"1 d4 dull & drawish" - Fischer
"I have never opened 1 d4 on principle" - Fischer
Fischer did open 1 c4 against Spassky in 1972 as a surprise, but he stayed true to his principle.
At the Yekaterinburg Candidates 1 e4 was played more and with more success than 1 d4.
If you are serious about gaining the maximum chances to win a game as white you have to play 1.d4. It is by far the best for multiple reasons.
It is very dynamic, you can play sharp lines or play very safe and calm lines depending on what you want.
It is very very complex, there are a lot more choices than for example in e4 lines. Alone against the Kingsindian Defence White can choose between 10 continuations which then subdivide in multiple different ways to follow up.
It is a must play if you want a draw or equal position against a stronger player. Playing d4 allows you to get dry and equal or at least very balanced positions by force if you know how. If you play 1.e4 black can for example play the Sicilian which WILL lead to imbalanced and sharp positions which favor the better player.
With 1.d4 you can build up a repertoire with a lot of dynamics, where you can choose between different options. For example instead of always following the mainlines you can also go with the Veresov or Colle or Trompovsky. You can switch move orders in most 1.d4 variations which gives you extra options.
If you are decently booked up with White as a 1.d4-player you can not have any trouble in or after the opening.
Period.
No
Dude this is literally the most epic answer I've ever seen on chess.com to a stupid affirmation
Hahaha, It's funny because while d4 is tricky it's worse theoretically (according to computers) and if you're trying to be tricky then there are other options. I love the English since no one knows how to play against it.
I suppose you can just play the anglo-Indian? It's generally the most simple I guess, as white will eventually play d4 and transpose to the Indian game in most cases, but I personally prefer the symmetrical variation
There are also other variations where the anglo Indian (I looked it up) cannot be played. I guess I have to invest some time into that. Thank you for the heads up.