"What is your greatest accomplishment?" This is such a classic interview question, I thought. Thankfully I was prepared for this interview and rehearsed this plus 50 other standard questions. I was able to recite my answers without thinking about the question in too much detail. Even with the buzzing of the fluorescent lights overhead, a room that was a little too warm and wearing a stiff suit jacket, I was able to give the panel the details of my work experience and a smile. I aced this interview.
This was a job that I wanted to the point of desperation, so I obsessed over the details of the job posting. I examined the expected workload, hours, who I would report to and of course pay. The ironic part was that I did not need this job, at least not in the traditional sense. I had a job that I was good at. I enjoyed my coworkers and was relaxed with my duties. I made a decent salary, at least for my age and position. The problem was that I was too comfortable. I was no longer challenging myself nor learning new skills. I was becoming stagnant. So when this job posted on the company website, I felt compelled to submit my resume. I wanted to trade my cozy occupation for one that promised to be stressful, required public speaking and to put in long hours. This was something that I had to do, after all "fortune favors the bold."
At that time I never stopped to ask where that phrase came from. It wasn't until years later that I discovered that the most famous version of this phrase comes from the Roman poet Virgil. It is found in Book 10 of his epic poem The Aeneid. To give some context, The Aeneid is about the travels of Trojan refugees who are looking for a new homeland, and they reach the Italian shore. The line, "audentis fortuna iuvat," or "fortune favors the daring," comes from Turnus as a rally cry to his men as they try to prevent the Trojan landing. He wanted to meet the Trojans in open war. Turnus was the prince of the Rutulians, the Italian people already living there. He fought Aeneas partly over Lavinia, the princess he expected to marry. Turnus, full of confidence, fully expected fortune to be on his side and to be successful in battle.
The ancient Romans did not view fortune as we do today. Fortune, described as luck or fate, was a divine force controlled by the goddess Fortuna. She truly seemed to be on his side. The boldness of Turnus paid off with early success. Turnus overran the Trojan camp and killed Pallas, the young son of Aeneas' ally. As a spoil of his victory, Turnus removed Pallas' belt and wore it as a trophy. Virgil, as the narrator, however, states that men often do not know when to stay within bounds when fortune favors them. This trophy will one day be his ruin.
The man who rallied his army was fighting Aeneas alone by Book 12. His allies deserted him, the gods were against him, and Juno, his chief divine ally throughout the war, finally acknowledged that she could not protect him from his fate. Then a duel took place and Aeneas wounded Turnus. He fell on his knees and begged for his life, giving up claims to Lavinia. The bold man was now completely broken. Aeneas took pity upon him at first and almost spared Turnus' life, until Aeneas saw Pallas’ stolen belt on Turnus' shoulder. In a moment of rage, Aeneas killed him. The boldness in battle was wiped away by the trophy from battle. Turnus' pride brought about his downfall.
"Fortune favors the bold" is a statement that your traits bring about results. The message from the Bible found in Ecclesiastes communicates that they don't: having noble talents or abilities doesn't promise the outcome. As Turnus' example shows, fortune does not automatically favor the bold. Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 states, "Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them." Turnus was strong and brave. He led the Rutulians and had a run of early wins, yet he still lost. This verse from Ecclesiastes could sum up his story, just as Virgil warned about pushing the boundaries of what fortune provides. The same chapter says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might" (9:10). So the lesson from Ecclesiastes isn't to stop being bold. It's to act with effort and leave the outcome to God instead of being prideful like Turnus.
Seneca the Younger has the same point but with a Stoic twist. In Letter 107.11, Seneca quotes Cleanthes: "The Fates lead the willing soul, but drag the unwilling." The Stoic tradition focuses on where humans have control in a given situation and that sometimes life brings about situations that present difficult moments. The Stoics encourage us to accept these moments. We are to do the best that we can without pride or arrogance. Turnus was dragged, fighting fate the entire time even after Juno gave up, being a perfect example of Seneca's "unwilling soul." The willing soul still walks but does so without demanding a particular result.
I learned the lesson of Seneca after accepting the job. Although I was happy with the challenge the new job presented, it became too demanding. I sacrificed time with friends and family, who mattered more. I lost the work-life balance that I required to raise my children the way I wanted. My pride was also unchecked in the beginning, which eventually ruined relationships. I wanted to dictate how my work was performed, even at times against the desires of my boss. It was not until I recognized these deficiencies in my personality and focused on what was important that things started to turn around. I became more humble and a team player. I applied for the job because I did believe that "fortune favors the bold." Although on a smaller scale, I am grateful that my actions were corrected and did not follow in the same footsteps as Turnus.
These lessons of Seneca, Ecclesiastes and Virgil all demonstrate how fate or destiny plays a role in our lives. We can walk with providence humbly accepting life's outcomes or turn against it with pride. The skill is to recognize this in your own life and to forge it within your character.
Musonius
P.S.: The Providence Forge has the shirt "Fortune Favors the Bold" for sale, and this post was influenced by it. The shirt serves as a reminder of the full lesson: be bold, and remember the outcome isn't yours.
References:
Virgil. The Aeneid, Books 10 and 12. Translated by John Dryden, 1697. [Project Gutenberg edition](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/228). The Latin "Nescia mens hominum fati sortisque futurae…" is Aeneid 10.501–505.
Terence. Phormio, 161 BC. This is the earliest known source of "fortes fortuna adiuvat," "fortune helps the brave."
Seneca. Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 107.11, quoting Cleanthes. Translated by Richard M. Gummere, Loeb Classical Library, 1925. [Wikisource](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_107).
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV). Crossway, 2001. Ecclesiastes 9:10–12.