What do you think?

It's one of those phrases that many use but doesn't hold up to scrutiny... As you say. If true it does preclude free will and if so, what's the point of doing anything?

Good question. I think the definition leans on someone's belief, or not, in either the supernatural or maybe metaphysics. Without those things it can be a literal statement. As in cause and effect. But I think it's more often used as comforting phrase after something unexpected takes place.

I don’t really believe that phrase. I think things happen, and we react to them, or we make things happen in our lives through focus, persistence, passion, and hard work (and sometimes stupidity 😄).

I think that phrase was made up to help hearts move on, but I don’t believe in destiny, predetermined conditions over which we have no control.

Nah, I don’t see it as predetermined, but as a flow. If you hold on loosely and keep balance you can ride whatever through. You crash sometimes, it’s still sometimes, but life goes on relentlessly.

I take it more along the lines of if you do A you'll get B
Or
If Z happens, you'll get Y

Beyond the frequent colloquial expression, some and not few people equates "reason" with some kind of a priori purpose.
In material terms there is no such a thing as absolute determinism and neither such a thing as unrestricted chance.

If that's true, then why do we talk so much about good and bad choices?

If there is no free will, and all is predestined, why do we do anything at all? It would happen without our two cents.

There is a reason why everything happens, but nothing happens for a reason.

Stuff happens, and it does not need a reason.

People, however, like to attach mythical qualities to randomness, to avoid admitting they're helpless. It's why man created God.

You can also have all the free will you want, but it does not prevent a guy, from downing a half bottle of vodka, then getting in a forklift, and driving it loaded, on Aurora Ave, where he caused an accident, killing the matriarch of a family.

I prefer the idea of the illusion of choice.