proverb · Source-linked selection
Fortune is a woman; if you neglect her to-day, expect not to regain her to-morrow.
Fortune is a woman; if you neglect her to-day, expect not to regain her to-morrow.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An opportunity passed over today may be unavailable tomorrow. The warning encourages timely assessment, while its gendered personification should not be mistaken for a claim about women.
What the words are saying
Fortune is presented as someone who may not return after being neglected. The useful reading concerns the limited duration of an opportunity: postponing attention can change the choices available later. Consider a genuine deadline and the consequences of acting or waiting. The image does not make every urgent offer worthwhile, nor does it require choosing before essential information is available. The comparison with a woman belongs to the historical wording, not to an explanation of any gender’s behaviour. Assess the opportunity itself rather than the personification.
Everyday example
A student checks the terms of a suitable course before its application date rather than assuming a place will remain available.
When to use it
Use it to prompt timely attention to a real, understood opportunity.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
Manufactured urgency can pressure poor decisions; verify the deadline and do not endorse the gender stereotype.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 29; French section, paragraph 566; source wording: La fortune est une femme; si vous la manquez aujourd’hui, ne vous attendez pas à la retrouver demain.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.