Quote of the Day by Azim Premji: 'You cannot underestimate the value of luck in success in life. And I've really learned to appreciate that'

“You cannot underestimate the value of luck in success in life. And I've really learned to appreciate that,” a quote by Azim Premji, founding Chairman of Wipro.

Azim Premji’s quote highlights that being in the right place at the right time plays a major role in achieving massive success.

Who is Azim Premji 

Azim Premji is an Indian tech magnate, investor, and one of the world's most prominent living philanthropists. Often referred to as the "Czar of the Indian IT Industry," he is best known for transforming Wipro Limited from a small family-run cooking oil business into a multi-billion-dollar global software and outsourcing giant.

In 1966, at age 21, Premji was forced to drop out of Stanford University following his father’s sudden death. He returned to India to take control of the family firm, Western Indian Vegetable Products Ltd. He expanded the business from consumer care (shortening, soaps, and lighting) into industrial engineering. In 1977, he renamed the firm Wipro.

When the Indian government expelled IBM in 1979, Premji seized the opportunity, steering Wipro directly into the emerging computer hardware and software market.

Under his leadership across four decades, Wipro evolved into a premier global IT outsourcing enterprise spanning over 60 countries. In 2019, he stepped down as executive chairman, handing the leadership to his son, Rishad Premji.

When was this quote said by Azim Premji?   

Azim Premji said this on February 14, 2011, during a live Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) interview in New York.

He shared this thought during the introduction of the CEO Speaker Series event. He jokingly mentioned that his wife often wonders how he achieved so much, and noted that flying economy in the U.S. keeps him grounded.

What does this quote mean?

This quote emphasizes that monumental success is rarely the result of individual effort alone; instead, it requires a significant amount of being in the right place at the right time. While hard work, intelligence, and strategy are vital components of any achievement, they only take a person so far without favorable external circumstances.

Azim Premji’s perspective reminds us that factors completely out of our control—such as the era we are born into, the economic climate when we start a business, and chance encounters—heavily dictate our outcomes.