Fortuna Quotes

Audaces fortuna iuvat (latin)- Fortune favors the bold. ~ Virgil

In the natural order men are all equal and their common calling is that of manhood, so that a well-educated man cannot fail to do well in that calling and those related to it. It matters little to me whether my pupil is intended for the army, the church, or the law. Before his parents chose a calling for him nature called him to be a man. Life is the trade I would teach him. When he leaves me, I grant you, he will be neither a magistrate, a soldier, nor a priest; he will be a man. All that becomes a man he will learn as quickly as another. In vain will fate change his station, he will always be in his right place. "Occupavi te, fortuna, atque cepi; omnes-que aditus tuos interclusi, ut ad me aspirare non posses. ~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau

So we see that even when Fortuna spins us downward, the wheel sometimes halts for a moment and we find ourselves in a good, small cycle within a larger bad cycle. The universe, of course, is based upon the principle of the circle within the circle. At the moment, I am in an inner circle. Of course, smaller circles within this circle are also possible. ~ John Kennedy Toole

The fashions of human affairs are brief and changeable, and fortune never remains long indulgent.
[Lat., Breves et mutabiles vices rerum sunt, et fortuna nunquam simpliciter indulget.] ~ Quintus Curtius Rufus

The most wretched fortune is safe; for there is no fear of anything worse.
[Lat., Fortuna miserrima tuta est:
Nam timor eventus deterioris abest.] ~ Ovid

A good disposition I far prefer to gold; for gold is the gift of fortune; goodness of disposition is the gift of nature. I prefer much rather to be called good than fortunate.
[Lat., Bono ingenio me esse ornatam, quam auto multo mavolo.
Aurum fortuna invenitur, natura ingenium donum.
Bonam ego, quam beatam me esse nimio dici mavolo. ~ Plautus

But assuredly Fortune rules in all things; she raised to eminence or buries in oblivion everything from caprice rather than from well-regulated principle.
[Lat., Sed profecto Fortuna in omni re dominatur; ea res cunctas ex lubidine magis, quam ex vero, celebrat, obscuratque.] ~ Sallust

I know exactly what you are... and I think it's magnificent. ~ K.J. Sutton

Fortuna favet fortibus (fortune favors the brave)
-mentioned in The Black Book of Secrets ~ F.E. Higgins

Qui jacet in terra non habet unde cadat. In me consumpsit vires fortuna nocendo, Nil superest ut iam possit obesse magis." (loosely translated: "He who lies on the ground can fall no farther. In me, Fortune has exhausted her power of hurting; nothing remains that can harm me anymore.") ~ Thomas Kyd

Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined the Gryffindors streaming up the marble staircase and, very tired now, along more corridors, up more and more stairs, to the hidden entrance to Gryffindor Tower. A large portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress asked them, "Password?" "Coming through, coming through!" Percy called from behind the crowd. "The new password's 'Fortuna Major'!" "Oh no," said Neville Longbottom sadly. He always had trouble remembering the passwords. ~ J.K. Rowling

The evil genius bent upon wrecking my life had not taken in account one thing: a man crushed and utterly wretched cares less for himself than a happy one. In presence of that indifference fate becomes more or less powerless. I was and am still in that frame of mind that, if angry Fortuna came to me in person, and said: "Go to perdition," I should reply calmly: "Be it so," - not out of sorrow for the loss of Aniela, but from mere indifference to everything within or without me. This ~ Henryk Sienkiewicz

When you really want something, when you lust, seek, desire, await, anticipate or expect, when you sit in front of the TV after the late news twirling a plastic spoon in a bowl of lukewarm skim milk and saturated puffs of Special K, praying for nine or so hours to pass so that you can check the morning mail to see if the college accepted, the one-night stand wrote, the tax refund arrived or Publisher's Clearing House made you the winner of a dream house in Wisconsin, when you're really looking forward to something, that's when Fortuna dispatches a couple of her handmaidens to drop a load of shit on you. ~ Martin Fillmore Clark

Seneca's version of that Stoicism is antifragility from fate. No downside from Lady Fortuna, plenty of upside. ~ Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Oh, Fortuna, blind, heedless goddess, I am strapped to your wheel,' Ignatius belched, 'Do not crush me beneath your spokes. Raise me on high, divinity. ~ John Kennedy Toole

The Feast of Fortuna had nothing to do with tuna, which was fine with Percy. ~ Rick Riordan

Though you strut proud of your money, yet fortune has not changed your birth.
[Lat., Licet superbus ambules pecuniae,
Fortuna non mutat genus.] ~ Horace

Lupa and her wolves are trying to slow them down, but this force is too strong even for them. The enemy will be here soon - by the Feast of Fortuna ~ Rick Riordan

Fortuna smiles and frowns according to a timetable surprising even to herself. ~ Mason Cooley

Fortes fortuna adiuvat, Marcello had said to his men. Fortune favors the brave, the bold. ~ Lisa Tawn Bergren

The only article Lady Fortuna has no control over is your behavior. Good luck. ~ Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Ever since the night I saw him in my bedroom, every hero in every romance novel I read, looked and sounded like him. - Simone Fortuna ~ Kailin Gow

Rarus enim ferme sensus communis in illa Fortuna."
["Generally common sense is rare in that (higher) rank."] ~ Juvenal

When Fortuna spins you downward, go out to a movie and get more out of life. ~ John Kennedy Toole

Love is in vain if Luck isn't there! / Vano è l'amorese non c'è fortuna! ~ Giacomo Puccini

Elections only happen in two ways," Reyna said. "Either the legion raises someone on a shield after a major success on the battlefield-and we haven't had any major battles-or we hold a ballot on the evening of June 24, at the Feast of Fortuna. That's in five days."
Percy frowned. "You have a feast for tuna? ~ Rick Riordan

Audentes fortuna iuvat. Fortune favors the bold. ~ Wynne Channing

This is the goddess Fortuna. She brought luck - or took it away. But you'd put up with whatever she did. Because when she decided to favour you, it made everything worthwhile ~ Jacqueline Rayner

He took her by the hand and led her out of the control room and into a little side room. There, amid a lot of sculpting paraphernalia, was her statue. The statue from the museum. The statue of Fortuna. New and gleaming.

Rose gaped. 'But I never posed for this.'

'No need,' said the Doctor, patting it on the arm -- an arm which still had a hand attached.

'What d'you mean?'

'I mean,' he explained, 'that you won't have to pose for it. As Mickey said -' the Doctor smiled to himself - 'it was sculpted by someone who knew you pretty well.'

He ran a hand through his hair and looked as though he was expecting applause.

Rose walked round the statue. 'Is my bum really that--'

'Yes,' the Doctor interrupted testily. 'This statue is accurate in every detail. Bum. Arms. Legs. Nose. Broken fingernail on your right hand.'

* * *


Rose stood looking at the statue for a bit longer. 'It is perfect,' she said at last.

'I was inspired.'

They smiled at each other. All was right with the world again. ~ Jacqueline Rayner

Adventure comes with no guarantees or promises. Risk and reward are conjoined twins - and that's why my favorite piece of advice needs translation but no disclaimers: Fortes fortuna juvat. 'Fortune favors the brave,' the ancient Roman dramatist Terrence declared. In other words, there are many good reasons not to toss your life up in the air and see how it lands. Just don't let fear be one of them. ~ Mary South

Like the nightmares that came at night, we were meant to be seductive. We were designed to lure our victims in. Then, when it was too late to draw back, we struck. ~ K.J. Sutton