IRRI Pioneer Interview: Luck is the residue of design
Channel: International Rice Research Institute
Date: 2008-08-17

Watch full interview in a YouTube play list at 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNowyW0S1hI9-Fmoj9u-ZFRnF_Kvp0UNo

Dr. Peter Jennings, IRRI's first rice breeder (1961-67) with a long career in Latin America after his work in Asia, kicks off this historic series with a singular wit. He played a major role in the development of IR8, the rice variety that would ultimately change the face of agriculture across Asia. He reminisced on a warm, muggy day (20 July 2007) at his home in Gainesville, Florida. 

In this clip, he talks about luck. "When I was a little boy, I was a fan of an American baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Their famous general manager was Branch Rickey. This wizard said, 'Luck is the residue of design.' I think he was right. Some people are lucky, some people are not lucky. Luck does appear on its own volition, I know, from time to time. But luck is a consequence of putting a lot of mental observational evidence altogether and all of a sudden it happens, it works. There is always luck. But sometimes you earn your luck. You influence your luck for sure."

Watch this full IRRI pioneer interview in YouTube playlist at: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNowyW0S1hI9-Fmoj9u-ZFRnF_Kvp0UNo