[dstick]

I fully agree, but the parent mentions an important word: probability. Combined with your luck, and kept going by grit, you most surely have a recipe for success.

If everyone has 0.01% chance to become a millionaire (chance - that might not happen, or someone does not aspire to be). Then simple probability tells us that a person with grit that does not quit at the first attempt but tries 20 times, has a 0.2% chance.

“I’m a great believer in luck. I find that the harder I work, the more I have of it.” is a relevant quote :)

[hooande]

the point is that the child of a billionaire starts off with a 100% chance of being a millionaire. the rest of us can try for 50x or 100x longer than avg but the odds of getting to that level are still miniscule. and if that's the case it makes the whole endeavor seem rather arbitrary

[WalterBright]

It is not minuscule. For middle class people, the route to millionaire status is very doable. Live below your means, and regularly invest the difference.

For poor people, the route is to learn a valuable skill, move into the middle class, then apply the above.

[lordnacho]

That just moves the goal posts by a level, doesn't it? What's the chance you have a low stress upbringing that allows you to work towards such goals? Parents who are supportive and believe in that middle class dream, teachers who don't give up on you when you misbehave, enough comfort to not have to focus on immediate concerns?

[WalterBright]

You can blame your parents and teachers up until age 18, then it's on you.

[TheOtherHobbes]

Nonsense.

You can't rationally compare the life chances of someone whose parents are billionaires - with access to that network, and the best schooling, and discussions about investing over dinner - with someone born in a shack without a book in the house.

An incredibly tiny number of people will be able to do well from a near-zero start. And most will do it by being aggressively self-serving narcissists.

Everyone else is going to have a much tougher time.

[WalterBright]

Migrants who walk a thousand miles to get into the US come with nothing, yet they on average do rather well here.

> without a book in the house

Everybody has a supercomputer in their pocket with access to millions of free books.

[lordnacho]

That's one of those statements that's useful as an attitude, not so useful as an explanation.

I'm sure people can think of ways your parents influence you after the age of majority.

[WalterBright]

The point is you have a choice, and you're old enough to know if following your parents' advice is a good idea or not. At 18 it's time to grow up and take responsibility for your life.

[anoncake]

Who you are depends on your upbringing, so no, it's never on you.

[WalterBright]

> it's never on you

People are not robots.

For example, you chose to type your message. The computer did not drag your hapless body over to the computer and force you to type it in.

[doggodaddo78]

This is true. It takes money, knowledge, and connections to make money. It's like a virtuous cycle / differential equation (rate of increase proportional to the amount). A homeless person becoming a billionaire is highly-improbable vs. Steve Job's kids.

[zimpenfish]

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/07/21/luck-hard-work/ is an interesting delve into the origins of that phrase (and an amusing circular reference back to here.)