What does ‘fortune favours the bold’ mean?
To “fortune favours the bold” means to luck sides with those who take initiative. Brewer's traces the maxim to the Latin 'audentes fortuna iuvat' in Virgil's Aeneid (X.284).
Origin
- Brewer's traces the maxim to the Latin 'audentes fortuna iuvat' in Virgil's Aeneid (X.284).
How to use it
- Encouragement to take a chance.
- Example: Apply for the job — fortune favours the bold.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.