"Fortune favours the bold", "Fortune favours the brave" and "Fortune favours the strong" are common translations of a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

proverb. The slogan has been used historically by people in the military in the Anglosphere, and it is used up to the present on the coats of arms of individual families and clans.

Background

''Fortune favours the bold'' is the translation of a

proverb, which exists in several forms with slightly different wording but effectively identical meaning, such as la, audentes Fortuna iuvat, label=none, ''audentes Fortuna adiuvat'', ''Fortuna audaces iuvat'', and ''audentis Fortuna iuvat''. This last form is used by Turnus, an antagonist in the ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of th ...

'' by

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...

. ''Fortuna'' refers to luck or its personification, a Roman goddess. Another version of the proverb, la, fortes Fortuna adiuvat , label=none , translation=fortune favours the strong/brave, was used in

Terence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a Roman African playwright during the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 166–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought ...

's 151 BC comedy play '' Phormio'', line 203.

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

further parodies the phrase at I.608 of his didactic work, Ars Amatoria, writing "audentem Forsque Venusque iuvat" or "Venus, like Fortune, favors the bold." Pliny the Younger quotes his uncle,

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

, as using the phrase la, Fortes fortuna iuvat, label=none when deciding to take his fleet and investigate the

eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 Of the many eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, a major stratovolcano in southern Italy, the best-known is its eruption in 79 AD, which was one of the deadliest in European history. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD is one of the best-known in h ...

, in the hope of helping his friend

Pomponianus Pomponianus was a Roman Senator who was present at Stabiae during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. He attempted to escape by ship, but was stuck on shore because the prevailing wind was not favorable. His personal friend, the noted author ...

: ''Fortes' inquit 'fortuna iuvat: Pomponianum pete.'' (Fortune', he said, 'favours the brave: head for Pomponianus.) Pliny the Elder ultimately died during the expedition. The Latin phrase ''Fortuna Eruditis Favet'' ("fortune favours the prepared mind") is also used. Louis Pasteur, the French microbiologist and chemist, made this remark: "''Dans les champs de l'observation le hasard ne favorise que les esprits préparés''", meaning "In the fields of observation, chance favours only the prepared mind." The proverb may be a rewording of a line by Democritus that "boldness is the beginning of action, but fortune controls how it ends" ( grc, Τόλμα πρήξιος αρχή, τύχη δε τέλεος κυρίη, Tólma préxios arché, túche de téleos kuríe).

Historical examples

Poland

The motto is used by the

6th Airborne Brigade (Poland) The 6th Airborne Brigade () is a brigade of the Polish Armed Forces, headquartered in Kraków. The formation specializes as airborne forces and air assault troops, being intended to conduct assault operations from either aircraft or helicopters at ...

Australia

'Virtutis Fortuna Comes' (Fortune is the companion of virtue) is the Unit motto of the

12th/16th Hunter River Lancers The 12th/16th Hunter River Lancers is an Australian Army Reserve cavalry regiment. It was formed on 1 May 1948, although it draws its lineage from units that were originally formed in the 1880s. It is currently a Light Cavalry unit equipped with ...

; an Army Reserve unit based in Northern New South Wales (The Hunter River region, hence the name) and South-East Queensland.

Brazil

The motto for the

GRUMEC The Combat Divers Groupment ( pt, Grupamento de Mergulhadores de Combate), abbreviated to GRUMEC, is a special operations and Counterterrorism unit of the Brazilian Navy. The GRUMEC was created in 1974 and is subordinate to the Submarine Force, ...

(Brazilian navy's special group) is "''Fortuna Audaces Sequitur" (Fortune follows the brave – A sorte acompanha os audazes).''

Denmark

The quote "''Fortes Fortuna Juvat'' is used by the

Jydske Dragonregiment ( Fortune Favours the Brave) , colours = , colours_label = , march = ''Danmarks Blå Dragoner'' (Denmark's Blue Dragoons) , mascot = , anniversaries = Formation (1 November 1679) The Rytterfægtning by Rosengarten (12 Oktober 1813) Battle of ...

, or Jutish Dragoon Regiment, in the Royal Danish Army.

Italy

The quote "''Audentes fortuna iuvat'' appears in the University of Milano Bicocca logo.

Malaysia

"''Fortuna Eruditis Favet'' is the motto of

Sunway University Sunway University is a private university in Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. It has a 10 hectare (24 acre) campus comprising academic and residential blocks adjacent to the Sunway Lagoon theme park. It offers undergraduat ...

and

Sunway College Sunway College is a private college based in Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. It was established on 25 July 1987 by Jeffrey Cheah. It has a 10-hectare (24 acre) campus comprising academic and residential blocks adjacent to the Su ...

Netherlands

The motto is used by the Cornielje family of The Netherlands alongside their coat of arms.

Portugal

The motto for the Portuguese Commandos is "''Audaces Fortuna Juvat'' (''A sorte protege os Audazes'').

Romania

"audaces fortuna juvat" is the motto of the Naval Special Operations Forces known as FNOS or GNFOS.

South Korea

Motto used by the

80th Fighter Squadron The 80th Fighter Squadron (traditionally nicknamed the "Headhunters", and since 1971 also the "Juvats") is a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter squadron of the United States Air Force, currently part of the 8th Operations Group of ...

stationed at Kunsan AB, Republic of South Korea.

Sri Lanka

The Motto is used by the

Special Boat Squadron (Sri Lanka) The Special Boat Squadron (abbreviated as SBS) ( si, විශේෂ යාත්‍රා බලගණය, Viṣēśa Yāthrā Balagaṇaya; ta, சிறப்பு படகு படை, Ciṟappu Paṭaku Paṭai) is the Sri Lanka Navy' ...

