Fortune is blind, but she sees too — luck appears random and indiscriminate, yet in the end it tends to find those who have prepared for it, worked for it, and positioned themselves to receive it.
Fortune (Fortuna) was a central figure of Venetian civic iconography and moral philosophy. The famous revolving figure of Fortuna atop the Punta della Dogana at the entrance to the Grand Canal — a gilded ball balanced on the world, with a weather vane in the form of a woman turning with the wind — made the goddess of luck a daily visual presence for every ship entering Venice's harbour. The Venetian Republic's relationship with fortune was sophisticated: it believed in luck but also in preparation. The famous dictum of the Venetian diplomat Ermolao Barbaro — that a state should prepare for war in peacetime and for peace in wartime — expressed the same paradox: you cannot control fortune, but you can shape the conditions in which it operates. This proverb captures that paradox exactly: Fortuna is blind (she does not discriminate, does not reward virtue automatically) but she sees too (she finds those who are ready, who have done the work, who have not wasted the opportunity she gave them last time). The revolving ball of the Dogana was a perfect symbol: luck turns constantly and you must be positioned to catch it when it faces you.
The Dogana da Mar's revolving Fortune figure (dating from 1677, designed by Bernardo Falcone) made luck a defining visual symbol of the Republic's commercial identity; the paradox of a blind fortune who nonetheless 'sees' reflects Venetian mercantile philosophy.
A successful entrepreneur being asked whether his success was luck or skill
Un po' di tutte e due. Fortuna xe cieca, ma vede anca ela — ho lavorato vent'anni prima che arrivasse il momento giusto.
A bit of both. Fortune is blind, but she sees too — I worked twenty years before the right moment came.
A Venetian merchant advising his apprentice to stay prepared
Tieni sempre i conti in ordine e le merci pronte. Fortuna xe cieca, ma vede anca ela — arriva quando meno te l'aspetti.
Always keep your accounts in order and your goods ready. Fortune is blind, but she sees too — she arrives when you least expect her.
A musician who finally got a big opportunity after years of struggle
Mi hanno chiamato all'ultimo momento perché l'altro era ammalato. Fortuna? Forse. Ma fortuna xe cieca, ma vede anca ela — io ero pronto.
They called me at the last moment because the other was sick. Luck? Perhaps. But fortune is blind, but she sees too — I was ready.
An old sailor on the Venice waterfront reflecting on his career
Ho incontrato burrasche che hanno affondato navi più grandi della mia. Fortuna xe cieca, ma vede anca ela — e io conoscevo il mare.
I met storms that sank bigger ships than mine. Fortune is blind, but she sees too — and I knew the sea.