“Ralph Waldo Emerson captured this ethos when he wrote: “Shallow men believe in luck, believe in circumstances…. Strong men believe in cause and effect.”
By Peter Thiel in his book Zero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future
In the world of business and entrepreneurship, there are two types of people: the shallow and the strong.
The shallow ones attribute success to luck and circumstances, while the strong ones firmly believe in cause and effect.
The shallow folks are like the ones who believe their business plan is foolproof because they found a penny heads-up on the sidewalk.
In their world, success is just a game of cosmic bingo.
But the strong ones?
They're the ones who realize that success isn't about finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
No, they understand that it's about hard work, strategic planning, and maybe a little bit of coffee-induced insomnia.
In business, the strong thrive because they know that while luck might give you a little nudge, it's what you do with that nudge that really counts.
They're the ones who turn a lucky break into a breakthrough, while the shallow ones are still waiting for their lucky penny to pay off.
So, if you're in business, remember: luck might be nice, but it's no substitute for good old-fashioned hustle and a well-timed dad joke at the team meeting.