Fortune favors the bold is a well-known proverb whose origins lie in ancient Latin and Roman literature. The typical answer to who first said it is that the English version derives from the Latin phrase audentes fortuna iuvat (or variations like fortun a adiuvat), which appears in classical sources and is often attributed to Roman authors such as Virgil or Terence, though exact first usage is debated. Direct answer
- The phrase in English is a translation of Latin proverbs such as audentes fortuna iuvat and fortes fortuna adiuvat. Its roots trace to classical Roman literature, with early appearances attributed to Terence (in Phormio) and forms appearing in Virgil and later writers, though pinpointing a single first speaker is uncertain.
If you’d like, I can narrow to a specific form (e.g., “audentes fortuna iuvat”) and trace its usages across particular authors or periods.
