Luck? I don’t know anything about luck. I’ve never banked on it and I’m afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: Hard work - and realizing what is opportunity and what isn’t.

Ball rejects “luck” as an external force that determines success and reframes it as disciplined effort plus clear-eyed judgment. The quote contrasts passive reliance on fortune (“banked on it”) with an active ethic: work hard, then recognize which openings are real opportunities and which are distractions or dead ends. It also carries a warning about people who attribute outcomes to luck, implying they may avoid responsibility, preparation, or strategic thinking. In the context of entertainment careers—where chance encounters and timing are often romanticized—the line insists that durability comes from craft, persistence, and the ability to capitalize on moments when preparation meets possibility.