If you don't know your harbor, no wind is the right one.

What it means

Our plans go wrong, Seneca says, because they have nothing to aim at. A sailor with no destination cannot use even a perfect breeze. Name where you are headed and every wind becomes useful.

The source

"If you don't know your harbor, no wind is the right one." Seneca said it in Letters to Lucilius 71.3. Translated from the original Latin by Spartan Surfers.

"ignoranti quem portum petat nullus suus ventus est"

Original Latin, Letters to Lucilius 71.3. Text read at thelatinlibrary.com.

Who said it

Seneca (c. 4 BC–65 AD). Stoic philosopher, playwright and adviser to the emperor Nero. His letters to his friend Lucilius are the most readable handbook of Stoicism ever written.

Questions

What does "If you don't know your harbor, no wind is the right one." mean?

Our plans go wrong, Seneca says, because they have nothing to aim at. A sailor with no destination cannot use even a perfect breeze. Name where you are headed and every wind becomes useful.

Who said "If you don't know your harbor, no wind is the right one."?

Seneca (c. 4 BC–65 AD). Source: Letters to Lucilius 71.3.

What is the original Latin?

ignoranti quem portum petat nullus suus ventus est. Translated from the original Latin by Spartan Surfers.

Is "If you don't know your harbor, no wind is the right one." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"If you don't know your harbor, no wind is the right one." (Seneca, Letters to Lucilius 71.3, translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/if-you-dont-know-your-harbor-no-wind