"Fortune is like the market, where, many times, if you can stay a little, the price will fall"

Francis Bacon draws a vivid parallel between fortune and the workings of a marketplace, illustrating the value of patience amid the changing circumstances of life. He suggests that just as market prices fluctuate, offering better opportunities to those who wait, so too does fortune—our luck, opportunities, and external circumstances—ebb and flow. Sometimes, sheer perseverance in the face of adversity or uncertainty can yield a more favorable outcome than hasty action driven by anxiety or fear of missing out.

In a market, prices can be erratic, rising and falling according to demand, supply, and time. Shrewd buyers know not to rush into purchases at the first sight of opportunity but to watch, letting impulsive actors rush ahead while patiently waiting for the conditions to shift. Bacon advises a similar approach towards fortune. Life presents moments of hardship, temptation, or seeming opportunity, and those with the patience to endure or “stay a little” may often find their conditions improved without force or risk. Acting precipitously may lead to costly mistakes or the loss of later, better prospects.

Fundamentally, Bacon’s observation is a call to prudent composure in the face of mutable fate. Rather than chasing every apparent opportunity or overreacting to misfortune, wise individuals recognize that external circumstances are often beyond control but subject to change. The “price,” or the favorability of events, can “fall”—improve for the patient—when others overextend or act out of desperation. Conversely, resilience through difficulty may be rewarded as fortune becomes more advantageous with time.

His metaphor not only underlines economic wisdom but also a broader life strategy. Success and failure are often products of timing as much as effort or skill. Steadiness, restraint, and the ability to wait for circumstances to align can, in many cases, be more effective than constant striving or immediate reaction. Bacon’s insight encourages the cultivation of patience as a necessary virtue for those seeking advantage in the unpredictable markets of both commerce and life itself.