Q - Horace
Posted on 27th January 2021
Quintus Horatius Flaccus 65 – 8BC was a Roman lyric poet during the reign of Emperor Augustus.
His career coincided with Rome’s historic change from a republic to an empire and Horace became a spokesman for the new Rome.
‘Carpe Diem’ (seize the day)’
‘Begin, be bold and venture to be wise’
‘The pen is the tongue of the mind’
‘A picture is a poem without words’
‘Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work’
‘Once a word has been allowed to escape, it cannot be recalled’
‘Wisdom is not wisdom when it is derived from books alone’
‘He who postpones the hour of living, is like the rustic who rightly waits for the river to run out before he crosses’
‘Mix a little foolishness with your serious plans. It is lovely to be silly at the right moment’
‘It is courage, courage, courage that raises the blood of life to crimson splendour. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity’
‘We are just statistics, born to consume resources’
‘Poets wish to profit or to please’
‘Seize the day, and put the least possible trust in tomorrow’
‘He has not lived badly whose birth and death has been unnoticed by the world’
‘Nothing’s beautiful from every point of view’
‘Fortune makes a fool of those she favours too much’
‘Subdue your passion or it will subdue you’
‘Life is largely a matter of expectation’
‘We rarely find anyone who can say he has lived a happy life, and who, content with his life, can retire from the world like a satisfied guest’
‘Remember, when life’s path is steep to keep your mind even’
‘Who then is free? The wise man who can command himself’
‘Only a stomach that rarely feels hungry scorns common things’
‘Undeservedly you will atone for the sins of your fathers’
‘We are often deterred from crime by the disgrace of others’
‘Avoid inquisitive persons, for they are sure to be gossips, their ears are open to hear, but they will not keep what is entrusted to them’
‘Pale Death beats equally at the poor man’s gate and at the palaces of kings’
‘Anger is a short madness’
‘I strive to be brief, but I become obscure’
‘One wanders to the left, another to the right. Both are equally in error, but are seduced by different delusions’
‘It is a sweet and seemly thing to die for one’s country’
‘Knowledge without education is but armed injustice’
‘The foolish are like ripples on water, for whatsoever they do is quickly effaced; But the righteous are like carvings upon stone, for their smallest act is durable’
‘Don’t think, just do’
‘What we learn only through the ears makes less impression upon our minds than what is presented to the trustworthy eye’
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