fortis Fortuna adiuvat
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Latin[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- fortēs Fortūna adiuvat (Pliny Epistles 6 16)
- audentīs Fortūna iuvat (Virgil Aeneid 10 284)
- audentēs deus epse iuvat (Ovid Metamorphoses 10 586)
Etymology[edit]
Literally "(the) strong (ones), Fortune helps." From Terence's comedy play Phormio, line 203. Cited by Cicero in the 1st century BCE as a vetus prōverbium (“old proverb”).
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈfor.tiːs forˈtuː.na ˈad.i̯u.u̯at/, [ˈfɔrt̪iːs̠ fɔrˈt̪uːnä ˈäd̪i̯uː̯ät̪]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈfor.tis forˈtu.na ˈad.ju.vat/, [ˈfɔrt̪is forˈt̪uːnä ˈäd̪juvät̪]
Proverb[edit]
- fortune favors the bold
- 161 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Phormio 203:
- Ergo istaec quom ita sint, Antipho,
Tanto magis te advigilare aequomst: fortis fortuna adiuvat
- Ergo istaec quom ita sint, Antipho,
Usage notes[edit]
Often misquoted in English texts as fortēs Fortūna juvat, which uses the accusative plural ending -ēs instead of the "Republican" accusative ending -īs. Although grammatically correct, the form ending in -ēs is not the one used in Terence's play.
Descendants[edit]
- English: fortune favors the bold (calque)