Yeah, but people like a good illusion, or else our world would look very different at first glance. Plus, not everyone is born with the same capacity and quite a bit of that is up to chance too. Yeah, intelligent parents tend to make intelligent children, but not always. We could get into nature vs. nurture, but that's a big ol' sand trap.

I think that luck does exist. I think that one reason it exists is that there are so many numbers to crunch, that it would be possible to scientifically prove that luck doesn't exist, but that those numbers are too numerous to bother crunching. I don't get why people have these huge chips on their shoulders over words like "luck" and "fate" and "magic". I could be just as skeptical (or disdainful) of happiness, but that would make me look like an asshole.

Another part of it is perspective. Yeah, skill and hard work and opportunity all play roles, but life is a big, mysterious thing and it isn't at all clear how we got here or why we're here and I'd have to say that that's a nice bit of luck. In any case, if successful people feel lucky, then I think they've probably earned the right to feel that way.