proverb · Words worth keeping
It's better to be lucky than wise.
It's better to be lucky than wise.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A fortunate outcome can sometimes help more than good judgement does. The saying comments on the power of chance, often wryly, without proving that preparation is useless or that success shows a person made a wise choice.
Example
A walking group forgets to check a museum’s opening hours but arrives during a special late opening, recognising its good fortune and checking properly next time.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Lucky and wise name different reasons why things may turn out well. Someone can make a poorly considered choice and benefit from an unexpected favourable event; another person can prepare carefully and still face a setback. The saying draws attention to that difference between the quality of a decision and its eventual result. Better gives luck the advantage in a particular comparison, rather than offering a dependable method for obtaining it. A useful reading allows credit for preparation while acknowledging what lay outside a person’s control. It neither makes chance predictable nor turns a successful outcome into proof that the same choice should be repeated.
When to use it
Use it wryly when an unexpected favourable event has rescued an imperfect plan.
Keep in mind
Luck is not a reliable strategy, and a good result alone does not establish good judgement.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English