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Luck: What It Means and Why It Matters
For aspiring cricketer Ed Smith, luck was for other people. Like his childhood hero, Geoff Boycott, the tough, flinty Yorkshireman, the young Ed knew that the successful cricketer made his own luck by an application of will power, elimination of error, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. But when a freak accident at the crease at Lords prematurely ended Ed Smith's international cricketing career, it changed everything - and prompted him to look anew at his own life through the prism of luck.
Tracing the history of the concepts of luck and fortune, destiny and fate, from the ancient Greeks to the present day - in religion, in banking, in politics - Ed Smith argues that the question of luck versus skill is as pertinent today as it ever has been. He challenges us to think again about privilege and opportunity, to re-examine the question of innate ability and of gifts and talents accidentally conferred at birth. Weaving in his personal stories - notably the chance meeting of a beautiful stranger who would become his wife on a train he seemed fated to miss - he puts to us the idea that in life, luck cannot be underestimated: without any means of explaining our differing lots in life, the world without luck is one in which you deserve every ill that befalls you, where envy dominates and averageness is the stifling ideal. Embracing luck leads us to a fresh reappraisal of the nature of success, opportunity and fairness.
Bankers have promised 'risk-free' investments, the self-help industry peddles the idea that everyone can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, and life's winners are encouraged to claim that they did it all themselves in a 'meritocracy'. The case for luck needs to be made now, more than ever.
Tracing the history of the concepts of luck and fortune, destiny and fate, from the ancient Greeks to the present day - in religion, in banking, in politics - Ed Smith argues that the question of luck versus skill is as pertinent today as it ever has been. He challenges us to think again about privilege and opportunity, to re-examine the question of innate ability and of gifts and talents accidentally conferred at birth. Weaving in his personal stories - notably the chance meeting of a beautiful stranger who would become his wife on a train he seemed fated to miss - he puts to us the idea that in life, luck cannot be underestimated: without any means of explaining our differing lots in life, the world without luck is one in which you deserve every ill that befalls you, where envy dominates and averageness is the stifling ideal. Embracing luck leads us to a fresh reappraisal of the nature of success, opportunity and fairness.
Bankers have promised 'risk-free' investments, the self-help industry peddles the idea that everyone can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, and life's winners are encouraged to claim that they did it all themselves in a 'meritocracy'. The case for luck needs to be made now, more than ever.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2012
9 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
Ed Smith
98 books8 followersEd Smith is an author and journalist, and a former international cricketer who has represented England, Cambridge University, Kent and Middlesex. Ed Smith's previous books include Playing Hard Ball, On and Off the Field -- the Wisden Book of the Year and shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year and The Cricket Society Book of the Year Award -- and the critically acclaimed, What Sport Tells Us About Life. After retiring from cricket Ed Smith became a leader writer for The Times. He lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 17, 2019
**Warning: this text may contain spoilers** loved it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2016
Luck by Ed Smith is an eclectic discussion of, well, luck (there's a clue in the title - Ed) and its associated concepts of chance, fate, randomness, risk and fortune.
The narrative draws on insights from the ancient Greeks, history, economics and anthropology; illustrated with anecdotes and examples from everyday life and, unsurprisingly (given it's a book written by a former England batsman turned Times columnist) from sport.
Nature v Nurture
The most interesting part of the book is an exploration of the nature-nurture debate in relation to sport. In many ways it is a much-needed counterblast to the current orthodoxy that there is no such thing as talent (pace Matthew Syed's Bounce and Malcolm Gladwell Outliers) and that we all have the potential to be champions if only we put in the 10,000 hours.
In discussing nurture, Smith argues that there isn't a level playing field, highlighting the difference in opportunity that that comes with an independent education compared to one in the state system. (He doubts whether he would have opened for England had he not had the undoubted privilege of honing his cricketing talent as a boy at Tonbridge). This is supported by further analysis of the backgrounds of England's rugby and cricket sides and of Team GB.
Beyond these advantages, Smith accepts that top sportsmen and women need to put in the hours, but that there is still an element beyond our control (= luck).
Roger Federer and Usain Bolt don't train any harder than their rivals - the differentiating factors come down to innate advantages (= talent).
