Going through a list of proverbs and sayings, from any culture, it’s not difficult to find a few that contradict each other. Should we disregard them? Should we eliminate them like we do when the same number is found on both sides of an equation? I think not.
Proverbs and sayings don’t capture universal truths. They simply capture ideas that are relevant to very specific situations but not others. I think they’re mainly a chance to reflect on life and on human nature.
There’s a substantial body of proverbs and sayings in Latin. They don’t all date back from Romans times, of course. Written Latin survived a lot longer than the spoken one. (In fact people write Latin mottos to this day.)
It’s also worth remembering that not all Romans were Romans. For example, off the top of my head, the “Roman” philosopher Seneca was from Spain, and the “Roman” writer Apuleius was from Algeria. (Makes you wonder, how many famous Romans were actually from Rome, or even from the Italian peninsula?)
I put together a few old sayings here. They’re not necessarily chosen on the basis of how wise they are. Some of them just caught my attention. One more thing.
There’s good circumstantial evidence that Italians horribly mispronounce Latin. For example, it’s almost certain that Caesar was pronounced with a hard “c”, like in the German kaiser. (There are other mistakes too.)
I know that British and Italians pronounce Latin quite differently, and I suppose Spanish, French and Germans have their own way as well. Most likely they’re all slightly wrong, in different ways. It doesn’t really matter.
I don’t know how you’ll be pronouncing the Latin phrases in your head when you read them. Read them as you like. Just follow your heart, it’s all good. (Or you can just skip the Latin bit altogether.)
Abyssus abyssum invocat
Abyss calls to abyss
(One depravity leads to another.)
Accipere quam facere iniuram praestat
It is better to receive an injury than to inflict one
Amicus Plato, amicus Socrates, sed magis amica veritas
Plato is dear to me, Socrates is dear, but truth is dearer still
(Truth must always prevail above all other considerations.)
Audi alteram partem
Hear the other side
Auribus teneo lupum
I hold a wolf by the ears
(To be stuck in a difficult situation where one is unable to let go.)
Barba crescit, caput nescit
The beard grows, the head doesn't
(One doesn’t necessarily get wiser with age.)
Castigat ridendo mores
One corrects customs by laughing at them
(A reminder of the power of satire and ridicule.)
Credat Iudaeus Apella, non ego
Let the Jew Apella believe that, I don’t
(Romans regarded Jews as particularly superstitious.)
De omnibus dubitandum
Doubt everything
Dum tacent, clamant
While they are silent, they shout
(Silence can be very eloquent.)
Errare humanum est
To err is human
Est quaedam flere voluptas
There is a certain pleasure in crying
(Tears can bring relief.)
Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt
Men generally believe what they want to
(People’s beliefs are shaped largely by their own desires.)
Homo homini lupus
Man is a wolf to man
(Human beings prey on one another.)
Inter faeces et urinam nascimur
We are born between feces and urine
(Attributed to Saint Augustine. Aside from stating a fact, I’m not sure what point he was trying to make.)
In vino veritas
In wine there is truth
(One tends to speak his or her mind when drunk.)
Ira furor brevis est
Anger is a short-lived madness
Mater semper certam est, pater numquam
The mother of a child is always certain (i.e. known), the father never
(The Romans didn’t have DNA testing.)
Mors certa, hora incerta
Death is certain, its hour is uncertain
Nec spe nec metu
Neither hope nor fear
(The supreme stoic ideal. According to the stoics, one shouldn't live in hope of better things, but shouldn’t fear adversity either. Easier said than done, of course.)
Nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit
No mortal is wise at all times
Nitimur in vetitum
We strive after the forbidden
(The more we are denied something, the more we want it.)
Plenus venter non studet libenter
A full belly does not like studying
(It is difficult to concentrate on mental tasks after a heavy meal.)
Pulvis et umbra sumus
We are dust and shadow
(A poetic reflection on how insignificant human beings are.)
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Who will guard the guards? Who watches the watchmen?
(It’s a good question.)
Radix malorum est cupiditas
Greed is the root of all evil
Si vis amari, ama
If you wish to be loved, love
Semel in anno licet insanire
Once a year, one is allowed to go crazy
(It refers to carnivals and festivals. Maybe more than once a year is fine too.)
Senectus ipsa est morbus
Old age is a disease in itself
(Not everyone agreed, though. The Roman statesman Cicero thought old age was the best time ever. I’m not sure about that.)
Verba volant, scripta manent
Spoken words fly away, written words remain
M.
