I may say that this is the greatest factor—the way in which the expedition is equipped—the way in which every difficulty is foreseen, and precautions taken for meeting or avoiding it. Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck.
— from *The South Pole* by Roald Amundsen
Yeah, but that's not very useful to tell when you're taking sensible precautions and when you're just packing cans of shark repellent.
Here's the new thread for posting quotes, with the usual rules: