Expressions in Latin with translation and pronunciation. Latin catchphrases: history, translation, transcription

Translation of phrases, aphorisms and sayings was checked and approved
translation agency “Prima Vista”

You can do anything you believe in!
Tanatum potes, quod credis.

The reason is always in us, and not in others who leave, abandon, or do not love.
Causa semper sumus, non ei, qui abient, abjiciunt, non amant.

An easy death is the last gift that fate can give.
Mors levis donum ultimum est, que fortuna dare potest.

Avoid those who try to undermine your self-confidence.
Illos vitare, qui fidem vestam in se afficere volunt.

Sometimes you just want silence.
Interdum silentium volo.

Live for yourself, but not in yourself, this is worse than any pain.
Vive pro se, sed not in se, quid pejor omni dolore est.

I don’t meddle in other people’s souls, and I don’t invite guests into mine.
In animas alienorum non ascendo et in meam hospites non voco.

You never know what song will inspire you tomorrow. And let what happened in the past remain there.
Nunquam scis, quod carmen tei cras inspirabit. Quod erat, in veteribus relinquire debet.

Whether it’s good or bad, it’s not worth stirring up. That's why it's past, so that they don't live anymore!
Noli permovere bonum et malum, vetera noli vivere!

True happiness is experienced silently and does not need the whole world to know about it.
Felicitas vera silentium amat et non egit, ut orbis omnis id sciat.

The soul is a cemetery where the closest people and the most poignant memories are buried.
Anima sepulcretum est, ubi affines nostri et memorias acerrimas sepultae sunt.

I trust the man in the mirror, because he will never laugh while I cry.
Hominem in speculo credo, quia nunquam ridet, dum flo.

Sometimes it's worth freezing your heart.
Interdum nesecce est cor suum stringere.

Be yourself, don’t blend in with the gray, blind crowd.
Este quod estis, nolite confluere cum vulgo griseo caeco.

May God judge me according to my righteousness
And not because of the slander of blind people.
Deus me veritate mea judicat,
non maledico hominum caecorum.

Just as waters flow quickly into the sea, so days and years flow into eternity.
Aquae in mae fluunt et dies et anni in aeternitatem fluunt.

Change is painless. It is painful to confront them.
Mutations placide sunt. Oppositio eis dolorosa est.

Phrases in Latin
Fac fideli sis fidelis (lat.) – Be faithful to the one who is faithful to you

Time does not heal, time helps to forget.
Tempus non curat, tempus oblivisci juvat.

Instead of wiping the tears from your face, erase the people in your life who made you cry.
Cum lacrimas ab facie obliteretis, obliterate homines, qui vos flere jubent, de vita obliterate.

Sometimes you don’t need to look for any meaning, just enjoy it.
Interdum non nesecce est mentem quaerere, voluptas sat.

What could be worse than the indifference of the people you love.
Indefirentia eorum, quos amas, pessima est.

No one can judge my choices or my thoughts because no one has ever experienced my emotions or my pain.
Nemo potest dilectum meum aut sensus meos judicare, quia nemo affectus meos et doloremmeum nunquam tentavit.

I don't get offended by people, I just change my opinion about them.
Homines non offendo, sententiam meam de eis muto.

I love the stars too much to be afraid of the night.
Stellas nimis amo, ut noctem timeam.

The battle with your soul is harder than the battle with your enemy.
Pugna cum anima sua difficilior est, quam pugna cum hostibus suis.

Let the iron saw work
My mother didn’t give birth to me for work.
Serra ferrata laborare docet,
ego ab matre non ad laborem natus sum.

Ab altero expectes, alteri quod feceris.
Expect from another what you yourself have done to another.

Ad pulchritudinem ego excitata sum, elegantia spiro et artem efflo.
I am awakened to beauty, breathe grace and radiate art.

Abiens, abi!
Leaving go!

Adversa fortuna.
Evil rock.

Aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem.
Try to maintain presence of mind even in difficult circumstances.

Aetate fruere, mobili cursu fugit.
Take advantage of life, it is so fleeting.

Actum ne agas.
What you're done with, don't come back to.

Aliena vitia in oculis habemus, a tergo nostra sunt.
Other people's vices are before our eyes, ours are behind our backs.

Aliis inserviendo consumor.
I waste myself in serving others.
(The inscription under the candle as a symbol of self-sacrifice, cited in numerous editions of collections of symbols and emblems.)

Amantes sunt amentes.
Lovers are crazy.

Amicos res secundae parant, adversae probant.
Friends are made by happiness, misfortune tests them.

Amor etiam deos tangit.
Even gods are subject to love.

Amor non est medicabilis herbis.
Love cannot be cured with herbs.
(i.e. there is no cure for love.
Ovid, “Heroids”)

Amor omnia vincit.
Love conquers everything.

Amor, ut lacrima, ab oculo oritur, in cor cadit.
Love, like a tear, is born from the eyes and falls on the heart.

Antiquus amor cancer est.
Old love is not forgotten.

Audi, multa, loquere pauca.
Listen a lot, talk little.

Audi, vide, sile.
Listen, watch and be silent.

Audire ignoti quom imperant soleo non auscultare.
I'm ready to listen to stupidity, but I won't listen.

Phrases in Latin
carpe diem (lat.) – seize the moment

Aut viam inveniam, aut faciam.
Either I’ll find the road, or I’ll pave it myself.

Aut vincere, aut mori.
Either win or die.

Aut caesar, aut nihil.
Either Caesar or nothing.

Beatitudo non est virtutis praemium, sed ipsa virtus.
Happiness is not a reward for valor, but it is valor itself.

Benefacta male locata malefacta arbitror.
I consider benefits rendered to an unworthy person to be atrocities.
(Cicero)

Calamitas virtutis occasio.
Adversity is the touchstone of valor. (Seneca)

Carpe diem.
Seize the day. (Horace)
Usually translated as “Seize the day,” although “Seize the day” is more accurate.

Castigo te non quod odio habeam, sed quod amem.
I punish you not because I hate you, but because I love you.

Certum voto pete finem.
Set yourself only clear goals (i.e. achievable).

Cogitationes poenam nemo patitur.
No one is punished for thoughts. (One of the provisions of Roman law (Digest))

Cogito, ergo sum.
I think, therefore I exist.
(The position on the basis of which the French philosopher and mathematician Descartes tried to build a system of philosophy free from elements of faith and based entirely on the activity of reason.
René Descartes, Elements of Philosophy, I, 7, 9.)

Conscientia mille testes.
Conscience is a thousand witnesses.
(Latin proverb)

Consultor homini tempus utilissimus.
Time is the most useful adviser to a person.

Corrige praeteritum, praesens rege, cerne futurum.
Correct the past, manage the present, provide for the future.

Cui ridet Fortuna, eum ignorat Femida.
Whoever Fortune smiles on, Themis does not notice.

Cujusvis hominis est errare; nullius, nisi insipientis in errore perseverare.
It is common for every person to make mistakes, but only a fool tends to persist in a mistake.

Cum vitia present, paccat qui recte facit.
When vices flourish, those who live honestly suffer.

Damant, quod non intelegunt.
They judge because they don't understand.

De gustibus non disputandum est.
Tastes could not be discussed.
(Cf. Russian. There is no comrade for taste and color.)

De mortuis aut bene, aut nihil.
About the dead it’s either good or nothing.
(A likely source is Chilo’s saying “do not speak ill of the dead.”)

Descensus averno facilis est.
The path to hell is easy.

Deus ipse se fecit.
God created himself.

Divide et impera.
Divide and rule.
(Latin formulation of the principle of imperialist policy, which arose in modern times.)

Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requirat?
Who will decide between cunning and valor when dealing with the enemy?
(Virgil, Aeneid, II, 390)

Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt.
Fate leads those who want to go, but drags those who don’t want to go.
(Cleanthes' saying, translated into Latin by Seneca.)

Dura lex, sed lex.
The law is harsh, but it is the law.
(No matter how harsh the law is, it must be obeyed.)

Dum spiro, spero!
While I breathe I hope!

Dum spiro, amo atque credo.
As long as I breathe, I love and believe.

Edite, bibite, post mortem nulla voluptas!
Eat, drink, there is no pleasure after death!
(From an old student song. A common motif of ancient inscriptions on tombstones and table utensils.)

Educa te ipsum!
Educate yourself!

Esse oportet ut vivas, non vivere ut edas.
You have to eat to live, not live to eat.
(Medieval maxim paraphrasing the ancient sayings of Quintilian: “I eat to live, but I do not live to eat” and Socrates: “Some people live to eat, but I eat to live.”)

Esse quam videri.
Be, not seem to be.

Etiam innocentes cogit mentiri dolor.
Pain makes even the innocent lie.
(Publius, “Sentences”)

Ex nihilo nihil fit.
Nothing comes from nothing.

Ex malis eligere minima.
Choose the least of two evils.

Ex ungue leonem.
You can recognize a lion by its claws.

Ex ungua leonem cognoscimus, ex auribus asinum.
We recognize a lion by its claws, and a donkey by its ears.

Experience est optima magistra.
Experience is the best teacher.

Phrases in Latin
Custodi et serva (lat.) – Save and preserve

Facile omnes, cum valemus, recta consilia aegrotis damus.
When we are healthy, we easily give good advice to the sick.

Facta sunt potentiora verbis.
Acts are stronger than words.

Factum est factam.
What's done is done (a fact is a fact).

Famaclamosa.
Loud glory.

Fama volat.
The earth is full of rumors.

Feci quod potui, faciant meliora potentes.
I did everything I could, let anyone who can do it do better.
(A paraphrase of the formula with which the Roman consuls concluded their reporting speech, transferring powers to their successor.)

Felix, qui quod amat, defendere fortiter audet.
Happy is he who boldly takes under his protection what he loves.

Feminae naturam regere desperare est otium.
Having decided to pacify a woman’s temperament, say goodbye to peace!

Festina lente.
Hurry up slowly.

Fide, sed cui fidas, vide.
Be vigilant; trust, but be careful who you trust.

Fidelis et forfis.
Loyal and brave.

Finis vitae, sed non amoris.
Life ends, but not love.

Flagrante delicto.
At the crime scene, red-handed.

Forsomnia versas.
Blind chance changes everything (the will of blind chance).

Fortes fortuna adjuvat.
Fate helps the brave.

Fortiter in re, suaviter in modo.
Firm in action, gentle in handling. (Persistently achieve the goal, acting gently.)

Fortunam citius reperis, quam retineas.
Happiness is easier to find than to maintain.

Fortunam suam quisque parat.
Everyone finds their destiny themselves.

Fructus temporum.
Fruit of time.

Fuge, late, tace.
Run, hide, be silent.

Fugit irrevocabile tempus.
Irreversible time is running out.

Gaudeamus igitur.
So let's have fun.

Gloria victoribus.
Glory to the winners.

Gustus legibus non subiacet.
Taste does not obey laws.

Gutta cavat lapidem.
A drop wears away a stone.

Phrases in Latin
Dum Spira Memini (lat.) – While I breathe, I remember.

Heu conscienta animi gravis est servitus.
Worse than slavery is remorse.

Heu quam est timendus qui mori tutus putat!
He is terrible who considers death to be good!

Hoc est vivere bis, vita posse priore frui.
To be able to enjoy the life you have lived means to live twice.
(Martial, “Epigrams”)

Homines amplius oculis, quam auribus credunt.
People believe their eyes more than their ears.

Homines, dum docent, discunt.
People learn by teaching.

Hominis est errare.
Humans tend to make mistakes.

Homines non odi, sed ejus vitia.
It is not the person I hate, but his vices.

Homines quo plura habent, eo cupiunt ampliora.
The more people have, the more they want to have.

Homo hominis amicus est.
Man is a friend to man.

Homo homini lupus est.
Man is a wolf to man.
(Plautus, “Donkeys”)

Homo sum et nihil humani a me alienum puto.
I am a man, and nothing human is alien to me.

Ibi potest valere populus, ubi leges valent.
Where the laws are in force, the people are strong.

Igne natura renovatur integra.
With fire, all nature is renewed.

Ignoscito saepe alteri, nunquam tibi.
Forgive others often, never forgive yourself.
(Publilius, Sentences)

Imago animi vultus est.
The face is the mirror of the soul.

Imperare sibi maximum imperium est.
To command oneself is the greatest power.

In aeternum.
Forever, forever.

In Daemon Deus!
There is God in the Demon!

In dubio abstine.
When in doubt, refrain.

Infandum renovare dolorem.
To resurrect the terrible (literally: “unspeakable”) pain
(that is, talk about the sad past).
(Virgil, "Aeneid")

Infelicissimum genus infortunii est fuisse felicem.
The greatest misfortune is to be happy in the past.

Doubt is half of wisdom.

In pace.
In peace, in peace.

Incedo per ignes.
I walk among the fire.

Incertus animus dimidium sapientiae est.
Doubt is half of wisdom.

Injuriam facilius facias guam feras.
It's easy to offend, harder to endure.

In me omnis spes mihi est.
All my hope is in myself.

In memoriam.
In memory.

In pace leones, in proelio cervi.
In times of peace - lions, in battle - deer.
(Tertullian, “On the Crown”)

Inter arma silent legs.
When weapons thunder, the laws are silent.

Inter parietes.
Within four walls.

In tyrannos.
Against tyrants.

In vino veritas.
The truth is in the wine.
(Cf. Pliny the Elder: “It is generally accepted to attribute truthfulness to wine.”)

In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas.
Truth is in wine, health is in water.

In vitium ducit culpae fuga.
The desire to avoid a mistake draws you into another.
(Horace, "The Science of Poetry")

In venere semper certat dolor et gaudium.
In love, pain and joy always compete.

Ira furor brevis est.
Anger is a short-term mental frenzy.
(Horace, "Epistle")

Ira initium insaniae est.
Anger is the beginning of madness.

Jactantius maerent, quae minus dolent.
Those who show their grief the most are those who mourn the least.

Jucundissimus est amari, sed non minus amare.
It is very pleasant to be loved, but it is no less pleasant to love yourself.

Leve fit, quod bene fertur onus.
The load becomes light when you carry it with humility.
(Ovid, “Love Elegies”)

Lucri bonus est odor ex re qualibet.
The smell of profit is pleasant, no matter where it comes from.
(Juvenal, "Satires")

Lupus non mordet lupum.
A wolf will not bite a wolf.

Lupus pilum mutat, non mentem.
The wolf changes its fur, not its nature.

Phrases in Latin
Amat victoria curam (lat.) – Victory loves patience

Manus manum lavat.
The hand washes the hand.
(A proverbial expression dating back to the Greek comedian Epicharmus.)

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

Mea vita et anima es.
You are my life and soul.

Melius est nomen bonum quam magnae divitiae.
A good name is better than great wealth.

Meliora spero.
Hoping for the best.

Mens sana in corpore sano.
In a healthy body healthy mind.

Memento mori.
Memento Mori.
(A form of greeting that was exchanged when meeting monks of the Trappist Order. It is used both as a reminder of the inevitability of death and, in a figurative sense, of threatening danger.)

Memento quia pulvis est.
Remember that you are dust.

Mores cuique sui fingit fortunam.
Our fate depends on our morals.

Mors nescit legem, tollit cum paupere regem.
Death knows no law; it takes both the king and the poor.

Mors omnia solvit.
Death solves all problems.

Mortem effugere nemo potest.
No one can escape death.

Natura abhorret vacuum.
Nature abhors a vacuum.

Naturalia non sunt turpia.
Natural is not shameful.

Nihil est ab omni parte beatum.
There is nothing prosperous in all respects (i.e. there is no complete well-being
Horace, "Odes").

Nihil habeo, nihil curo.
I have nothing - I don’t care about anything.

Nitinur in vetitum semper, cupimusque negata.
We always strive for the forbidden and desire the forbidden.
(Ovid, "Love Elegies")

Nolite dicere, si nescitis.
Don't say if you don't know.

Non est fumus absque igne.
There is no smoke without fire.

Non ignara mali, miseris succurrere disco.
Having experienced misfortune, I learned to help those who suffer.
(Virgil)

Non progredi est regredi.
Not moving forward means going backwards.

Nunquam retrorsum, semper ingrediendum.
Not one step back, always forward.

Nusquam sunt, qui ubique sunt.
Those who are everywhere are nowhere.

Oderint dum metuant.
Let them hate, as long as they are afraid.
(The words of Atreus from the tragedy Actium named after him. According to Suetonius, this was the favorite saying of Emperor Caligula.)

Odi et amo.
I hate it and love it.

Omne ignotum pro magnifico est.
Everything unknown seems majestic.
(Tacitus, “Agricola”)

Omnes homines agunt histrionem.
All people are actors on the stage of life.

Omnes vulnerant, ultima necat.
Every hour hurts, the last one kills.

Omnia mea mecum porto.
I carry everything that’s mine with me.
(When the city of Priene was taken by the enemy and the inhabitants in flight tried to capture more of their things, someone advised the sage Biant to do the same. “I do so, because I carry everything I have with me,” he answered, meaning your spiritual wealth.)

Omnia fluunt, omnia mutantur.
Everything flows, everything changes.

Phrases in Latin
Ut ameris, amabilis esto (lat.) – To be loved, be worthy of love.

Omnia mors aequat.
Death equals everything.

Omnia praeclara rara.
Everything beautiful is rare. (Cicero)

Omnia, quae volo, adipiscar.
I achieve everything I want.

Omnia vincit amor et nos cedamus amori.
Love conquers everything, and we submit to love.

Optimi consiliarii mortui.
The best advisors are dead.

Optimum medicamentum quies est.
The best medicine is peace.
(Medical aphorism, authored by the Roman physician Aulus Cornelius Celsus.)

Pecunia non olet.
Money doesn't smell.

Per aspera ad astra.
Through hardship to the stars.
(Through difficulties to a high goal.)

Per fas et nefas.
By hook or by crook.

Per risum multum debes cognoscere stultum.
You should recognize a fool by his frequent laughter.
(Medieval proverb.)

Perigrinatio est vita.
Life is a journey.

Persona grata.
A desirable or trusted person.

Petite, et dabitur vobis; quaerite et invenietis; pulsate, et aperietur vobis.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. (Matt. 7:7)

Primus inter pares.
First among equals.
(A formula characterizing the position of the monarch in a feudal state.)

Quae fuerant vitia, mores sunt.
What were vices are now morals.

Quae nocent – ​​docent.
What harms, it teaches.

Qui nisi sunt veri, ratio quoque falsa sit omnis.
If the feelings are not true, then our whole mind will turn out to be false.

Qui tacet – consentire videtur.
Whoever remains silent is considered to have agreed.
(Cf. Russian. Silence is a sign of consent.)

Quid quisque vitet, nunquam homini satis cautum est in horas.
No one can know when to look out for danger.

Quo quisque sapientior est, eo solet esse modestior.
The smarter a person is, the more modest he is usually.

Quod cito fit, cito perit.
What is soon done, soon falls apart.

Quomodo fabula, sic vita; non quam diu, sed quam bene acta sit refert.
Life is like a play in a theater; It's not how long it lasts that matters, but how well it's played.

Respue quod non es.
Throw away what is not you.

Scio me nihil scire.
I know that I know nothing.
(Latin translation of the freely interpreted words of Socrates.
Wed. Russian Learn forever, you'll die a fool.)

Sed semel insanivimus omnes.
We all get mad someday.

Semper mors subest.
Death is always near.

Sequere Deum.
Follow the will of God.

Si etiam omnes, ego non.
Even if everything is, it’s not me.
(i.e. Even if everyone does, I won't)

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

Si vis pacem, para bellum.
If you want peace, prepare for war.
(Source - Vegetius. Also cf. Cicero: “If we want to enjoy the world, we have to fight” and Cornelius Nepos: “Peace is created by war.”)

Phrases in Latin
Vive ut vivas (lat.) – Live to live.

Sibi imperare maximum imperium est.
The highest power is power over oneself.

Similis simili gaudet.
Like rejoices in like.

Sic itur ad astra.
This is how they go to the stars.

Sol lucet omnibus.
The sun is shining for everyone.

Sola mater amanda est et pater honestandus est.
Only a mother deserves love, only a father deserves respect.

Sua cuique fortuna in manu est.
Everyone has their own destiny in their hands.

Suum cuique.
To each his own
(i.e., to each what belongs to him by right, to each according to his deserts, Provision of Roman law).

Tanta vis probitatis est, ut eam etiam in hoste diligamus.
The power of honesty is such that we value it even from an enemy.

Tanto brevius omne tempus, quanto felicius est.
The faster time flies, the happier it is.

Tantum possumus, quantum scimus.
We can do as much as we know.

Tarde venientibus ossa.
Those who come late get bones.
(Latin proverb)

Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis.
Times change, and we change with them.

Tempus fugit.
Time is running out.

Terra incognita.
Unknown land (trans. something completely unknown or inaccessible area
on ancient geographical maps this is how unexplored parts of the earth's surface were designated).

Tertium non datur.
There is no third; there is no third.
(In formal logic, one of the four laws of thinking is formulated this way - the law of the excluded middle. According to this law, if two diametrically opposed positions are given, one of which affirms something, and the other, on the contrary, denies, then there will be a third, middle judgment between them can not.)

Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito!
Do not submit to trouble, but boldly go towards it!

Phrases in Latin
Vincit Qui Se Vincit (lat.) – The one who conquers himself wins

Ubi nihil vales, ibi nihil velis.
Where you are not capable of anything, you should not want anything.

Ut ameris, amabilis esto.
To be loved, be worthy of love.

Utatur motu animi qui uti ratione non potest.
He who cannot follow the dictates of the mind, let him follow the movements of the soul.

Varietas delectat.
Variety is fun.

Verae amititiae sempiternae sunt.
True friendship is eternal.

Veni, vidi, vici.
I came, I saw, I conquered.
(According to Plutarch, with this phrase Julius Caesar reported in a letter to his friend Amyntius about his victory in the battle of Zela in August 47 BC over the Pontic king Pharnaces.)

Veni, vidi, fugi.
He came, he saw, he ran away. 🙂

Victoria nulla est, Quam quae confessos animo quoque subjugat hostes.
True victory is only when the enemies themselves admit defeat.
(Claudian, “On the Sixth Consulate of Honorius”)

Vita sine libertate, nihil.
Life without freedom is nothing.

Viva vox alit plenius.
Living speech nourishes more abundantly
(i.e., what is presented orally is more successfully absorbed than what is written).

Vivamus atque amemus.
Let's live and love.

Vi veri vniversum vivus vici.
I conquered the universe with the power of truth during my lifetime.

Vivere est agere.
To live means to act.

Vivere est vincere.
To live means to win.

Gutta cavat lapidem non vi, sed saepe cadendo - a drop chisels a stone not by force, but by frequent falling

Fortiter ac firmiter – Strong and strong

Aucupia verborum sunt judice indigna - literalism is beneath the dignity of a judge

Benedicite! - Good morning!

Quisque est faber sua fortunae - everyone is the smith of their own happiness

Read the continuation of the best aphorisms and quotes on the pages:

Natura incipit, ars dirigit usus perficit - nature begins, art guides, experience perfects.

Scio me nihil scire - I know that I know nothing

Potius sero quam nun quam - Better late than never.

Decipi quam fallere est tutius - it is better to be deceived than to deceive another

Omnia vincit amor et nos cedamus amori" - Love conquers everything, and we submit to love

Dura lex, sed lex - the law is harsh, but it is the law

Repetitio est mater studiorum - repetition is the mother of learning.

O sancta simplicitas! - Oh, holy simplicity

Quod non habet principium, non habet finem - that which has no beginning has no end

Facta sunt potentiora verbis - actions are stronger than words

Accipere quid ut justitiam facias, non est tam accipere quam extorquere - acceptance of reward for the administration of justice is not so much acceptance as extortion

Bene sit tibi! - Good luck!

