Henry David Thoreau Quotes

He [the historian] should recognize in the development of human destinies the play of the contingent and the unforeseen.

The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our own existence. In some ways we are, in some ways we're not. We are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence.

Some people are very lucky, and have the story in their heads. I've never storyboarded anything. I like the idea of chance. What makes God laugh is people who make plans.

I consider projects very deeply, but there's always a point in your life where there's a bit of randomity.

Man never legislates, but destinies and accidents, happening in all sorts of ways, legislate in all sorts of ways.

My life has been a whole series of accidents, some of them happy, some not.

Every individual decision is nothing but coincidence, every artistic decision is coincidence.

The greatest events occur without intention playing any part in them; chance makes good mistakes and undoes the most carefully planned undertaking. The world's greatest events are not produced, they happen.

I can see ... only one safe rule for the historian: that he should recognize in the development of human destinies the play of the contingent and the unforeseen.

Don't be surprised at Fortune's turns and twists: That wheel has spun a thousand yarns before.

Things happen in weird, serendipitous ways.

Fate occasionally touches us all in ways we don't always understand.

i think of all the thousands of billions of steps and missteps and chances and coincidences that have brought me here. Brought you here, and it feels like the biggest miracle in the world.

Fate has a strange way of making plans.

Life's single lesson: that there is more accident to it than a man can ever admit to in a lifetime and stay sane.

if the world go wrong, it was, in some off-hand manner, never meant to go right.

That's the thing about destiny: It can't be predicted, and it's usually pretty odd.

I don't believe in fate," she said at last. "But I do believe in...loopholes. I think a lot of what keeps the world going is the result of accidents — happy or otherwise — and taking advantage of these.

Everything's serendipitous and there's no way of knowing who's going to get sick or who's going to get hit by a bus or who's going to fall in love and who's going to get pregnant. All the things that happen, it's up for grabs so it's kind of an exercise in surrender in a way.

I think that's as far as you have to think, everything happens as a coincidence. It either happens or it doesn't. It's hard to map out a strategic plan by saying, 'If I do that, that's going to get me to the next level.' I think that's the wrong way to go into movies as an actor. It doesn't happen for me that way.

Chance is the nature of our universe. [...] madness represents a chaotic reservoir of surprises. Some surprises can be valuable.

Chance is perhaps the pseudonym of God when he did not want to sign.

I'm a very big believer in fate.

Luck is going to play a huge part in your life.

We are continually shaped by the forces of coincidence.