The Latin Lover

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Salve! Welcome to the page of mine that is dedicated to the wonderful language known as Latin. No, it is NOT "dead". If it is, then why would schools all over the world waste millions of students' time teaching it? I was a student of Latin for only one and a half year, but it was fun--and sometimes frustrating. Below you will find my favorite Latin sayings, writings, and quotes with their English translations (around half of them are mine). More will be added when I find them. If you look carefully, you will notice that this page is alphabetized in a few ways. Hopefully, this process will help you to locate the sayings and their sayers. Incipiamus nunc!

Thomas a Kempis

De duobus malis minus est semper eligendum.
One should always choose the lesser of two evils.

Sic transit gloria mundi.
So passes the glory of the world.

Gaius Iulius Caesar
(Julius Caesar)

Veni, vidi, vici.
I came, I saw, I conquered.

Libenter homines id quod volunt credunt.
Men gladly believe that which they wish for.

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Cedant arma togae, concedat laurea laudi.
May arms yield to the toga, may triumph give way for glory.

Cuiusvis hominis est errare, nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare.
It is the nature of man to err, but it is the nature of only the foolish to persist in error.

Dum spiro, spero.
While I breathe, I hope.

Epistula non erubescit.
A letter does not blush.

Fortuna est caeca.
Fortune is blind.

Inhumanitas omni aetate molesta est.
Inhumanity is harmful in every age.

Legum servi sumus ut liberi esse possimus.
We are slaves of the law so that we would be able to be free.

Mea mihi conscientia pluris est quam omnium sermo.
My conscience is more important to me than all speech.

Nihil est incertius volgo.
Nothing is more uncertain than the favor of the crowd.

Pacta sunt servanda.
Agreements are to be kept.

Patria est communis omnium parens.
The fatherland is the common parent of us all.

Pauci veniunt ad senectutem.
Few men come to old age.

Quid enim est stultius quam incerta pro certis habere, falsa pro veris?
What is truly more foolish than to have uncertain things for certain things, false things for true things?

Saepe ne utile quidem est scire quid futurum sit.
Often it is not even advantageous to know what will be.

Simia quam similis, turpissimus bestia, nobis!
How like us is that very ugly beast, the monkey!

Stultum est timere quod vitare non potes.
It is foolish to fear what you are unable to avoid.

Tarditas et procrastinatio odiosa est.
Delay and procrastination is hateful.

Quintus Horatius Flaccus
(Horace)

Aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem.
Remember to keep a clear head in difficult times.

Bis repetita placent.
The things that please are those that are asked for again and again.

Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.
Seize the day, trust as little as possible in tomorrow.

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.
It is sweet and glorious to die for one's country.

Dum loquimur, fugerit invida aetas: carpe diem!
As long as we are talking, envious time will have flown: seize the day!

Eheu fugaces labuntur anni.
Alas, the fleeting years slip by.

Mors ultima linea rerum est.
Death is the final limit of everything.

Mortalia facta peribunt.
Mortal achievements will be destroyed.

Nec verbum verbo curabis reddere fidus interpres.
As a true translator you will take care not to translate word for word.

Odi profanum vulgus et arceo.
I loathe the uneducated mass and keep them away from me.

Sapere aude!
Dare to be wise!

Sedit qui timuit ne non succederet.
He who feared that he would not succeed sat still.

Semper avarus eget.
The greedy is always in need.

Vitanda est improba siren desidia.
One must avoid that wicked temptress Laziness.

Aulus Gellius

Suos cuique mos.
All people have their own customs.

Veritas temporis filia.
Truth the daughter of time.

Video barbam et pallium; philosophum nondum video.
I see the beard and cloak, but I do not see a philosopher yet.

Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis
(Juvenal)

Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecunia crevit.
The love of wealth grows, just as the wealth itself grew.

Difficile est saturam non scribere.
It is difficult not to write satire.

Mens sana in corpore sano.
A sound mind in a sound body.

Probitas laudatur--et alget.
Honesty is praised--and neglected.

Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Who watches the watchmen?

Titus Livius
(Livy)

Potius sero quam numquam.
Better late than never.

Vae, victis.
Woe, to the conquered.

Marcus Manilius

Nascentes morimur.
Even as we are being born, we begin to die.

Per varios usus artem experientia fecit.
Practice have brought skill through different exercises.

Marcus Valerius Martialis
(Martial)

Difficilis facilis, iucundus acerbus es idem:
nec tecum possum vivere nec sine te.
Difficult and easy, delightful and severe, you are the same:
I am neither able to live with you nor without you.

Habet Africanus miliens, tamen captat.
Fortuna multis dat nimis, satis nulli.
Africanus has millions, still he hunts for legacies.
Fortune gives too much to many, enough to no one.

Ille dolet vere, qui sine teste dolet.
That man mourns truly, he who mourns without witnesses.

Laudant illa, sed ista legunt.
They praise those good books, but they read those lousy books.

Lector et auditor nostros probat, Aule, libellos,
sed quidam exactos esse poeta negat.
Non nimium curo, nam cenae fercula nostrae
malim convivis quam placuisse cocis!
Aule, the reader and listener recommend the little books to us,
but the poet denies that something is forced out.
I do not care too much, for the course of our meal
I would prefer that it was enjoyed by you at the banquet than by the cooks!

Mentitur qui te vitiosum, Zoile, dicit:
non vitiosus homo es, Aoile, sed vitium!
Deceived is he who says that you, Zoilus, are vicious:
you are not a man of vice, Zoilus, but of vices!

Ne laudet dignos, laudat Callistratus omnes:
cui malus est nemo, quis bonus esse potest?
So he would not praise only the deserving, Callistratus praises everybody:
to whom nobody is bad, who is able to be good?

Nil recitas et vis, Mamerce, poeta videri.
Quidquid vis esto, dummodo nil recites!
Nothing you recite and wish, Mamercus, is to be seen by a poet.
Be whatever you wish, so long as you may recite nothing!

Non amo te, Sabidi, nec possum dicere quare:
hoc tantum possum dicere, non amo te.
I do not love you, Sabid, but I cannot say why:
I can only say this, I do not love you.

Quem recitas meus est, o Fidentine, libellus;
sed male cum recitas, incipit esse tuus!
Oh Fidentinus, the book which you recite is mine;
but when you recite badly, it will begin to be yours!

Si post fata venit gloria, non propero.
If glory comes after death, I am in no hurry.

Publius Ovidius Naso
(Ovid)

Exitus acta probat.
The end justifies the means.

Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi sed saepe cadendo.
The drop hollows the stone, not by force but by falling on it often.

Leve fit, quod bene fertur, onus.
A burden which is done well becomes light.

Perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim.
Be patient and tough; one day this pain will be useful to you.

Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit.
He who is not prepared today will be less so tomorrow.

Rident stolidi verba Latina.
Fools laugh at the Latin language.

Ut desint vires, tamen est laudanda voluntas.
Although the power is lacking, nevertheless the will ought to be praised.

Publilius Syrus

Amor misceri cum timore non potest.
Love cannot be mixed with fear.

Bis dat qui cito dat.
He who gives quickly gives twice.

Bis vincit qui se vincit in victoria.
He who conquers himself into victory, wins twice.

Bonum virum natura, non ordo, facit.
Nature, not rank, makes a good man.

Ex vito alterius sapiens emendat suum.
From the mistake of the other man, the wise man corrects his own.

Malum est consilium quod mutari non potest.
A plan that cannot be changed is bad.

Secrete amicos admone; lauda palam.
Advise friends in secret; praise them openly.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Ars longa, vita brevis.
Art is long, life is short.

Diligentia maximum etiam mediocris ingeni subsidium.
Diligence is a very great help even to a person of mediocre intelligence.

Dum inter homines sumus, colamus humanitatem.
As long as we are among humans, let us be humane.

Fallaces sunt rerum species.
The appearances of things are deceptive.

Homines, dum docent, discunt.
While the men are teaching, they are learning.

Iniqua nunquam regna perpetuo manent.
Unjust rulers do not reign for a long time.

Longum iter est per praecepta, breve et efficax per exempla.
The method is long through rules, short and effective through examples.

Non est ad astra mollis e terris via.
There is no easy way from the earth to the stars.

Non ille diu vixit, sed diu fuit.
That man did not live for a long time, but he existed for a long time.

Non scholae sed vitae discimus.
We are not learning for school but for life.

Non vitae, sed scholae, discimus.
We are not learning for life but for school.

Praeceptores suos adulescens veneratur et suspicit.
A young man respects and looks up to his teachers.

Quam bene vivas refert, non quam diu.
How well you live is important, not how long.

Qui beneficium dedit, taceat; narret qui accepit.
Let he who have given a favor be silent; may he who have accepted it speak of it.

Qui statuit aliquid parte inaudita altera, aequum licet statuerit.
One who passes sentence on something without having heard the other part is not just, even if the sentence is just.

Sanam formam vitae tenete.
Hold the sound form of life.

Si vis amari, ama.
If you want to be loved, love.

Tamdiu discendum est, quamdiu vivas.
You live, you learn.

Timendi causa est nescire.
The cause of fear is ignorance.

Publius Terentius Afer
(Terence)

Fortes fortuna adiuvat.
Fortune helps the brave.

Hoc tempore obsequium amicos, veritas odium parit.
These days flattery provides friends, the truth provides hatred.

Homo sum: humani nihil a me alienum puto.
I am a man: I think nothing human is alien to me.

Proximus sum egomet mihi.
I am closest to myself.

Quot homines, tot senteniae.
There are as many opinions as there are men.

Marcus Terentius Varro

Divina natura dedit agros, ars humana aedificavit urbes.
Divine nature gave us fields, human skill built our cities.

Non omnes qui habent citharam sunt citharoedi.
Not all who own a lyre are lyre-players.

Publius Vergilius Maro
(Virgil or Vergil)

E pluribus unum.
One out of many.

Labor omnia vicit.
Labor overcomes all.

Ne cede malis.
Yield not to evils.

Non ignara mali, miseris succurrere disco.
Not ignorant to evil, I learn to help the unfortunate.

Non omnes possumus omnia.
We all cannot do everything.

Other Sayings

Ipsa scientia potestas es.
Knowledge is power. - Francis Bacon

Rem tene, verba sequentur.
Hold on to the subject, the words will follow. - Marcus Porcius Cato

Odi et amo! Quare id faciam fortasse requiris.
Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.
I hate and I love! Perhaps you are asking why I would do that.
I do not know, but I feel it happening and I am tormented. - Gaius Valerius Catullus

Cogito ergo sum.
I think, therefore, I am. - Rene Descarte

Haec ego non multis (scribo), sed tibi: satis enim magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus.
I am (writing) this not to many, but to you: certainly we are a great enough audience for each other. - Epicurus (quoted by Seneca)

Nil actum reputa si quid superest agendum.
Do not consider that anything has been done if anything is left to be done. - Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (Lucan)

De nihilo nihil.
Nothing comes from nothing. - Titus Lucretius Carus (Lucretius)

Leges bonae ex malis moribus procreantur.
Good laws are born out of bad customs. - Macrobius

Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis.
The times change, and we change with them. - John Owen

An nescis, mi fili, quantilla sapientia mundus regatur?
Don't you know, my son, how little the world is being ruled by wisdom? - Axel Oxenstierna

Vos vestros servate, meos mihi linquite mores.
You keep to your own ways and leave mine to me. - Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch)