Homo homini lupus est - man is a wolf to man

Aequitas enim lucet per se - justice shines by itself

citius, altius, fortius! - Faster, higher, stronger

AMOR OMNIA VINCIT – Love conquers everything.

Qui vult decipi, decipiatur - he who wishes to be deceived, let him be deceived

disce gaudere – Learn to rejoice

Quod licet jovi, non licet bovi - what is allowed to Jupiter is not allowed to the bull

Cogito ergo sum - I think, therefore I exist

Latrante uno latrat stati met alter canis - when one dog barks, the other immediately barks

Facile omnes, cum valemus, recta consilia aegrotis damus - All of us, when healthy, easily give advice to the sick.

Aut bene, aut nihil - Either good or nothing

Haurit aquam cribro, qui discere vult sine libro - he who wants to study without a book draws water with a sieve

Вona mente – With good intentions

Aditum nocendi perfido praestat fides Trust placed in a treacherous person gives him the opportunity to do harm

Igni et ferro – With fire and iron

Bene qui latuit, bene vixit - the one who lived unnoticed lived well

Amor non est medicabilis herbis - there is no cure for love (love cannot be treated with herbs)

Senectus insanabilis morbus est - Old age is an incurable disease.

De mortuis autbene, aut nihil - about the dead it’s either good or nothing

A communi observantia non est recedendum - one cannot neglect what is accepted by everyone

Intelligenti pauca - The wise will understand

In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas - truth in wine, health in water.

Vis recte vivere? Quis non? - Do you want to live well? Who doesn't want to?

Nihil habeo, nihil curo - I have nothing - I don’t care about anything

Scire leges non hoc est verba earum tenere, sed vim ac potestatem - knowledge of laws is not in remembering their words, but in understanding their meaning

Ad notam – For note”, note

Panem et circenses – Bread and circuses

DIXI ET ANIMAM LEVAVI - I said and relieved my soul.

Sivis pacem para bellum - if you want peace, prepare for war

Corruptio optimi pessima - the worst fall - the fall of the purest

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

Lupus pilum mutat,non mentem - the wolf changes its fur, not its nature

Ex animo – From the heart

Divide et impera - divide and conquer

Alitur vitium vivitque tegendo - by covering, vice is nourished and supported

AUDI, MULTA, LOQUERE PAUCA – listen a lot, talk little.

Is fecit cui prodest – Made by the one who benefits

Lupus pilum mutat,non mentem - the wolf changes its fur, not its nature

Ars longa, vita brevis - art is durable, life is short

Castigat ridento mores – Laughter castigates morals.”

De duobus malis minimum eligendum - one must choose the lesser of two evils

Desipere in loco - To be mad where it is appropriate

Bonum factum! - For good and happiness!

In maxima potentia minima licentia - the stronger the power, the less freedom

Usus est optimus magister - experience is the best teacher

Repetitio est mater studiorum - repetition - the mother of learning

Fac fideli sis fidelis – Be faithful to the one who is faithful (to you)

DOCENDO DISCIMUS - by teaching, we ourselves learn.

Memento mori - remember death.

Вis dat, qui cito dat - the one who gives quickly gives double

Mens sana in corpore sano - in a healthy body - a healthy mind.

Nulla regula sine exceptione - There is no rule without exceptions.

Erare humanum est, stultum est in errore perseverare - it is human nature to make mistakes, it is stupid to persist in an error

Primus inter pares – First among equals

Festina lente - hurry up slowly

omnia praeclara rara – Everything beautiful is rare

Repetitio est mater studiorum - repetition is the mother of learning.

Amicus plato, sed magis amica veritas - Plato is my friend, but the truth is dearer

Melius est nomen bonum quam magnae divitiae - a good name is better than great wealth.

Ipsa scientia potestas est - knowledge itself is power

FRONTI NULLA FIDES – don’t trust appearances!

Aditum nocendi perfido praestat fides - the trust placed in the treacherous allows him to harm

Qui nimium properat, serius ab solvit - whoever is in too much of a hurry, gets things done later

Cornu copiae – Cornucopia

Dulce laudari a laudato viro - it is pleasant to receive praise from a person worthy of praise

dum spiro, spero – While I breathe, I hope

Feci auod potui, faciant meliora potentes - I did what I could, whoever can do it better

Dum spiro, spero - while I'm breathing, I hope

Abusus non tollit usum - abuse does not cancel use

Aliis inserviendo consumor - while serving others, I burn myself

Fortunam citius reperifs,quam retineas / Happiness is easier to find than to maintain.

Fiat lux – Let there be light

AUDIATUR ET ALTERA PARS – the other side should also be heard.

Melius sero quam nunquam - better late than never

Et tu quoque, Brute! - And you Brute!

Ad impossibilia lex non cogit - the law does not require the impossible

NEC MORTALE SONAT
(SOUNDS IMMORTAL)
Latin catchphrases

Amico lectori (To a friend-reader)

Necessitas magistra. - Need is a mentor (need will teach you everything).

[netsesitas master] Compare: “The need for invention is cunning”, “You will begin to weave bast shoes as if there is nothing to eat”, “If you get hungry, you will guess to get bread”, “A bag and prison will give you the mind.” A similar idea is found in the Roman poet Persia (“Satires”, “Prologue”, 10-11): “The teacher of the arts is the stomach.” From Greek authors - in Aristophanes’ comedy “Plutos” (532-534), where Poverty, which they want to expel from Hellas (Greece), proves that it is she, and not the god of wealth Plutos (to everyone’s joy, he was healed of blindness in the temple the god of healing Asclepius and now lavishing himself on mortals), is the giver of all benefits, forcing people to engage in sciences and crafts.

Nemo omnia potest scire. - Nobody can know everything.

[nemo omnia potest scire] The basis was the words of Horace (“Odes”, IV, 4, 22), taken as an epigraph to the Latin dictionary compiled by the Italian philologist Forcellini: “It is impossible to know everything.” Compare: “You cannot embrace the immensity.”

Nihil habeo, nihil timeo. - I have nothing - I’m not afraid of anything.

[nihil habeo, nihil timeo] Compare Juvenal (“Satires”, X, 22): “A traveler who has nothing with him will sing in the presence of a robber.” Also with the proverb “The rich man cannot sleep, he is afraid of the thief.”

Nil sub sole novum. - There is nothing new under the sun.

[nil sub sole novum] From the Book of Ecclesiastes (1, 9), the author of which is considered to be the wise King Solomon. The point is that a person is unable to come up with anything new, no matter what he does, and everything that happens to a person is not an exceptional phenomenon (as it sometimes seems to him), but has already happened before and will happen again after.

Noli nocere! - Do no harm!

[noli nocere!] The main commandment of a doctor, also known in the form “Primum non nocere” [primum non nocere] (“First of all, do no harm”). Formulated by Hippocrates.

Noli tangere circulos meos! - Don't touch my circles!

[noli tangere circulos meos!] About something inviolable, not subject to change, not allowing interference. It is based on the last words of the Greek mathematician and mechanic Archimedes, quoted by the historian Valery Maxim (“Memorable deeds and words”, VIII, 7, 7). Having taken Syracuse (Sicily) in 212 BC, the Romans gave him life, although the machines invented by the scientist sank and set fire to their ships. But the robbery began, and Roman soldiers entered Archimedes' courtyard and asked who he was. The scientist studied the drawing and instead of answering, covered it with his hand, saying: “Don’t touch this”; he was killed for disobedience. One of Felix Krivin’s “Scientific Tales” (“Archimedes”) is about this.

Nomen est omen. - The name is a sign.

[nomen est omen] In other words, the name speaks for itself: it tells something about a person, foreshadows his fate. It is based on Plautus’s comedy “Persus” (IV, 4, 625): selling a girl named Lucrida, which has the same root as the Latin lucrum (profit), to a pimp, Toxilus convinces him that such a name promises a lucrative deal.

Nomina sunt odiosa. -Names are not recommended.

[nomina sunt odioza] A call to speak to the point, without getting personal, and not to cite already well-known names. The basis is Cicero’s advice (“In Defense of Sextus Roscius the Americus,” XVI, 47) not to mention the names of acquaintances without their consent.

Non bis in idem. - Not twice for one.

[non bis in idem] This means that one is not punished twice for the same offense. Compare: “One ox cannot be skinned twice.”

Non curator, qui curat. - He who has worries is not cured.

[non curatur, qui curat] Inscription on the baths (public baths) in Ancient Rome.

Non est culpa vini, sed culpa bibentis. “It’s not the wine that’s to blame, it’s the drinker’s fault.”

[non est kulpa vini, sed kulpa bibentis] From the couplets of Dionysius Katbna (II, 21).

Non omnis moriar. - Not all of me will die.

[non omnis moriar] So Horace, in an ode (III, 30, 6), called “Monument” (see article “Exegi monumentum”), speaks of his poems, arguing that while the high priest ascends the Capitoline Hill, By performing the annual prayer service for the good of Rome (which the Romans, like us, called the Eternal City), his, Horace’s, unfading glory will increase. This motif sounds in all the rehashes of “Monument”. For example, from Lomonosov (“I erected a sign of immortality for myself...”): “I will not die at all, but death will leave // ​​a great part of me, as I end my life.” Or from Pushkin (“I erected a monument to myself, not made by hands...”): Met, all of me will not die - the soul in the treasured lyre // my ashes will survive and will escape decay.”

Non progredi est regredi. - Not going forward means going backwards.

[non progrady est regrady]

Non rex est lex, sed lex est rex. - The king is not the law, but the law is the king.

[non rex est lex, sad lex est rex]

Non scholae, sed vitae discimus. - We study not for school, but for life.

[non schole, sed vitae discimus] It is based on Seneca’s reproach (“Moral Letters to Lucilius”, 106, 12) to armchair philosophers, whose thoughts are divorced from reality, and whose mind is cluttered with useless information.

Non semper erunt Saturnalia. - There will not always be Saturnalia (holidays, carefree days).

[non semper erunt saturnalia] Compare: “Not everything is for Maslenitsa”, “Not everything is in stock, you can live with kvass.” Found in the work attributed to Seneca, “The Apotheosis of the Divine Claudius” (12). Saturnalia was celebrated annually in December (from 494 BC), in memory of the golden age (the era of prosperity, equality, peace), when, according to legend, Saturn, the father of Jupiter, reigned in the region of Latium (where Rome was located). People were having fun in the streets, visiting people; Work, legal proceedings, and the development of military plans stopped. For one day (December 19), the slaves received freedom and sat at the same table with their modestly dressed masters, who, moreover, served them.

Non sum qualis eram. - I'm not the same as I was before.

[non sum qualis eram] Having aged, Horace (“Odes”, IV, 1, 3) asks
the goddess of love, Venus, leave him alone.

Nosce te ipsum. - Know yourself.

[nosse te ipsum] According to legend, this inscription was inscribed on the pediment of the famous Temple of Apollo in Delphi (Central Greece). They said that once seven Greek sages (6th century BC) gathered near the Delphic temple and laid this saying as the basis of all Hellenic (Greek) wisdom. The Greek original of this phrase, “gnothi seauton” [gnothi seauton], is given by Juvenal (“Satires”, XI, 27).

Novus rex, nova lex. - New king - new law.

[novus rex, nova lex] Compare: “A new broom sweeps in a new way.”

Nulla ars in se versatur. - Not a single art (not a single science) is closed in on itself.

[nulla are in se versatur] Cicero (“On the Boundaries of Good and Evil”, V, 6, 16) says that the goal of every science lies outside it: for example, healing is the science of health.

Nulla calamitas sola. - Trouble does not [go] alone.

[nulla kalamitas sola] Compare: “Trouble has come - open the gates,” “Trouble brings seven troubles.”

Nulla dies sine linea. - Not a day without a line.

[nulla diez sine linea] A call to practice your art daily; An excellent motto for an artist, writer, publisher. The source is the story of Pliny the Elder (“Natural History”, XXXV, 36, 12) about Apelles, a Greek painter of the 4th century. BC, who drew at least one line every day. Pliny himself, a politician and scientist, the author of the 37-volume encyclopedic work “Natural History” (“History of Nature”), which contains about 20,000 facts (from mathematics to art history) and used information from the works of almost 400 authors, followed this rule all his life Apelles, which became the basis for the couplet: “According to the behest of Elder Pliny, // Nulla dies sine linea.”

Nulla salus bello. - There is no good in war.

[nulla salus bello] In Virgil’s “Aeneid” (XI, 362), the noble Latin Drank asks the king of the Rutuli, Turnus, to put an end to the war with Aeneas, in which many Latins are dying: either to retire, or to fight the hero one on one, so that the king’s daughter Latina and the kingdom went to the winner.

Nunc vino pellite curas. - Now drive away your worries with wine.

[nunc wine pallite kuras] In Horace’s ode (I, 7, 31) this is how Teucer addresses his companions, forced after returning from the Trojan War to his native island of Salamis to go into exile again (see “Ubi bene, ibi patria”).

Oh rus! - Oh village!

[oh rus!] “Oh village! When will I see you! - exclaims Horace (“Satires”, II, 6, 60), telling how, after a hectic day spent in Rome, having decided a bunch of things on the go, he strives with all his soul to a quiet corner - an estate in the Sabine Mountains, which has long been the subject of his dreams (see “Hoc erat in votis”) and given to him by Maecenas, a friend of Emperor Augustus. The patron also helped other poets (Virgil, Proportion), but it was thanks to Horace’s poems that his name became famous and came to mean every patron of the arts. In the epigraph to the 2nd chapter of “Eugene Onegin” (“The village where Eugene was bored was a lovely corner...”), Pushkin used a pun: “Oh rus! O Rus'! »

O sancta simplicitas! - Oh holy simplicity!

[oh sankta simplicitas!] About someone’s naivety, slow-wittedness. According to legend, the phrase was uttered by Jan Hus (1371-1415), the ideologist of the Church Reformation in the Czech Republic, when during his burning as a heretic by the verdict of the Constance Church Council, some pious old woman threw an armful of brushwood into the fire. Jan Hus preached in Prague; he demanded equal rights between the laity and the clergy, called Christ the only head of the church, the only source of doctrine - the Holy Scripture, and called some popes heretics. The Pope summoned Hus to the Council to present his point of view, promising safety, but then, after holding him for 7 months in captivity and executing him, he said that he was not keeping his promises to the heretics.

O tempora! oh more! - Oh times! oh morals!

[oh tempora! oh mores!] Perhaps the most famous expression is from the first speech of Cicero (consul 63 BC) against the conspiratorial senator Catiline (I, 2), which is considered the pinnacle of Roman oratory. Revealing the details of the conspiracy at a meeting of the Senate, Cicero in this phrase is indignant at both the impudence of Catiline, who dared to appear in the Senate as if nothing had happened, although his intentions were known to everyone, and the inaction of the authorities in relation to the criminal plotting the death of the Republic; whereas in the old days they killed people who were less dangerous to the state. Usually the expression is used to state the decline of morals, condemn an ​​entire generation, emphasizing the unheard-of nature of the event.

Occidat, dum imperet. - Let him kill, as long as he reigns.

[occidate, dum imperet] Thus, according to the historian Tacitus (Annals, XIV, 9), the power-hungry Agrippina, the great-granddaughter of Augustus, answered the astrologers who predicted that her son Nero would become emperor, but would kill his mother. Indeed, after 11 years, Agrippina’s husband became her uncle, Emperor Claudius, whom she poisoned 6 years later, in 54 AD, passing the throne to her son. Subsequently, Agrippina became one of the victims of the suspicion of the cruel emperor. After unsuccessful attempts to poison her, Nero engineered a shipwreck; and upon learning that the mother had escaped, he ordered her to be stabbed with a sword (Suetonius, “Nero”, 34). A painful death also awaited him (see “Qualis artifex pereo”).

Oderint, dum metuant. - Let them hate, as long as they are afraid.

[oderint, dum metuant] The expression usually characterizes power, which rests on the fear of subordinates. Source - the words of the cruel king Atreus from the tragedy of the same name by the Roman playwright Actium (II-I centuries BC). According to Suetonius (“Gaius Caligula”, 30), the emperor Caligula (12-41 AD) liked to repeat them. Even as a child, he loved to be present at tortures and executions, every 10th day he signed sentences, demanding that the convicts be executed with small, frequent blows. The fear among people was so great that many did not immediately believe the news of Caligula’s murder as a result of a conspiracy, believing that he himself spread these rumors in order to find out what they thought about him (Suetonius, 60).

Oderint, dum pront. - Let them hate, as long as they support.

[oderint, dum probent] According to Suetonius (Tiberius, 59), this is what Emperor Tiberius (42 BC - 37 AD) said when reading anonymous poems about his mercilessness. Even in childhood, the character of Tiberius was astutely determined by the teacher of eloquence Theodore of Gadar, who, scolding him, called him “dirt mixed with blood” (“Tiberius”, 57).

Odero, si potero. - I’ll hate you if I can [and if I can’t, I’ll love against my will].

[odero, si potero] Ovid (“Love Elegies”, III, 11, 35) talks about the attitude towards an insidious girlfriend.

Od(i) et amo. - I hate and love.

[odet amo] From Catullus’s famous couplet about love and hate (No. 85): “Though I hate, I love. Why? - perhaps you’ll ask.// I don’t understand it myself, but feeling it inside myself, I’m crumbling” (translated by A. Fet). Perhaps the poet wants to say that he no longer feels the same sublime, respectful feeling for his unfaithful friend, but he cannot physically stop loving her and hates himself (or her?) for this, realizing that he is betraying himself, his understanding of love. The fact that these two opposing feelings are equally present in the hero’s soul is emphasized by the equal number of syllables in the Latin verbs “hate” and “love.” Perhaps this is also why there is still no adequate Russian translation of this poem.