In fact Smith predicts that days of the top sportsman (generic) who succeed because of hard work alone (e.g. Ivan Lendl) are numbered. His argument is simple but persuasive: today there are no secrets that bring the sporting elite a competitive advantage (diet, training methods, coaching, tactics, facilities etc) - these are all universal. Thus, the only differentiator at the highest level is innate talent.
Ceteris paribus talent will triumph.
The narrative draws on insights from the ancient Greeks, history, economics and anthropology; illustrated with anecdotes and examples from everyday life and, unsurprisingly (given it's a book written by a former England batsman turned Times columnist) from sport.
Nature v Nurture
The most interesting part of the book is an exploration of the nature-nurture debate in relation to sport. In many ways it is a much-needed counterblast to the current orthodoxy that there is no such thing as talent (pace Matthew Syed's Bounce and Malcolm Gladwell Outliers) and that we all have the potential to be champions if only we put in the 10,000 hours.
In discussing nurture, Smith argues that there isn't a level playing field, highlighting the difference in opportunity that that comes with an independent education compared to one in the state system. (He doubts whether he would have opened for England had he not had the undoubted privilege of honing his cricketing talent as a boy at Tonbridge). This is supported by further analysis of the backgrounds of England's rugby and cricket sides and of Team GB.
Beyond these advantages, Smith accepts that top sportsmen and women need to put in the hours, but that there is still an element beyond our control (= luck).
Roger Federer and Usain Bolt don't train any harder than their rivals - the differentiating factors come down to innate advantages (= talent).
In fact Smith predicts that days of the top sportsman (generic) who succeed because of hard work alone (e.g. Ivan Lendl) are numbered. His argument is simple but persuasive: today there are no secrets that bring the sporting elite a competitive advantage (diet, training methods, coaching, tactics, facilities etc) - these are all universal. Thus, the only differentiator at the highest level is innate talent.
Ceteris paribus talent will triumph.
March 15, 2015
A lot of people don't believe in luck. Everyone wants to think that they are the master of their own destinies. But there are a lot of things which happen to us because of luck - sometimes good and sometimes bad. A lot of people would be happier if they had a better understanding and acceptance of the existence of luck in their lives.
In Luck, Ed Smith writes about how he started believing in luck by reassessing his life after he had to stop playing as a professional cricketer after a freak injury on the cricket field. The book is his personal journey mixed with some observations and interviews about other lucky people. What shines through in Smith's writing is his common sense and clarity of thought when he looks back at his life.
In Luck, Ed Smith writes about how he started believing in luck by reassessing his life after he had to stop playing as a professional cricketer after a freak injury on the cricket field. The book is his personal journey mixed with some observations and interviews about other lucky people. What shines through in Smith's writing is his common sense and clarity of thought when he looks back at his life.
July 2, 2016
A surprisingly good book. Never one for cricket (or sports in general, for that matter), the author somehow hooked me with his honest self-reflections about his former life as an athlete.
Part self-deprecating biography, part academic conference, Smith travels around and interviews several very well-known thinkers and recounts the exchanges in personable, even funny, prose.
A lovely, quick study of luck and what it means for its hapless victims (namely, all of us).
Pairs nicely with some good old fashioned Stoic philosophy.
Part self-deprecating biography, part academic conference, Smith travels around and interviews several very well-known thinkers and recounts the exchanges in personable, even funny, prose.
A lovely, quick study of luck and what it means for its hapless victims (namely, all of us).
Pairs nicely with some good old fashioned Stoic philosophy.
July 8, 2018
This was my second attempt at reading the book. The first time round I’d abandoned it midway.
First half is damn boring and all over the place. The book redeems itself midway, through a discussion in the role of talent versus hard work in sport, etc.
One of those rare books whose second half is better than the first
First half is damn boring and all over the place. The book redeems itself midway, through a discussion in the role of talent versus hard work in sport, etc.
One of those rare books whose second half is better than the first
June 8, 2017
Although the author was a professional sportsman he encompasses a lot more than the sports world and is a thoroughly enjoyable read on the part luck plays in our lives; for better or worse depending on our perspective.
July 15, 2019
The length of the book is too long for the matter it discusses given the lack of rigour the book has.
