Topic

Chance

The oldest argument in this collection is between those who believe fortune is real and those who believe it is preparation made visible. Lincoln says he will prepare and someday his chance will come — pure voluntarism. Bacon argues a wise man makes more opportunities than he finds. Demosthenes saw in small opportunities the seeds of great enterprises. Vergil's "fortune sides with him who dares" tips toward action. Yet Schnitzler's threefold progression — preparation, waiting, choosing the right moment — admits that timing is not entirely within our control. The Churchill observation on lies getting halfway around the world while truth laces its boots turns chance into something both comic and ominous. Xenophon offers the philosophers' edge: even a true statement spoken by accident is not knowledge — the speaker does not know why it is true. This collection refuses the optimist's charter. Chance is real, preparation matters, and neither guarantees anything.