I think when the distinction is made it's because people are imagining that those who work harder will have better outcomes than those who don't, even when given equal opportunity.
Working hard isn't sufficient, you also have to work smart and invest in your future. If you spend 80 hours a week mowing grass, or raking leaves, or shoveling snow (season dependent), then you are working very hard. But if that's all you do you will not amount to very much relative to a more lucrative occupation.
> Working hard isn't sufficient, you also have to work smart and invest in your future.
What does "invest in your future" mean? I think a good definition would be "increasing your future opportunities". Given that definition, what you're saying is that a good outcome also requires having opportunities. Another example of how outcome and opportunity are deeply intertwined.
You operate on the assumption that the choice is between "work 80 hours per week" or "starve and be homeless." You have painted a false dichotomy and that destructive mindset is _exactly why_ people get stuck in shitty situations.
There is more than enough opportunity in the USA for someone to be born with relatively little and work their way up to a middle-class lifestyle EASILY. Many people do.
