There are moments when people quietly blame circumstances for the way things turn out. Luck, timing, family background, money and simple chance can all appear to have a genuine say in where a person actually ends up. Li Ka-shing, the Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist, took a genuinely different view of this. "You can believe in Fung Shui if you want, but ultimately people control their own fate," he said. "The most important thing is to improve yourself and give it your best. Then many things previously thought to be impossible will become possible." This line is extremely widely and consistently repeated across dozens of independent collections of his sayings, with no disputes or competing versions anywhere, though no single dated interview or speech could be pinned down as its original source. Li himself became one of Asia's most prominent entrepreneurs after genuinely starting out with very little, which gives the quote real weight beyond a simple motivational line. His message ultimately places responsibility, self-improvement and persistence at the centre of shaping one's own future.
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