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About this quote

What does it mean?
Stein humorously notes that unlikely events like striking oil rarely happen to those who know them.
In plain terms
Big chances don't happen to people you know.
What can you take from it?
Expect rare luck to remain rare.

Where it applies

  • casual conversation
  • storytelling

Putting it to work

  • manage risk expectations
  • discuss probability

Questions to consider

  • Why do we assume rare events won't affect us?
  • When has luck surprised you?

Another view

People do strike oil or succeed often enough to know.

More from Gertrude Stein

  1. Since it could be done what was the use of doing it, and anyway you always have to stop doing something sometime. ~ Ch. 4

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  2. After all human beings have to live dogs too so as not to know that time is passing, that is the whole business of living to go on so they will not know that t…

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  3. I dislike it when instead of saying Jew they say Hebrew or Israelite, or Semite, I do not like it and why should a Negro want to be called colored. Why should …

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