Front: “Amor Fati” (love of fate)
Back: “Love your fate, which is in fact your life.”
At a glance
- Theme: accept what happened, then use it
- Good for: a loss you can't undo, a breakup, a career that changed course, a fresh start
- Gift for: readers of Nietzsche and the Stoics, a friend rebuilding, anyone who turns setbacks into fuel
- Finishes: Antique Silver (brass alloy), Antique Bronze (brass alloy), Antique Copper (solid copper)
- Size: 39 mm, about 1 oz, die struck in the USA
The meaning
Amor fati is Latin for love of fate. Friedrich Nietzsche made it famous in the 1880s, calling it his formula for greatness: to want nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. The idea is older. Epictetus told his students to want things to happen as they actually happen, and Marcus Aurelius wrote about welcoming whatever comes.
Loving your fate is different from liking every part of it. You take all of it, the losses included, as the material you build with. The back says it simply: love your fate, which is in fact your life.
The design
On the front, a heart burns at the top and is bound in a band of thorns, ringed by roses and two small cherubs: love that keeps burning through pain. On the back, a skeletal hand holds a single rose over a honeycomb pattern, beauty held by mortality.
On good days and hard days
- On good days, it reminds you to love the life you have, all of it, not only the easy parts.
- On hard days, when you are still fighting something that already happened, it helps you accept it and use it. Love your fate, which is in fact your life.
Carry it
Carry it for the days when you are still arguing with something that already happened. One customer bought two, one for themselves and one for a good friend, after years of working hard to get where they are; the coins remind them both to keep pushing forward. Another wrote that it feels like an antique and will only look better with time.
Give it
It is a thoughtful gift after something that can't be undone: a breakup, a move that didn't work out, a career that changed course. Customers also give it to husbands and best friends for Christmas and birthdays, especially readers of philosophy.
Specs
- Diameter: 1.54 in (39 mm), about the size of a silver dollar
- Thickness: 2.7 mm
- Weight: about 1 oz (28 g)
- Material: brass alloy (Antique Silver, Antique Bronze) or solid copper (Antique Copper)
- Made: die struck, minted in the USA
- Each coin is antiqued with a special patina so it looks like it has already been in circulation. The patina never settles the same way twice, so no two coins look exactly alike. Small variations in color and shading are normal, and they are what make your coin one of a kind.
Questions
What does amor fati mean?
“Love of fate.” Accepting everything that happens, good and bad, as part of your life, and making use of it.
Is there a symbol for amor fati?
There is no single official symbol. On this coin we used a burning heart bound in thorns and ringed with roses, and a skeletal hand holding a rose.
Is amor fati Stoic or from Nietzsche?
Both. Nietzsche gave it the name, and the Stoics, especially Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, taught the same idea centuries earlier.
Other coins you might like
- The Obstacle Path Coin: what stands in the way becomes the way
- Memento Mori Coin: remember that your time is limited
- Marcus Aurelius Coin: power over your mind
- Phoenix Coin: starting over after something ended
For keys: Amor Fati Key Tag.
Care: keep it dry and wipe it with a soft cloth. No polishing needed; the aged finish is part of the look.
Original design by EDC Reminder Coins, protected by copyright. We don't take custom orders.