?? what does him going to the party knowing that Horowitz will be there has to do with luck??

Luck is commonly referred to as being ready when an opportunity presents itself.

Many people here on HN mistake it for winning the lottery. Almost as if that is the only reason you can and did succeed.

And that kind of stuff does happen, just look at people who win the lottery :) But even in that simple example those people still had to play.

Luck, or what appears to be luck, generally happens to people who are constantly prepared to accept an opportunity when it presents itself. In fact this leads to another popular saying that opportunity is everywhere. The problem is that it is often dressed in overalls and looks like work[1].

[1] Very liberal paraphrase of Edisons quote.

"And that kind of stuff does happen, just look at people who win the lottery :)"

Yes, but creating a business isn't as easy as buying a ticket. That's my point. There is more skill than luck involved in any business success.

The analogy with playing the lottery wasn't about creating a business, it was about going to the party.

never heard this one. I like Wiki take: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luck