Fortune favours the brave.
Fortune favours the brave.
Meaning in plain English
Decisive action can create opportunities that hesitation misses. Courage may help someone benefit from an opening, though it cannot control luck or guarantee success.
Example
A junior researcher offers to present the team’s findings after preparing carefully, gaining experience she would miss by always declining.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Fortune is pictured as favouring people willing to act. The saying celebrates courage when an opportunity demands initiative: speaking up, attempting a difficult task or making a timely commitment. Its practical force comes from participation. A person who never attempts something cannot benefit from succeeding at it. Yet outcomes also depend on circumstances, skill and chance. The proverb works best as encouragement to combine preparation with resolve. It should not become a claim that successful people are always brave or that those who struggle simply lacked courage.
When to use it
Use it when preparation is adequate but fear is preventing a reasonable next step.
Keep in mind
Bravery can still lead to failure; the saying does not endorse reckless danger or explain every outcome.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-03. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 624 · Fortune
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗
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