It consists mostly of boringly detailed cricket and unreliable anecdotes which don't support the point in any satisfying way.
Overall, it lacks any substance.
It consists mostly of boringly detailed cricket and unreliable anecdotes which don't support the point in any satisfying way.
Overall, it lacks any substance.
November 23, 2021
I found this to be a thoughtful and quite surprising book.
The author has obviously spend a lot of time reflecting on his sporting career and why he was successful (or not).
His insights are thought-provoking and I found them to be quite refreshing.
The author has obviously spend a lot of time reflecting on his sporting career and why he was successful (or not).
His insights are thought-provoking and I found them to be quite refreshing.
April 30, 2025
second half was much better.
March 13, 2016
Nice short read, skip the cricket bits if they bore you, you won't miss out on anything.
_____________
The problem with superstitions is that they become both addictive and cumulative. It is far easier to add new superstitions than to remove old ones.
Pretending to have fewer advantages than you did is not only a form of deceit, but conceit. It is an attempt to deny your good luck in order to claim more credit for yourself.
Randomness doesn't mean constant change, it means constant unpredictability.
Luck is what happens to me that is outside my control.
The less attractive face of Thatcherism (It wasn't luck, I deserved it) was the perception that failure was always the fault of those who failed.
The problem (of Long Term Capital Management's collapse) wasn't bad luck. It was the glorious refusal to believe in bad luck.
In prospect, talent is a good thing to have. In retrospect, it is a guilty secret. There is a narrative bias in favour of nurture.
As coaching homogenises defence, talent, which cannot be coached, will become the differentiating factor.
The more nurture you provide, the more nature differentiates.
Churchill: If we look back on our past life we shall see that one of its most usual experiences is that we have been saved by the consequences of our folly, and frustrated in our acts of wisdom and virtue, because of random interventions between cause and effect.
The inherent luck element of backgammon prevented the author from suffering a relentless sequence of defeats. The large element of luck gives the underdog enough of a chance to stay interested. TL;DR luck makes things interesting.
Fun fact: Formula 1 is considering introducing sprinklers to simulate rain, to introduce more randomness to make it feel more like a sport.
_____________
The problem with superstitions is that they become both addictive and cumulative. It is far easier to add new superstitions than to remove old ones.
Pretending to have fewer advantages than you did is not only a form of deceit, but conceit. It is an attempt to deny your good luck in order to claim more credit for yourself.
Randomness doesn't mean constant change, it means constant unpredictability.
Luck is what happens to me that is outside my control.
The less attractive face of Thatcherism (It wasn't luck, I deserved it) was the perception that failure was always the fault of those who failed.
The problem (of Long Term Capital Management's collapse) wasn't bad luck. It was the glorious refusal to believe in bad luck.
In prospect, talent is a good thing to have. In retrospect, it is a guilty secret. There is a narrative bias in favour of nurture.
As coaching homogenises defence, talent, which cannot be coached, will become the differentiating factor.
The more nurture you provide, the more nature differentiates.
Churchill: If we look back on our past life we shall see that one of its most usual experiences is that we have been saved by the consequences of our folly, and frustrated in our acts of wisdom and virtue, because of random interventions between cause and effect.
The inherent luck element of backgammon prevented the author from suffering a relentless sequence of defeats. The large element of luck gives the underdog enough of a chance to stay interested. TL;DR luck makes things interesting.
Fun fact: Formula 1 is considering introducing sprinklers to simulate rain, to introduce more randomness to make it feel more like a sport.
Read
December 26, 2014First of all some context.Ed Smith was one who was tipped to be the next big thing to happen to English Cricket when he scored more than anyone at the county and university level and when he led his team to a 12 match (or was it 14) winning streak. But unfortunately, as cruel as fate can get, he suffered virtual career-ending injury in a practice match that all but ended his career. This made him super depressed and he went on a witch hunt to understand why this had happened to him.
In this book, he takes us through his thoughts on luck and how he feels a lot of our lives are out of our control. He backs his argument with examples taken from different realms ranging from cricket to history, to illustrate his point. Very rarely times, the book can bore with stats and if one can overcome that part and go through the gripping stories he gives on luck, one will truly begin to appreciate how much big a role luck can play in our lives.
