---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only learn to seize good fortune, for…"
description: "\"Only learn to seize good fortune, for good fortune's always here.\" — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_fortune_only-learn-to-seize-good-fortune-for-goo_2298290.jpg"
---

#  Only learn to seize good fortune, for good fortune's…

![“Only learn to seize good fortune, for good fortune's always here.” quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_fortune_only-learn-to-seize-good-fortune-for-goo_2298290.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_fortune_only-learn-to-seize-good-fortune-for-goo_2298290.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_fortune_only-learn-to-seize-good-fortune-for-goo_2298290.jpg)

> “Only learn to seize good fortune, for good fortune's always here.”

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Fortune is ever present; one should act to capture it rather than wait for it to appear.

**In simple terms:** Capture luck now.

Key Takeaway

Act to seize opportunities.

Themes

opportunity fortune proactivity

Mood

optimistic determined

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- investment decisions
- personal relationships
- creative projects

Key Concepts

existentialism self-determination

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you recognize a chance when it appears?
- What habits help you act quickly?

A Different Perspective

Fortune may be fleeting; timing matters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune/) [Good fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-fortune/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/)

## Related quotes

> [Henceforth I ask not good fortune. I myself am good fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/henceforth-i-ask-not-good-fortune-i-myself-am-good-fortune/)

[Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/)

> [“But fortunate means that a man has assigned to himself a good fortune: and a good fortune is good disposition of the soul, good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/but-fortunate-means-that-a-man-has-assigned-to-himself-a-good-fortune/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [All fortune is good fortune; for it either rewards, disciplines, amends, or punishes, and so is either useful or just.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boethius/all-fortune-is-good-fortune-for-it-either-rewards-disciplines-amends/)

[Boethius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boethius/)

> [If a man is to lose his fortune, it is a good thing if he were poor before he acquired it, for poverty requires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/if-a-man-is-to-lose-his-fortune-it-is-a-good-thing-if-he-were-poor/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [The bad fortune of the good turns their faces up to heaven; the good fortune of the bad bows their heads down to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-bad-fortune-of-the-good-turns-their-faces-up-to-heaven-the-good/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was once a fortunate man but at some point fortune abandoned me. But true good fortune is what you make for yourself. Good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/i-was-once-a-fortunate-man-but-at-some-point-fortune-abandoned-me-but/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [You had my heart, and I yours; a heart for a heart, good fortune for good fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marceline-desbordes-valmore/you-had-my-heart-and-i-yours-a-heart-for-a-heart-good-fortune-for/)

[Marceline Desbordes-Valmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marceline-desbordes-valmore/)

> [“...good fortune is not only good fortune, and over the years things happened in that family that caused some terrible regret. Still, for years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/good-fortune-is-not-only-good-fortune-and-over-the-years-things/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

> [Man, be he who he may, experiences a last piece of good fortune and a last day. \[Ger., Der Mensch erfahrt, er sei auch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/man-be-he-who-he-may-experiences-a-last-piece-of-good-fortune-and-a/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/each-one-must-do-his-part-if-we-wish-to-show-that-the-nation-is/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Whatever you have received more than others-in health, in talents, in ability, in success, in a pleasant childhood, in harmonious conditions of home life-all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/whatever-you-have-received-more-than-others-in-health-in-talents-in/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [I try to give back some of the good fortune that I've received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-rabbitt/i-try-to-give-back-some-of-the-good-fortune-that-i-ve-received/)

[Eddie Rabbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-rabbitt/)

> [It's O.K. to accept good fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/it-s-o-k-to-accept-good-fortune/)

[Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/)

> [Good fortune is a god among men, and more than a god.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/good-fortune-is-a-god-among-men-and-more-than-a-god/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [Fortune, good night; smile once more, turn thy wheel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/fortune-good-night-smile-once-more-turn-thy-wheel/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## More by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [All lyrical work must, as a whole, be perfectly intelligible, but in some particulars a little unintelligible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/all-lyrical-work-must-as-a-whole-be-perfectly-intelligible-but-in/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [We know accurately only when we know little, with knowledge doubt increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/we-know-accurately-only-when-we-know-little-with-knowledge-doubt/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-easier-to-perceive-error-than-to-find-truth-for-the-former-lies/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [There is no patriotic art and no patriotic science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/there-is-no-patriotic-art-and-no-patriotic-science/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [The connoisseur of art must be able to appreciate what is simply beautiful, but the common run of people is satisfied with ornament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-connoisseur-of-art-must-be-able-to-appreciate-what-is-simply/)

[Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Let us not dream that reason can ever be popular. Passions, emotions, may be made popular; but reason remains ever the property of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/let-us-not-dream-that-reason-can-ever-be-popular-passions-emotions/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Our foibles are really what make us lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/our-foibles-are-really-what-make-us-lovable/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Instruction does much, but encouragement everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/instruction-does-much-but-encouragement-everything/)

[Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Giving is the business of the rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/giving-is-the-business-of-the-rich/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Just begin and the mind grows heated; continue, and the task will be completed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/just-begin-and-the-mind-grows-heated-continue-and-the-task-will-be/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I look upon all four Gospels as thoroughly genuine, for there shines forth from them the reflected splendor of a sublimity proceeding from Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-look-upon-all-four-gospels-as-thoroughly-genuine-for-there-shines/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Whatever we may say against collections, which present authors in a disjointed form, they nevertheless bring about many excellent results. We are not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/whatever-we-may-say-against-collections-which-present-authors-in-a/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

[Explore all 2,052 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

## More Fortune quotes

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Five World Series rings, 3000-plus hits, the fame, the fortune and playing for the second most historic franchise in baseball... These are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/five-world-series-rings-3000-plus-hits-the-fame-the-fortune-and/)

[Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/)

> [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/)

Robbin Crosby

> [From these inconsiderable attempts, some idea may be formed with what success, should Fortune afford an opportunity, I am likely to treat matters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giraldus-cambrensis/from-these-inconsiderable-attempts-some-idea-may-be-formed-with-what/)

[Giraldus Cambrensis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giraldus-cambrensis/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [You have a little bit of talent, a certain amount of good fortune and a lot of hard work in pursuit of whatever truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sutherland/you-have-a-little-bit-of-talent-a-certain-amount-of-good-fortune-and/)

[Donald Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sutherland/)

> [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [No state of society or laws can render men so much alike but that education, fortune, and tastes will interpose some differences between them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/no-state-of-society-or-laws-can-render-men-so-much-alike-but-that/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [A great JRPG captures that feeling of going on an unusual adventure, of bringing a ragtag group of heroes from famine to fortune or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-schreier/a-great-jrpg-captures-that-feeling-of-going-on-an-unusual-adventure/)

[Jason Schreier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-schreier/)

> [A writer can make a fortune in America, but he can't make a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/a-writer-can-make-a-fortune-in-america-but-he-can-t-make-a-living/)

[James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/)

> [We make our fortunes and we call them fate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/we-make-our-fortunes-and-we-call-them-fate/)

[Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/)

> [What is taken from the fortune, also, may haply be so much lifted from the soul. The greatness of a loss, as the proverb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/what-is-taken-from-the-fortune-also-may-haply-be-so-much-lifted-from/)

[Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/)

> [“We can so educate the will power that it will focus the thoughts upon the bright side of things, and upon objects which elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/we-can-so-educate-the-will-power-that-it-will-focus-the-thoughts-upon/)

[Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/)

> [Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/let-a-man-who-has-to-make-his-fortune-in-life-remember-this-maxim/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

[Browse all 2,945 Fortune quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Only learn to seize good fortune, for good fortune's always here.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/only-learn-to-seize-good-fortune-for-good-fortune-s-always-here/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fortune"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/only-learn-to-seize-good-fortune-for-good-fortune-s-always-here/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_fortune_only-learn-to-seize-good-fortune-for-goo_2298290.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_fortune_only-learn-to-seize-good-fortune-for-goo_2298290.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_fortune_only-learn-to-seize-good-fortune-for-goo_2298290.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Only learn to seize good fortune, for good fortune's always here.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Only learn to seize good fortune,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/only-learn-to-seize-good-fortune-for-good-fortune-s-always-here/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/only-learn-to-seize-good-fortune-for-good-fortune-s-always-here/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
