fortis Fortuna adiuvat
Latin
Alternative forms
- fortēs Fortūna adiuvat (Pliny Epistles 6 16)
- audentīs Fortūna iuvat (Virgil Aeneid 10 284)
- audentēs deus epse iuvat (Ovid Metamorphoses 10 586)
Etymology
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
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈfor.tiːs forˈtuː.na ˈad.ju.wat/, [ˈfɔr.tiːs fɔrˈtuː.na ˈad.jʊ.wat]
Proverb
- fortune favors the bold
- c. 160 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
Often misquoted in English texts as fortēs Fortūna adiuvat, 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
- English: fortune favors the bold (calque)
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