I am very fond of Smith's insightful articles on cricinfo and was clearly aware of what to expect from this book. If one like to get into the Psyche of an athelete, this book can definitely give you a head start on that.
In this book, he takes us through his thoughts on luck and how he feels a lot of our lives are out of our control. He backs his argument with examples taken from different realms ranging from cricket to history, to illustrate his point. Very rarely times, the book can bore with stats and if one can overcome that part and go through the gripping stories he gives on luck, one will truly begin to appreciate how much big a role luck can play in our lives.
I am very fond of Smith's insightful articles on cricinfo and was clearly aware of what to expect from this book. If one like to get into the Psyche of an athelete, this book can definitely give you a head start on that.
April 24, 2014
Cricket is the greatest sport in the world and (somewhat passively, admittedly) this book might be one of the reasons why. I mean, can you imagine John Terry or Ashley Cole writing a book on the philosophical discussions surrounding the concept of luck and fortune? No. Neither can I?
Ed Smith was lucky at first. A natural talent nurtured in a private school which he says had the best pitch he ever played on bar Lords. Then it all went wrong after a freak injury where he began to reassess his life. If you're looking for any controversial or outlandish suggestions, then you're unlikely to find them here. Instead Smith applies other author's and academic's findings and adds a heavy dose of clarity and common sense. He, for example generally disagrees with Matthew Syed in Bounce, who makes the yawning claim that anyone who works hard enough will achieve anything. After all, it's fairly obvious that some people are just lucky in life; and there isn't much we can do about it.
Brilliantly written, and a fascinating personal insight all adds up to a thought provoking read that I practically devoured in one 90 minute train journey.
Ed Smith was lucky at first. A natural talent nurtured in a private school which he says had the best pitch he ever played on bar Lords. Then it all went wrong after a freak injury where he began to reassess his life. If you're looking for any controversial or outlandish suggestions, then you're unlikely to find them here. Instead Smith applies other author's and academic's findings and adds a heavy dose of clarity and common sense. He, for example generally disagrees with Matthew Syed in Bounce, who makes the yawning claim that anyone who works hard enough will achieve anything. After all, it's fairly obvious that some people are just lucky in life; and there isn't much we can do about it.
Brilliantly written, and a fascinating personal insight all adds up to a thought provoking read that I practically devoured in one 90 minute train journey.
August 2, 2020
Ed Smith was a budding and talented English cricketer whose hopes for an extended international career were put paid by a freak ankle injury suffered while playing for Middlesex. Undaunted by this set back, Smith substituted a pen for his trusted willow and is currently flourishing in his second avatar as a leading writer for the prestigious 'The Times'
In this arresting work, Smith takes up in earnest the concept of luck and the influence that wields in the life of a human being. Are we justified in cocking a snook at luck and relegating it to the confines of the unreliable? Or are we deliberately, albeit unsuccessfully blind in recognizing the powerful as well as the pernicious outcomes that can be carved out by luck or chance?
These are some of the interesting questions to which Smith tries to seek out plausible and rational answers. In the process he proceeds to postulate incredible theories, interspersed with incredible real life experiences (including those experienced by him personally).
You will never employ the term "luck" in a loose fashion ever again!
In this arresting work, Smith takes up in earnest the concept of luck and the influence that wields in the life of a human being. Are we justified in cocking a snook at luck and relegating it to the confines of the unreliable? Or are we deliberately, albeit unsuccessfully blind in recognizing the powerful as well as the pernicious outcomes that can be carved out by luck or chance?
These are some of the interesting questions to which Smith tries to seek out plausible and rational answers. In the process he proceeds to postulate incredible theories, interspersed with incredible real life experiences (including those experienced by him personally).
You will never employ the term "luck" in a loose fashion ever again!
October 3, 2014
The book is simple to read and relate to especially for British readers. But for someone like me who comes from an Asian culture where luck is still pretty relevant, the book only provided the shift of luck from a central tenant to obscurity in the Western culture. This thumping of luck in the Western anglophile culture begins to make sense when you consider the enormous strides its culture has made over all others. I think luck became a victim of an ascendant Western cultural hubris which is a very normal behavioural shift. What the author failed to consider is that why the culture did so well as compared to other cultures where luck is predominant comparatively. Although Ed has done a good job in trying to highlight the importance of luck Western cultures.
