Quote by Juvenal, Satires (III, 39)
Whenever fortune wishes to joke, she lifts people from what is humble to the highest extremity of affairs.Lat: Ex humili magna ad fastigia rerumExtollit, quoties voluit fortuna jocari
Summary
This quote suggests that fate or luck has the power to whimsically elevate ordinary individuals to positions of great influence and importance. It implies that fortune enjoys playing with people's lives, abruptly raising them from humble beginnings to high levels of success or authority. The Latin phrase used in the quote, "Ex humili magna ad fastigia rerum extollit," captures the idea that fortune can lift people from lowly positions to the pinnacle of wealth, power, or achievement whenever it pleases.