In alio pediculum, in te ricinum non vides.
You see a louse on someone else, but not a tick on yourself. - Titus Petronius Arbiter (Petronius)

Difficile est tenere quae acceperis nisi exerceas.
It is difficult to retain what you may have learned unless you practice it. - Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (Pliny the Younger)

Deus le vult.
God wills it. - Pope Urban II

Ut amicum habeas, sis amicus.
In order to have a friend, you should be a friend. - Pylades

Non ut edam vivo, sed vivam edo.
I do not live to eat, but I eat to live. - Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (Quintilian)

Nisi credideritis non intelligitis.
Unless ye believe, ye shall not understand. - St. Augustine

Concordia parvae res crescunt, discordia maximae dilabuntur.
The smallest things grow because of unity, the largest things fall apart because of disunity. - Gaius Sallustius Crispus (Sallust)

Quaedam non iura scripta sed omnibus scriptis certiora sunt.
Some laws are unwritten, but they are better established than all written ones. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca Senior or Seneca Rhetor (Seneca the Elder or Seneca the Orator)

Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges.
A state with many laws is most corrupt. - Publius Cornelius Tacitus

Mottoes

Audemus iura nostra defendere.
We dare to defend our rights. - Alabama

Regnat populus.
The people rule. - Arkansas

Tuum est.
It's up to you. - The University of British Columbia

Nil sine numine.
Nothing without providence. - Colorado

Per ardua ad astra.
Through hardship to the stars. - Robert X. Cringley's family motto

Crescite et multiplicamini.
Begin and you have been multiplied. - Maryland

Ars gratia artis.
Art for the sake of art. - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Excelsior.
Ever upward. - New York

Perstare et praestare.
To persevere and to excel. - New York University

Esse quam videri.
To be rather than to seem. - North Carolina

Ad astra per aspera.
To the stars over hardship - Rotorua High School (New Zealand) [Also used by Britain's Royal Air Force]

Multis e gentibus vires.
Strength from many people. - Saskatchewan

Semper paratus.
Always prepared. - The United States Coast Guards

Semper fidelis.
Always faithful. - The United States Marines

Iustitia Omnibus.
Justice for All. - Washington, the District of Columbia

Aut disce aut discede.
Either learn or leave. - The Winchester College of Oxford

Some of the material which appears on this page were taken from two great sites, Forum Romanum and Johanna's Corner. I give a lot of credit to these two sites and highly recommend them if you are still interested in Latin as well as the people behind them. I also took some material from Wheelock's Latin (fifth edition) by Frederic M. Wheelock and Richard A. LaFleur. My beginning Latin course used that textbook extensively and I highly recommend it. I don't think that I have any of Gareth Jones's work here, but it has a lot of Latin phrases that many of us use every day without realizing it. I might add similar phrases for this page, but for now you can enjoy his page. Also, N.S. Gill did a good job finding Latin links for About.com. She honored me with a link to this page with a caveat that the source of the quotations were not included. My defensive response: this page is organized enough! Besides, some of the quotes here didn't have a source when I found them. For those who actually know Latin, this Latin-English dictionary is a wonderful help. Also try this English-to-Latin-to-English dictionary (NEW!).

NEW! I will try to add more Latin links as well as new materials in future updates. I always welcome comments and suggestions on this page--and I get a lot of them! Just keep this in mind: I don't do translations. I used to, but too many requests and too little free time force me to suggest professional translators to those of you who were thinking about it. Please consider Quintus's Latin Translation Service and 24 Hour Translations.

This is my e-mailbox. If you have anything to say or ask about this site or me, feel free to click on it, write something down, and send it to me. I read all of my e-mails and answer them when I can.

Disclaimer: This Web site is the property of Rich Knopf (me). My Web space provider, America Online, is not responsible for this site. Neither are all of the outside parties mentioned in this site. If you're going to sue somebody for this site, it better be me.

This page was created in May 25, 1999, and it was updated in June 19, 2005.

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