"We read on the foreheads of those who are surrounded by a foolish luxury, that fortune sells what she is thought to give"
- Jean de La Fontaine
About this Quote
This quote by Jean de La Fontaine is a tip that product wealth and possessions are not the same as true fortune. He recommends that those who are surrounded by an absurd luxury, or those who have a lot of product possessions, are not necessarily fortunate. Rather, he implies that fortune is something that is made, not something that is just offered. He is saying that although it might appear that fortune is offered, it is actually something that is sold. This quote encourages us to look beyond the surface area and to recognize that real fortune is something that is made through hard work and dedication. It is a suggestion that product belongings do not relate to real fortune and that real fortune is something that is made, not something that is simply given.
"There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures"