After all according to Daniel Kahneman
Success = Some Talent + Luck
Great Success = Some Talent + A Lot of Luck
Did you notice the constant in the above equation?
After all according to Daniel Kahneman
Success = Some Talent + Luck
Great Success = Some Talent + A Lot of Luck
Did you notice the constant in the above equation?
October 5, 2015
Draws thoughtful and humane conclusions from a wide range of examples through the ages. Very interesting parallels between "compensation culture" and societies where envy and witchcraft replace any element of chance...
Rather predictably, it's mostly about cricket. And I'm not convinced it's as well-written as people think - some chapters come across as newspaper articles that haven't had the waffle edited out. I was irritated by the way it recaps and spells its points out, when it should be moving onto the next one. An early chapter wittering on about private education suffers badly from this.
Stick with it though - the stories make it an entertaining and surprising read, and it ends on a satisfying personal note.
Rather predictably, it's mostly about cricket. And I'm not convinced it's as well-written as people think - some chapters come across as newspaper articles that haven't had the waffle edited out. I was irritated by the way it recaps and spells its points out, when it should be moving onto the next one. An early chapter wittering on about private education suffers badly from this.
Stick with it though - the stories make it an entertaining and surprising read, and it ends on a satisfying personal note.
October 16, 2014
I am not sure if other readers would agree, but this book seemed like a kind of sociological look at different lives and how various factors would influence their "luck" or lot in life. Also, how we use various terms which may not necessarily be interchangeable with the idea or connotation of luck. What an author of a book of this sort brings to the reader is his own personal experiences. Unfortunately for me as a reader I hate cricket and think it boring at best, therefore much of this book I found uneventful.
September 28, 2015
A good insight into the world of luck. Talking about the different definitions, and the extent to how it defines us. Ed has certainly done his homework and can see the effort into this book, with lots of references of literature, interviews, analogies and anecdotes, providing a larger bulk of what luck is.
The pros of this book is of that stated above. I also felt it was non biased in views. However, although it did try to answer, I was left wondering what it is I am meant to do with all this luck and the control I have over it. I guess it is down to the reader to decide.
The pros of this book is of that stated above. I also felt it was non biased in views. However, although it did try to answer, I was left wondering what it is I am meant to do with all this luck and the control I have over it. I guess it is down to the reader to decide.
August 1, 2015
Good short read which touches on a lot of topics, many quite political, around the extent to which we attribute success to hard work or skill when many events in life, both on the upside or downside, are due to random factors.
There may be more technical books on this topic but this is a great introduction and Ed Smith writes well and comes across as a good guy.
There may be more technical books on this topic but this is a great introduction and Ed Smith writes well and comes across as a good guy.
September 30, 2015
With Ed Smith you know he is talking sense and has a very good scholarly style of explaining his thoughts and take. Whether its cricket based articles or this book he is very very articulate and at the same time entertaining in his narrative. A very good book and one which will make you ponder upon many things happening in your life and in the world in general.
March 13, 2013
quite an amazing piece of work by Ed. Its got a whole new prospective to luck and how it plays a major role in any given life. Ed too brings in his personal experiences about his life, readily showing his success and failures.
October 20, 2012
Quick, light-hearted and personal take on a pseduo-autobiography from a footballer. Overcoming injuries, personal persistence and a bit of...
June 17, 2014
"You make your own luck" is the most bollocks phrase of all time.
January 1, 2016
I didn't realise before I bought it that the author is a professional cricketer. Quite a bit of an emphasis on luck in sports. But not bad, for all that.
October 29, 2014
Well written, full of good anecdotes and insights regarding superstition and the professional sportsman. A light hearted look at luck well worth reading.
November 5, 2015
A practical discussion of luck and how it shapes our lives.
December 3, 2015
An excellent book on a subject which I had not thought much about. A thoughtful well researched book - cannot recommend it highly enough!
August 8, 2020
Not amazing but some interesting thoughts in here.
June 29, 2021
Very well-written.
August 10, 2014
Gentle and quite autobiographical.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews