At this point they came in sight of thirty to forty windmills that there are on on that plain , and as soon as Don Quixote saw them he said to his squire, "Fortune is arranging matters for us better than we could have shaped our desires ourselves..."
In context, Quixote is fighting imaginary enemies. One interpretation of this phrase is one of an allegory which promotes critical evaluations of the actions or motives of others. Another intrepretation is that of an idiom...... fighting a battle you cannot win.
Don Quixote Book I
When he says, "Fortune is arranging matters for us better than we could have shaped our desires ourselves," he means that he sees the presence of these windmills as a stroke of luck or fate that is aligning with his knightly desires. In his delusional state, he believes that these windmills are a great opportunity for him to prove his valor and fulfill his chivalric quest.
Miguel de Cervantes' novel "Don Quixote"
Don Quixote is convinced of his delusions but it's important to note that even in his madness, he sees his fight as something greater than himself. This fight of a man against imaginary enemies can also be understood as a more profound fight in the defense of an ideal or attitude of life that is timeless.
Miguel de Cervantes, "Don Quixote".
