Franklin's real genius here isn't suggesting that hard work pays off—anyone can see that. Rather, he's claiming that what we call "luck" is often the byproduct of showing up consistently, noticing opportunities others miss because they weren't looking, and being prepared when chance arrives. A musician who practices daily doesn't attract good fortune; she becomes the sort of person who recognizes and can seize the unexpected invitation to perform, while someone who dabbles remains oblivious to the same opening. By calling diligence the mother rather than the substitute for luck, Franklin captures something truer than the either-or thinking that frustrates us: fortunate people aren't chosen by fate, but shaped by their own steady habits into the kind of person fortune can actually work with.