uncertain quote

[Jonathan Lighter]

Cf. "Fortune favors the brave."

JL


On Wed, Oct 23, 2013 at 2:33 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: uncertain quote
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Oct 23, 2013, at 2:28 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:
>
> > The quotation might have been generated by condensing the following
> > passage by the bestselling adventure writer Stephen Coonts.
> >
> > Book title: The Intruders
> > Author: Stephen Coonts
> > Year: 2010 (WorldCat shows an edition in 1994 from Pocket Books, New
> York)
> > (Google Books Preview; Text is in 2010 edition and was probably in 1994
> edition)
> >
> >
> http://books.google.com/books?id=c4vm3IPtnoEC&q=%22to+detail%22#v=snippet&
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > “There's been a lot of mumbling around here the last twenty-four hours
> > about luck. Well, there is no such thing. You can't feel it, taste it,
> > smell it, touch it, wear it, fuck it, or eat it. It doesn't exist!
> >
> > “This thing we call luck is merely professionalism and attention to
> > detail, it's your awareness of everything that is going on around you,
> > it's how well you know and understand your airplane and your own
> > limitations.
> > [End excerpt]
>
> Hmm, interesting argument.  I wonder which of the actions in question
> (feeling, tasting, smelling, touching, wearing, fucking, and eating) you
> can do to professionalism, attention to detail, awareness, etc.
>
> LH
> >
> >
> > The words about luck by Coonts were noticed and have been reprinted.
> > For example, part of the excerpt about appeared online in a collection
> > of "Great Aviation Quotes":
> >
> > http://www.skygod.com/quotes/piloting.html
> >
> >
> > In 1915 an article titled "Attention to Detail" included the following
> > sentence: "There is no such thing as luck – either good, bad or
> > indifferent". It might be possible to derive the quotation from this
> > article. The quotation might have been constructed as a summary
> > statement. But I have not found supporting evidence in my quick
> > search. So I am posting this as a thematic precursor.
> >
> > Issue date: November 1915
> > Periodical title: The American Building Association News
> > Periodical subtitle: A Newspaper devoted to the interests of Building,
> > Loan and Savings Association
> > Location Cincinnati, Ohio
> > Quote Page 481
> >
> >
> http://books.google.com/books?id=Cpc6AQAAMAAJ&q=%22to+detail%22#v=snippet&
> >
> > Garson
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Oct 22, 2013 at 8:11 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> wrote:
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> >> Subject:      Re: uncertain quote
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> On Oct 22, 2013, at 7:59 PM, David A. Daniel wrote:
> >>
> >>> I have a client who says that, "There is no such thing as luck. What
> you
> >>> call luck is just attention to detail" is a Churchill quote. I can't
> >>> actually find it attributable to anyone, much less Churchill. Can the
> quote
> >>> sleuths out there shine any light on this? Thanks.
> >>> DAD
> >>>
> >> Sounds a bit reminiscent of Branch Rickey's "Luck is the residue of
> design", if that is indeed Branch Rickey's.  (General manager of the
> Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals in mid-20th c., signed Jackie
> Robinson on to the former, etc. etc.)
> >>
> >> LH
> >>
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