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Home  »  Dictionary of Quotations  »  Plautus

James Wood, comp. Dictionary of Quotations. 1899.

Plautus

A mouse never trusts its life to one hole only.

Acheruntis pabulum—Food for Acheron.

Adolescentem verecundum esse decet—A young man ought to be modest.

Amor et melle et felle est fecundissimus—Love is most fruitful both of honey and gall.

Animus æquus optimum est ærumnæ condimentum—A patient mind is the best remedy for trouble.

Argentum accepi, dote imperium vendidi—I have received money, and sold my authority for her dowry.

Bene merenti bene profuerit, male merenti pax erit—To a well-deserving man God will show favour, to an ill-deserving He will be simply just.

Bonis quod benefit haud perit—A kindness done to good men is never thrown away.

Bonum ego quam beatum me esse nimio dici mavolo—I would much rather be called good than well off.

Bonum est, pauxillum amare sane, insane non bonum est—It is good to be moderately sane in love; to be madly in love is not good.

Bonus animus in mala re dimidium est mali—Good courage in a bad affair is half of the evil overcome.

Centum doctûm hominum consilia sola hæc devincit dea / Fortuna—This goddess, Fortune, single-handed, frustrates the plans of a hundred learned men.

Certa amittimus dum incerta petimus—We lose things certain in pursuing things uncertain.

Contumeliam si dicis, audies—If you utter abuse, you must expect to receive it.

Curiosus nemo est, quin idem sit malevolus—Nobody is inquisitive about you who does not also bear you ill-will.

Debetis velle quæ velimus—You ought to wish as we wish.

Decet verecundum esse adolescentem—It becomes a young man to be modest.

Di nos quasi pilas homines habent—The gods treat us mortals like so many balls to play with.

Doli non doli sunt, nisi astu colas—Fraud is not fraud, unless craftily planned.

Dum ne ob malefacta peream, parvi æstimo—So be I do not die for evil-doing, I care little for dying.

Dummodo morata recte veniat, dotata est satis—Provided she come with virtuous principles, a woman brings dowry enough.

Ego, si bonam famam mihi servasso, sat ero dives—If I keep my good character, I shall be rich enough.

Est etiam, ubi profecto damnum præstet facere, quam lucrum—There are occasions when it is certainly better to lose than to gain.

Est miserorum, ut malevolentes sint atque invideant bonis—’Tis the tendency of the wretched to be ill-disposed towards and to envy the fortunate.

Est profecto Deus, qui quæ nos gerimus auditque et videt—There is certainly a God who both hears and sees the things which we do.

Exclusa opes omnes—All hope is gone.

Facile est imperium in bonis—It is easy to rule over the good.

Facinus audax incipit, / Qui cum opulento pauper homine cœpit rem habere aut negotium—The poor man who enters into partnership with a rich makes a risky venture.

Factum est illud; fieri infectum non potest—It is done and cannot be undone.

Fides servanda est—Faith must be kept.

Flamma fumo est proxima—Where there is smoke there is fire (lit. flame is very close to smoke).

Haud æquum facit, / Qui quod didicit, id dediscit—He does not do right who unlearns what be has learnt.

Hic vigilans somniat—He sleeps awake.

Hoc scito, nimio celerius / Venire quod molestum est, quam id quod cupide petas—Be sure of this, that that which is disagreeable comes more speedily than that which you eagerly desire.

Homo trium literarum—A man of three letters, i.e., FUR, “a thief.”

Homunculi quanti sunt, cum recogito—What poor creatures we men are, when I think of it.

Hostis est uxor invita quæ ad virum nuptum datur—The wife who is given in marriage to a man against her will becomes his enemy.

Humanum amare est, humanum autem ignoscere est—It is natural to love, and it is natural also to forgive.

Illa laus est, magno in genere et in divitiis maximis, / Liberos hominem educare, generi monumentum et sibi—It is a merit in a man of high birth and large fortune to train up his children so as to be a credit to his family and himself.

Impetrare oportet, quia æquum postulas—You ought to obtain what you ask, as you only ask what is fair.

In melle sunt sitæ linguæ vestræ atque orationes, / Corda felle sunt lita atque aceto—Your tongues and your words are steeped in honey, but your hearts in gall and vinegar.

In pertusum ingerimus dicta dolium—We are pouring our words into a perforated cask, i.e., are throwing them away.

Indigna digna habenda sunt hæres quæ facit—Things unbecoming are to be held becoming if the master does them.

Injusta ab justis impetrare non decet; / Justa autem ab injustis petere, insipientia est—To ask what is unreasonable from the reasonable is not right; to ask what is reasonable from the unreasonable is folly.

Insperata accidunt magis sæpe quam quæ speres—What you do not expect happens more frequently than what you do.

Irritabis crabrones—You will irritate the hornets.

It matters not that a woman is well dressed if her manners be bad; ill-breeding mars a fine dress more than dirt.

Leges mori serviunt—Laws are subordinate to custom.

Lupo agnum eripere postulant—They insist on snatching the lamb from the wolf.

Magnum hoc vitium vino est, / Pedes captat primum; luctator dolosus est—This is the great fault of wine; it first trips up the feel: it is a cunning wrestler.

Mala merx hæc, et callida est—She’s a bad bargain and a crafty one.

Male partum male disperit—Property ill got is ill spent; lightly come, lightly go.

Malo benefacere tantumdem est periculum / Quantum bono malefacere—To do good to the bad is a danger just as great as to do bad to the good.

Mare quidem commune certo est omnibus—The sea surely is common to all.

Memorem immemorem facit, qui monet quod memor meminit—He who reminds a man with a good memory of what he remembers, makes him forget.

Meus mihi, suus cuique est carus—Mine is dear to me, and dear is his own to every man.

Mihi istic nec seritur nec metitur—There is neither sowing nor reaping in that affair for my benefit.

Mulier profecto nata est ex ipsa mora—Woman is surely born of tardiness itself.

Mulier recte olet ubi nihil olet—A woman smells sweetest when she smells not at all.

Munera accipit frequens, remittit nunquam—He often receives presents, but never gives any.

Mus non uni fidit antro—The mouse does not trust to one hole only.

Næ amicum castigare ob meritam noxiam / Immune est facinus—Verily, it is a thankless office to censure a friend for a fault when he deserves it.

Nam ego illum periisse duco, cui quidem periit pudor—I regard that man as lost who has lost his sense of shame.

Nam nunc mores nihil faciunt quod licet, nisi quod lubet—Nowadays it is the fashion to make nothing of what is proper, but only what is pleasant.

Natus nemo—Not a born soul.

Nemo solus sapit—No man is wise by himself.

Nescis tu quam meticulosa res sit ire ad judicem—You little know what a frightful thing it is to go to law.

Nihil agit qui diffidentem verbis solatur suis; / Is est amicus qui in re dubia re juvat, ubi re est opus—He does nothing who seeks to console a desponding man with words; a friend is one who aids with deeds at a critical time when deeds are called for.

Nimia est voluntas, si diu abfueris a domo / Domum si redieris, si tibi nulla est ægritudo animo obviam—It is a very great pleasure if, on your return home after a long absence, you are not confronted with anything to vex you.

Nomen atque omen—A name and at the same time an omen.

Non ætate verum ingenio adipiscitur sapientia—Wisdom is not attained with years, but by ability.

Non ego illam mihi dotem esse puto, quæ dos dicitur, / Sed pudicitiam, et pudorem, et sedatam cupidinem—I do not deem that a dowry which is called a dowry, but chastity, modesty, and subdued desire.

Non ego omnino lucrum omne esse utile homini existimo—I do not at all reckon that every kind of gain is serviceable to a man.

Non placet quem scurræ laudant, manipulares mussitant—I do not like the man whom the town gentry belaud, but of whom the people of his own class say nothing.

Novi ego hoc sæculum, moribus quibus siet—I know this age, what its character is.

Nunquam erit alienis gravis, qui suis se concinnat levem—He will never be disagreeable to others who makes himself agreeable to his own relations.

Oleum et operam perdidi—I have lost both the oil and my pains.

Omnes sapientes decet conferre et fabulari—All wise people ought to confer and hold converse with each other.

Omnibus modis, qui pauperes sunt homines, miseri vivunt; / Præsertim quibus nec quæstus est, nec didicere artem ullam—The poor live wretchedly in every way; especially those who have no means of livelihood and have learned no craft.

Pabulum Acherontis—Food for Acheron, i.e., on the verge of the grave.

Pactum non pactum est; non pactum pactum est; quod vobis lubet—A bargain is not a bargain, no bargain is a bargain, as it pleases you.

Pauper sum, fateor, patior; quod Di dant fero—I am poor, I admit; I put up with it. What the gods give I bear with.

Pluris est oculatus testis unus quam auriti decem. / Qui audiunt, audita dicunt: qui vident, plane sciunt—One eye-witness is better than ten from mere hearsay. Hearers can only tell what they heard. Those who see, know exactly.

Quam veterrimus homini optimus est amicus—A man’s oldest friend is his best.

Quem di diligunt, adolescens moritur, dum valet, sentit, sapit—Whom the gods love dies young, while his strength and senses and faculties are in their full vigour.

Qui a nuce nucleum esse vult, frangat nucem—He who would eat the kernel must first crack the shell.

Qui alterum incusat probri eum ipsum se intueri oportet—He who accuses another of improper conduct ought to look to himself.

Qui homo mature quæsivit pecuniam, / Nisi eam mature parcit, mature esurit—He who has acquired wealth in time, unless he saves it in time, will in time come to starvation.

Res amicos invenit—Money finds friends.

Ridiculus æque nullus est, quam quando esurit—No man is so facetious as when he is hungry.

Sæpe summa ingenia in occulto latent—The greatest talents often lie buried out of sight.

Sapere isthac ætate oportet, qui sunt capite candido—They who have grey heads are old enough to be wise.

Sapienti sat—Enough for a wise man.

Stultus es, rem actam agis—You are a fool; you do what has been done already.

Summa summarum—All in all.

To say of a man “He means well,” is worth nothing except he does well.

Tu si animum vicisti, potius quam animus te, est quod gaudeas—If you have conquered your inclination, rather than your inclination you, you have something to rejoice at.

Tunica propior pallio est—My tunic is nearer than my cloak.

Ubi amici, ibi opes—Where there are friends there is wealth.

Ubi amor condimentum inerit cuivis placiturum credo—Where love enters to season a dish, I believe it will please any one.

Ubi mel, ibi apes—Where there is honey to be found, there will be bees.

Ubi summus imperator non adest ad exercitum, / Citius quod non facto ’st usus fit, quam quod facto ’st opus—When the commander-in-chief is not with the army, that is sooner done which need not to be done than that which requires to be done.

Ut homines sunt, ita morem geras; / Vita quam sit brevis, simul cogita—As men are, so must you humour them. Think, at the same time, how short life is.

Ut sæpe summa ingenia in occulto latent!—How often are men of the greatest genius lost in obscurity!

Ut sunt humana, nihil est perpetuum—As human affairs go, nothing is everlasting.

Verba facit mortuo—He talks to a dead man; he wastes words.

Viam qui nescit qua deveniat ad mare, / Eum oportet amnem quærere comitem sibi—He who knows not his way straight to the sea should choose the river for his guide.

Vix decimus quisque est, qui ipse sese noverit—Hardly one man in ten knows himself.

Vulgarity in manners defiles fine garments more than mud.