It's hard to detect good luck - it looks so much like something you've earned.

Clark’s line points to how easily chance is mistaken for merit. When outcomes go well, people naturally build a story of competence and deservingness around them, overlooking the role of timing, circumstance, and unchosen advantages. The quote doesn’t deny effort; it suggests that effort and luck often arrive intertwined, making “good luck” hard to recognize precisely because it can mimic the rewards of hard work. As a moral observation, it cautions against arrogance in success and encourages humility and gratitude. Socially, it also implies a corrective to harsh judgments of others: if luck can masquerade as earned success, misfortune can likewise be misread as personal failure.