United Kingdom

Because it was the motto of the Duke of Wellington, Earl of Mornington, ''Virtutis Fortuna Comes'' is used as the motto for the British Army's

Yorkshire Regiment The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (abbreviated YORKS) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, created by the amalgamation of three historic regiments in 2006. It lost one battalion as part of the Army 2020 defence ...

having been previously used by one of the Yorkshire's antecedent regiments, the

Duke of Wellington's Regiment The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division. In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he di ...

(West Riding 3rd/76th Foot. It is also the motto for Wellington College, Berkshire. A number of armigerous families use this motto, often featured on their coats of arms; these families include

Clan MacKinnon Clan MacKinnon ( gd, Clann MhicFhionghain ) is a Highland Scottish clan from the islands of Mull and Skye, in the Inner Hebrides. Popular tradition gives the clan a Dalriadic Gaelic origin. The 19th-century historian W. F. Skene named the clan ...

, Clan Turnbull, and several Dickson families, including a number resident in Forfarshire, and the Dickson Barons Islington. The phrase was used as the motto of the Royal Air Force station based at

East Fortune East Fortune is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, located 2 miles (3 km) north west of East Linton. The area is known for its airfield which was constructed in 1915 to help protect Britain from attack by German Zeppelin airships during t ...

, in East Lothian. The base was operational in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and between 1940 and 1947. It is the motto of the football club Linfield F.C. in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

. It is also the motto of Liverpool John Moores University. The Latin equivalent "''Fortuna audentes juvat'' is used as the motto for the Turing family, dating back to 1316 AD.

Ireland

The O'Flaherty clan has historically used the phrase ''"Fortuna Favet Fortibus"'' as a motto. The

O'Keeffe O'Keeffe ( ga, Ó Caoimh), also O'Keefe, Keef, Keefe, Keeffe, Keifer or Keever is the name of an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Cork, particularly around Fermoy and Duhallow. The name comes from ''caomh'', m ...

family motto is “Forti et fideli nihil difficile” which translates as “For the brave and faithful, nothing is difficult”. The Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington, also shared the motto "Virtutis Fortuna Comes".

United States

As "''Fortes Fortuna Juvat'' it appears on the crest of the

3rd Marine Regiment The 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment is a regiment of the United States Marine Corps that is optimized for littoral maneuver in the Indo-Pacific Theater. Based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, the regiment falls under the command of the 3rd Marine Divi ...

at Kaneohe Bay,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. It is on the seal of the Joint Maritime Training Center, known in the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

as the Special Missions Training Center. It is the official motto of the

United States Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is a service academy of the United States Coast Guard in New London, Connecticut. Founded in 1876, it is the smallest of the five U.S. service academies and provides education to future Coast G ...

Class of 1982. "''Fortuna Favet Fortibus'' ("Fortune favors the brave") is the official motto of the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

Classes of 1985, 2004, and 2012. "Audaces Fortuna Juvat" is the official motto of the

Class of 1992. The motto "''Fortes Fortuna Juvat'' appears on the gates of Honor Hill at Ft. Benning, Georgia. It has been the motto of several

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

ships: * USNS ''Carl Brashear'' (T-AKE-7). The motto appears on the ship's insignia. * USS ''La Jolla'' (SSN-701) * , after her conversion from an SSBN to a

SSGN A cruise missile submarine is a submarine that carries and launches cruise missiles (SLCMs and anti-ship missiles) as its primary armament. Missiles greatly enhance a vessel's ability to attack surface combatants and strike land targets, and al ...

. * * The motto is used by the 366th Fighter Wing of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

and appears on the wing patch. The motto is also used by the

Air Force Office of Special Investigations The Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) is a U.S. federal law enforcement agency that reports directly to the Secretary of the Air Force. OSI is also a U.S. Air Force field operating agency under the administrative ...

, 3rd Field Investigation Region, Detachment 327, Little Rock Air Force Base. "''Audentes Fortuna Juvat'' is the motto of the

(The Headhunters) stationed out of

Kunsan Air Base Kunsan K-8 Air Base is a United States Air Force base located at Gunsan Airport, on the west coast of the South Korean peninsula bordered by the Yellow Sea. It is located in the town of Gunsan (also romanized as Kunsan), about south of Seoul. ...

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

. It is the unit motto for 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, stationed out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. It is the unit motto for 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, stationed out of Marine Corps Camp Lejeune, NC. The motto is also used on the

Seattle Police Department The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, United States, except for the campus of the University of Washington, which is under the responsibility of its own police department ...

's SWAT unit patch. It is the squadron motto for US Navy Growler Squadron VAQ-209, stationed at NAS Whidbey Island, WA. "''Fortuna favet audaci'' is the motto of

Trumbull College Trumbull College is one of fourteen undergraduate residential colleges of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The college is named for Jonathan Trumbull, governor of Connecticut from 1769 to 1784 and advisor and friend to General George Wash ...

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

Army's 7th Alabama Cavalry displayed "Fortuna Favet Fortibus" on its flag. In 2021, Matt Damon appeared in an advertisement for Crypto.com encouraging investors using the proverb as a slogan. The advertisement was widely criticized, and it was frequently satirized by the animated series '' South Park'', beginning in its twenty-fifth season.

In popular culture

In the movies John Wick and John Wick: Chapter 2, the title character bears a tattoo across his upper back reading "FORTIS FORTUNA ADIUVAT".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fortune Favours The Bold Latin proverbs Fortuna