Chance is the one thing you can't buy. You have to pay for it and

In the vast expanse of life, where all are bound by the relentless passage of time, there is one thing that cannot be bought, no matter how much wealth or power one possesses: chance. Robert Doisneau, in his deep reflection, speaks to a truth that transcends the material world. “Chance is the one thing you can't buy. You have to pay for it and you have to pay for it with your life, spending a lot of time, you pay for it with time, not the wasting of time but the spending of time.” These words are a solemn reminder that chance—that fleeting opportunity, that serendipitous moment that changes the course of our lives—is not a commodity we can trade or own. It is something we earn, something we must pay for with the very essence of our existence: time.

Consider the great philosophers of the ancient world, who, in their pursuit of wisdom, often spoke of time as the most precious resource one could possess. Socrates, in his dialogue with his students, often emphasized that while wealth and fame may come and go, time is the one thing that slips from our grasp forever. To live well, he argued, is to live with an awareness of the impermanence of time. To squander it is to squander the very fabric of one’s life. Doisneau's words echo this ancient wisdom, reminding us that chance, like time, is something we must spend wisely, not idly waste. It is in the careful spending of our time that we open the door to chance, and it is through our choices, our actions, and our engagement with life that we invite these moments of opportunity.

In the course of history, the great adventurers and innovators have understood the value of chance. Think of Christopher Columbus, whose voyages were driven not by certain knowledge, but by the belief that chance would favor those who dared to seek the unknown. He did not buy his discoveries; he spent years in preparation, endured countless hardships, and faced failure before he arrived at the shores of the New World. In every moment of uncertainty, he was, in fact, spending time, sacrificing the certainty of his present for the hope of chance. His life was marked by this cost, the price he paid not in gold, but in years spent navigating the storms of possibility.

The great artists too have known the cost of chance. Vincent van Gogh, whose name is now synonymous with brilliance, spent much of his life in poverty and isolation, pursuing his art with little regard for material reward. He dedicated his days and nights to his craft, spending time in a relentless pursuit of expression, knowing that chance—the moment when his work would be recognized—was not something he could control. He could not buy fame, but he could spend his time honing his skill, opening himself up to the possibility that, through his dedication, the world might one day see his vision. His paying with time was not in vain; it brought him a kind of immortality, though not in his lifetime. Van Gogh’s life teaches us that true chance often comes to those who are willing to spend time on their passion without the expectation of immediate reward.

In our own lives, we too must understand the profound truth of Doisneau’s words. Chance does not favor the idle; it favors the persistent, the dedicated, the ones who are willing to pay the price of time. In our careers, relationships, and personal goals, we often seek shortcuts, wishing for opportunity to find us without the work required to earn it. But true chance comes only when we have spent our time wisely, pouring our energy into something that matters, something we are willing to sacrifice for. It is in those moments of dedication, when we choose to invest our time fully, that we open ourselves to the possibilities of unexpected blessings, of the doors of chance swinging open when we least expect them.

Doisneau reminds us that time is our currency, and every day we live is a payment toward the opportunities that may come. We are not simply waiting for life to happen to us; we are shaping it with every moment we choose to spend. The chance we seek in life—whether it be in love, in success, or in personal fulfillment—requires not just passive hope, but active investment in our passions and our pursuits. It is in spending our time fully that we create the conditions for chance to enter our lives, for as we pour our energy into meaningful work, we set the stage for the unexpected to arise.

Thus, the lesson is clear: we must spend our time wisely, with intention and purpose, knowing that in doing so, we are inviting chance to enter our lives. Let us not wait for the world to hand us opportunities, but rather, let us create them through our dedication and commitment. By spending our time in ways that reflect our deepest values and passions, we prepare ourselves to meet the chance that awaits. Whether in love, work, or creativity, we must remember that the true reward lies not in what we can buy or accumulate, but in how we spend our time, shaping our own future, one moment at a time.