Every man is the architect of his fortune.

Meaning: Individual choices and actions, not circumstance, determine the outcomes and success one achieves in life.

Often credited to: Appius Claudius Caecus, as reported by the Roman historian Sallust

Origin: From the Latin faber est suae quisque fortunae — each person is the maker of their own fortune — which the Roman historian Sallust credited to the statesman Appius Claudius Caecus, builder of the Appian Way. Success or failure is in one's own hands.

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