---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When Fortune smiles, I smile to think how…"
description: "\"When Fortune smiles, I smile to think how quickly she will frown.\" — Robert Southwell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ad/robert-southwell-23356_fortune_when-fortune-smiles-i-smile-to-think-how_1585926.jpg"
---

#  When Fortune smiles, I smile to think how quickly she will…

![“When Fortune smiles, I smile to think how quickly she will frown.” quote by Robert Southwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ad/robert-southwell-23356_fortune_when-fortune-smiles-i-smile-to-think-how_1585926.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ad/robert-southwell-23356_fortune_when-fortune-smiles-i-smile-to-think-how_1585926.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ad/robert-southwell-23356_fortune_when-fortune-smiles-i-smile-to-think-how_1585926.jpg)

> “When Fortune smiles, I smile to think how quickly she will frown.”

[Robert Southwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southwell/)

## About This Quote

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

Fortune’s favor is fleeting; happiness should not rely on its whims.

**In simple terms:** Don’t depend on luck for happiness.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate inner resilience.

Themes

fortune impermanence humility

Mood

thoughtful steady

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- financial investing
- personal growth

Key Concepts

transience self‑reliance philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How to stay steady when fortune changes?
- What internal sources sustain joy?

A Different Perspective

Fortune can also bring lasting opportunities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune/) [Fortune Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune-smiles-2314819/) [Frown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frown/) [I smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-smile/) [Quickly Frown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quickly-frown-6000743/) [Smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smile/) [Smile Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smile-think-368794/) [Smiles Smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smiles-smile-378919/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

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> [I smile when I think of the past and get excited about the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-murphy/i-smile-when-i-think-of-the-past-and-get-excited-about-the-future/)

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> [I hate my smile - I think I look like an absolute wally when I smile, I really do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gandy/i-hate-my-smile-i-think-i-look-like-an-absolute-wally-when-i-smile-i/)

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> [I just smile. And they - my opponents don't like it when I smile at them. They think I'm playing or something. But -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rau-shee-warren/i-just-smile-and-they-my-opponents-don-t-like-it-when-i-smile-at-them/)

[Rau'shee Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rau-shee-warren/)

> [I smile a lot. I heard someone say once that it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown, so i'm trying it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-castellucci/i-smile-a-lot-i-heard-someone-say-once-that-it-takes-fewer-muscles-to/)

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> [“And she smiles that smile again, the one to fill and break my heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-swallow/and-she-smiles-that-smile-again-the-one-to-fill-and-break-my-heart/)

[L.J. Swallow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-swallow/)

> [“We’re a team, Mac,” he says. “We’ll get through this.” “Which part?” I ask. He smiles. “All of it.” And I smile back, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/we-re-a-team-mac-he-says-we-ll-get-through-this-which-part-i-ask-he/)

[Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/)

> [“Life smiles at you when you smile at the obstacles of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/life-smiles-at-you-when-you-smile-at-the-obstacles-of-life/)

[Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/)

> [When she smiles I smile when she cry's I cry with her when she loughs I lough too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhaelin/when-she-smiles-i-smile-when-she-cry-s-i-cry-with-her-when-she-loughs/)

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> [“Ky smiles then, a smile I've never seen before. It's the kind of daring, reckless smile that could make people follow him straight into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/ky-smiles-then-a-smile-i-ve-never-seen-before-it-s-the-kind-of-daring/)

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> [Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep! He, like the world, his ready visit pays Where fortune smiles; the wretched he forsakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/tired-nature-s-sweet-restorer-balmy-sleep-he-like-the-world-his-ready/)

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[Don Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-henley/)

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[Nathan Yocum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-yocum/)

> [Be not arrogant when fortune smiles, or dejected when she frowns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/decimius-magnus-ausonius/be-not-arrogant-when-fortune-smiles-or-dejected-when-she-frowns/)

[Decimius Magnus Ausonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/decimius-magnus-ausonius/)

## More by Robert Southwell

> [Few have all they need, none all they wish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southwell/few-have-all-they-need-none-all-they-wish/)

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