Fortune favors the brave (2024)

I have seen two translations of this phrase:

1. Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat

2. Audaces Fortuna Iuvat

which is correct? I favor the fortis fortuna but have no translation for adiuvat or iuvat.

Thanks
Will
Madison, AL
http://www.cafepress.com/carpediem6655

Fortune favors the Bold

Thinking of getting some ink done, and going through ideas. As a Roman History Student, I've pretty much fallen in love with Latin and all things roman, so what could be better? I have always kinda liked the quote Fortune favors the Bold so I'm putting it at the top of my list.

My best attempt is audaces fortuna iuvat. But audaces is closer to audacious i think? Or at least thats the impression I get. Is there a word closer to brave?

My latin is far from being decent(only 1 semester so far), so any second opinions would be great!

Re: Translation:Fortune favors the Bold

Quirites dixit:

Is there a word closer to brave?

Click to expand...

fortis

i know the quote as fortes fortuna (ad)iuvat

sometimes also audentes fortuna (ad)iuvat

Re: Translation:Fortune favors the Bold

Vergil's original is audentes fortuna iuvat "fortune favors those who dare/act boldly". Audaces indeed usually has a negative connotation in Latin, more like "reckless". As Bitmap said, fortes is best for simply "brave/courageous".

Re: Translation:Fortune favors the Bold

Yet the saying must be older, as when I was looking for it, I found the following in Cicero: Tusculan DIsputations II

"Fortes" enim non modo "fortuna adiuvat", ut est in vetere proverbio,...

fortune favours the brave

Hey,

My name is Haydn and I am looking for a translation for the English quote "fortune favours the brave" and "opportunity knocks but once" for a tattoo on my chest. I have looked at free internet translators and not sure I can really trust them for something that will be on me for the rest of my life.

Your help would be appreciated.

Cheers Haydn

Re: english to latin translation for a tattoo

HaydnR dixit:

My name is Haydn and I am looking for a translation for the English quote "fortune favours the brave"

Click to expand...

It is not an English quotation. It is a Latin quotation to start with.

Fortēs fortūna adjuvat.

It would be perverse to take the English translation of it and mangle it through an automatic English-to-Latin translator.

Re: english to latin translation for a tattoo

Just to forestall any unnecessary confusion, I should mention that the version given on Wikipedia, Fortis fortuna adiuvat, is simply a variant of the same quote Chamæleo provided. It's actually Fortīs fortūna adiuvat, with properly marked vowel length (as opposed to "fortis fortūna adiuvat", which would mean "brave fortune favors".)

Since it isn't customary to use macrons (the lines over vowels) in modern Latin texts, Chamæleo's version is actually preferable as it avoids any ambiguity. But if you do include the macrons, neither version is really preferable to the other.

Re: english to latin translation for a tattoo

thanks for your help with that any idea what the translation for "opportunity knocks but once" would be

Re: english to latin translation for a tattoo

In fact, I believe that even the English idiom ‘Opportunity knocks’ can be traced back to Latin.

Pubilius Syrus, in his Sententiæ (first century BC), wrote:

Occāsiōnēs nōn modo accipe; arripe.
‘Don’t just take the opportunity; grab it.’

and, even more to the point:

Dēlīberandō, sæpe perit occāsiō.
‘An opportunity often passes by as you’re thinking it over.’

Either of these would be far superior to any literal translation about knocking on doors.

Re: english to latin translation for a tattoo

Should you still want a literal translation, here's my attempt:
Semel tantum fores pulsat occasio.

Fortune Favours the Brave

Hello
I hope someone could help me with a translation.
I looked through the previous posts to see if I could find a Translation to "Fourtune Favours the Brave" as I would like it as a tattoo. Sadly now I'm more confused than ever as I have 5 different spellings, they are:

Fortes fortuna iuvat

audentis fortuna iuvat

audentes fortuna (ad)iuvat

also found Conventional modern ecclesiastical spelling of your sayings would be:

Audaces fortuna juvat

A classical purist version of:

Audaces fortuna iuuat.

and a so called aincient form of:
AVDACES FORTVNA IVVAT

Could anyone tell me the correct way to write it please?
Any help your brilliant minds could offer would be much obliged as it'll be permanently stuck to my body, and I don't want a scholar approaching me saying its completely wrong!
:wondering:

Re: FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE. Help please

Those are all fine.

Re: FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE. Help please

Just out of curiosity, is that Vergil? Which work?

Re: FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE. Help please

Fortes fortuna iuvat in found in Pliny's famous latter on the eruption of Vesuvius (VI.16.11).

I get the impression this was a proverbial saying in the ancient world; at the very least the context of the letter--the elder Pliny shouts this to encourage the refugees he's trying to rescue--makes it seem like a common saying. I have also seen the sentiment written as fortuna fortibus favet--which makes for a nice alliteration--but I don't know if that particular phrasing is classical.

Re: FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE. Help please

I think that it must be proverbial.

Vergil has it in the Aeneid X.284 audentis Fortuna iuuat

Ovid parodies it in the Ars Amatoria I.608 audentem Forsque Venusque iuvat

Re: FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE. Help please

Quite some time ago someone asked about "Fortune and love favor the brave."
POST: #22633
I hadn't considered that sexual love was what might be in mind.

Other posts on this site have:
POST: #36310
Fortes fortuna adjuvat (Terence)
POST: #27256
(Cicero)
POST: #40710
Fortes fortuna juvat (Pliny)

Re: FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE. Help please

scrabblehack dixit:

Quite some time ago someone asked about "Fortune and love favor the brave."
POST: #22633
I hadn't considered that sexual love was what might be in mind.

Click to expand...

I agree with the reply you gave in that thread. In the Ars Amatoria love is always sexual. On the other hand, "Fortune and Flirting favour the brave" is probably not what the poster was after!

Re: FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE. Help please

Thank you all very much, You guys reply real fast!

Think I'll go for the first then:

Fortes Fortuna Iuvat

or should it be

Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat

?

I know I'm being greedy but...
Also maybe you could all help with this... Because I really want it to look right.
Should it be written with each word Capitalized like that?

AND does anyone know a good Latin Font or typeface to have?
If any of you could help on all of these, If your in Or when your in my location I will reward you with a Brew as a way of thanks!