you think about the class-size puzzle this way, then what seems baffling starts to make a little more sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/if-you-think-about-the-class-size-puzzle-this-way-then-what-seems/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [If then, your world be such a baffling riddle, it is because you are that baffling riddle. And if your speech be such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/if-then-your-world-be-such-a-baffling-riddle-it-is-because-you-are/) [Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/) > [“The most baffling mystery about American democracy is why putting such a brilliant idea into practice seems to attract all the wrong people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gustafson/the-most-baffling-mystery-about-american-democracy-is-why-putting/) [David Gustafson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gustafson/) > [Freedom is baffling: men having it often know not they have it till it is gone and they no longer have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/freedom-is-baffling-men-having-it-often-know-not-they-have-it-till-it/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [“The kid, whose existence became a hallucination at seven, and a catastrophe at fourteen, and a disaster after that, whose vocation is to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-kid-whose-existence-became-a-hallucination-at-seven-and-a/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [\[It is hard to know what is good luck and what isn't and therefore whether we should be happy or sad about it. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelig-pliskin/it-is-hard-to-know-what-is-good-luck-and-what-isn-t-and-therefore/) [Zelig Pliskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelig-pliskin/) > [Many things would be changed for Americans if they would only admit that there is ill-luck in this world and that misfortune is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/many-things-would-be-changed-for-americans-if-they-would-only-admit/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) ## More by Philip Roth > [“The old intergenerational give-and-take of the country-that-used-to-be, when everyone knew his role and took the rules dead seriously, the acculturating back-and-forth that all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-old-intergenerational-give-and-take-of-the-country-that-used-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [You be greater than your feelings. I don't demand this of you - life does. Otherwise you'll be washed away by feelings. You'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-be-greater-than-your-feelings-i-don-t-demand-this-of-you-life/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Nothing bad can happen to a writer. Everything is material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/nothing-bad-can-happen-to-a-writer-everything-is-material/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [The only way to have a funeral is to invite everyone who ever knew the person and just wait for the accident to happen-somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-only-way-to-have-a-funeral-is-to-invite-everyone-who-ever-knew/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [To become a celebrity is to become a brand name. There is Ivory Soap, Rice Krispies, and Philip Roth. Ivory is the soap that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/to-become-a-celebrity-is-to-become-a-brand-name-there-is-ivory-soap/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“There are no reasons. She is obliged to be as she is. We all are. Reasons are in books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/there-are-no-reasons-she-is-obliged-to-be-as-she-is-we-all-are/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“As far as I can see there is no conquering or exorcising the past with words - words born either of imagination or forthrightness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/as-far-as-i-can-see-there-is-no-conquering-or-exorcising-the-past/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [The book really comes to life in the rewriting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-book-really-comes-to-life-in-the-rewriting/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how anything was going to turn out, now know exactly what happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-no-idea-how-anything-was-going/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Good Christ, a Jewish man with parents alive is a fifteen-year-old boy, and will remain a fifteen-year-old boy till they die!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/good-christ-a-jewish-man-with-parents-alive-is-a-fifteen-year-old-boy/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [I am the Raskolnikov of jerking off – the sticky evidence is everywhere!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/i-am-the-raskolnikov-of-jerking-off-the-sticky-evidence-is-everywhere/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Better for real things to be uncontrollable, better for one's life to be undecipherable and intellectually impenetrable than to attempt to make casual sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/better-for-real-things-to-be-uncontrollable-better-for-one-s-life-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Doctor Spielvogel, it alleviates nothing fixing the blame - blaming is still ailing, of course, of course - but nonetheless, what was it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/doctor-spielvogel-it-alleviates-nothing-fixing-the-blame-blaming-is/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [You asked if I thought my fiction had changed anything in the culture and the answer is no. Sure, there's been some scandal, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-asked-if-i-thought-my-fiction-had-changed-anything-in-the-culture/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) [Explore all 388 Philip Roth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## 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": "“All this, this luck – what did it mean? 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