Those who were unlucky in life in spite of their skills would eventually rise. The lucky fool might have benefited from some luck in life; over the longer run he would slowly converge to the state of a less-lucky idiot. Each one would revert to his long-term properties.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb (2008). “Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets”, p.58, Random House
