Fortune Favors the Bold | Meaning & Origin
The idiom “fortune favors the bold” suggests that those who take risks and are brave are more likely to be successful. It implies that taking initiative and being courageous can lead to positive outcomes, rather than waiting passively for things to happen.
This phrase comes from the Latin audentes Fortuna Iuvat, which exists in a few forms. It implies that your fate is not predetermined; rather, you have the opportunity to make your life great through the actions you take.
Fortune favors the bold, so Iβm going after my dreams.
Whenever I would get nervous, my grandma would tell me,
βFortune favors the bold.β
How to use fortune favors the bold
βFortune favors the boldβ is used to reason why one should perform an action (e.g., βFortune favors the bold, so Iβm going to film a movieβ). It is also often used as a response to encourage someone to perform an action (e.g., βDo you think I should start sharing my artwork online?β βFortune favors the bold.β).
The idiom βfortune favors the boldβ can be used within a sentence or can stand alone as a complete sentence.
If fortune favors the bold, then I have to go after what I want.
Fortune may favor the bold, but Iβm scared of messing up.
Fortune favors the bold in Latin
βFortune favors the boldβ is a translation of a Latin proverb. There are a few Latin translations for this phrase, including:
- audentes fortuna iuvat
- audentes fortuna adiuvat
- fortuna audaces iuvat
- audentis fortuna iuvat
There are also variations on the phrase, which include the following:
- fortes fortuna adiuvat (βfortune favors the strongβ)
- fortuna eruditis favet (βfortune favors the prepared mindβ)
The phrase is believed to have originated from Terence, a Roman playwright. One of the proverbial phrases in Act 1 of his play Phormio (161 BC) is fortes fortuna adiuvat, or βfortune favors the strong.β
The poet Virgil was the first to use the exact phrase audentes Fortuna iuvat (βfortune favors the boldβ). He capitalized the βfβ in βFortunaβ because itβs the name of the Roman goddess of luck.
In his letters, Β Pliny the Younger quotes his uncle, Pliny the Elder, as saying βfortune favors the boldβ when choosing to lead an expedition to investigate Β the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Other interesting articles
If you want to know more about common mistakes, verbs, or US vs UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Common mistakes
Verbs
Frequently asked questions about fortune favors the bold
- Who said fortune favors the bold?
-
Many people credit the playwright Terence with the origin of the idiom βfortune favors the strong.β However, Virgil is credited with the more popular version βfortune favors the bold.β
- Is fortune favors the bold Latin?
-
The idiom βfortune favors the boldβ is a translation of the Lain proverb audentes fortuna iuvat.