Oleum et operam perdidi. - I [wasted] oil and labor.

[oleum et operam perdidi] This is what a person who has wasted time, worked to no avail, and has not received the expected results, can say about himself. The proverb is found in Plautus’s comedy “The Punic” (I, 2, 332), where the girl, whose two companions the young man noticed and greeted first, sees that she tried in vain, dressing up and anointing herself with oil. Cicero gives a similar expression, speaking not only about oil for anointing (“Letters to Relatives”, VII, 1, 3), but also about oil for illumination, used during work (“Letters to Atticus”, II, 17, 1) . We will find a statement similar in meaning in Petronius’s novel “Satyricon” (CXXXIV).

Omnia mea mecum porto. - I carry everything I have with me.

[omnia mea mekum porto] Source - the legend told by Cicero (“Paradoxes”, I, 1, 8) about Biantes, one of the seven Greek sages (VI century BC). His city of Prien was attacked by enemies, and the inhabitants, hastily leaving their homes, tried to take with them as many things as possible. When asked to do the same, Biant replied that this is exactly what he was doing, because always carries within itself its true, inalienable wealth, for which no bundles and bags are needed - the treasures of the soul, the wealth of the mind. It’s a paradox, but now Biant’s words are often used when they carry things with them for all occasions (for example, all their documents). The expression can also indicate a low level of income.

Omnia mutantur, mutabantur, mutabuntur. - Everything is changing, has changed and will change.

[omnia mutatur, mutabantur, mutabuntur]

Omnia praeclara rara. - Everything beautiful [is] rare.

[omnia preclara papa] Cicero (“Laelius, or On Friendship,” XXI, 79) talks about how difficult it is to find a true friend. Hence the final words of Spinoza’s Ethics (V, 42): “Everything beautiful is as difficult as it is rare” (about how difficult it is to free the soul from prejudices and affects). Compare with the Greek proverb "Kala halepa" ("The beautiful is difficult"), quoted in Plato's dialogue "Hippias Major" (304 f), which discusses the essence of beauty.

Omnia vincit amor, . - Love conquers everything, [and we will submit to love!]

[omnia voncit amor, et nos cedamus amor] Short version: “Amor omnia vincit” [amor omnia vincit] (“Love conquers all”). Compare: “Even if you drown yourself, you still get along with your sweetheart,” “Love and death know no barriers.” The source of the expression is Virgil's Bucolics (X, 69).

Optima sunt communia. - The best belongs to everyone.

[optima sunt communia] Seneca (“Moral Letters to Lucilius”, 16, 7) says that he considers all true thoughts to be his own.

Optimum medicamentum quies est. - The best medicine is peace.

[optimum medicamentum quies est] The saying belongs to the Roman physician Cornelius Celsus (“Sentences”, V, 12).

Otia dant vitia. - Idleness breeds vices.

[otsia dant vicia] Compare: “Labor feeds, but laziness spoils”, “Idleness makes money, but the will is strengthened in work.” Also with the statement of the Roman statesman and writer Cato the Elder (234-149 BC), cited by Columella, a writer of the 1st century. AD (“On Agriculture”, XI, 1, 26): “By doing nothing, people learn bad deeds.”

otium cum dignitate - worthy leisure (given to literature, arts, sciences)

[ocium cum dignitate] Definition of Cicero (“On the Orator”, 1.1, 1), who, after retiring from the affairs of the state, devoted his free time to writing.

Otium post negotium. - Rest - after business.

[ocium post negotsium] Compare: “If you’ve done the job, go for a walk safely,” “It’s time for work, it’s time for fun.”

Pacta sunt servanda. - Agreements must be respected.

[pakta sunt sirvanda] Compare: “An agreement is more valuable than money.”

Paete, non dolet. - Pet, it doesn’t hurt (there’s nothing wrong with that).

[pete, non dolet] The expression is used in order to convince a person by personal example to try something unknown to him, causing concern. These famous words of Arria, the wife of the consul Caecina Petus, who participated in the failed conspiracy against the weak-minded and cruel emperor Claudius (42 AD), are quoted by Pliny the Younger (“Letters”, III, 16, 6). The conspiracy was discovered, its organizer Skribonian was executed. Pet, sentenced to death, had to commit suicide within a certain period of time, but could not decide. And one day his wife, at the conclusion of the agreement, pierced herself with her husband’s dagger, with these words, took it out of the wound and gave it to Pet.

Pallet: aut amat, aut studet. - Pale: either in love, or studying.

[pallet: out amat, out studet] Medieval saying.

pallida morte futura - pale in the face of death (pale as death)

[pallida morte futura] Virgil (Aeneid, IV, 645) speaks of the Carthaginian queen Dido, abandoned by Aeneas, who decided in a fit of madness to commit suicide. Pale, with bloodshot eyes, she rushed through the palace. The hero, who left Dido on the orders of Jupiter (see “Naviget, haec summa (e) sl”), seeing the glow of a funeral pyre from the deck of the ship, felt that something terrible had happened (V, 4-7).

Panem et circenses! - Meal'n'Real!

[panem et circenses!] Usually characterizes the limited desires of ordinary people who are not at all concerned about serious issues in the life of the country. In this exclamation, the poet Juvenal (“Satires”, X, 81) reflected the main demand of the idle Roman mob in the era of the Empire. Having come to terms with the loss of political rights, the poor people were content with the handouts with which dignitaries sought popularity among the people - the distribution of free bread and the organization of free circus shows (chariot races, gladiator fights), and costume battles. Every day, according to the law of 73 BC, poor Roman citizens (there were about 200,000 in the 1st-2nd centuries AD) received 1.5 kg of bread; then they also introduced the distribution of butter, meat, and money.

Parvi liberi, parvum maluni. - Small children are small troubles.

[parvi liberi, parvum malum] Compare: “Big children are big and poor”, “With small children it’s woe, but with big children it’s twice as bad”, “A small child sucks the breast, but a big one sucks the heart”, “A small child cannot sleep gives, but the big thing is to live.”

Parvum parva decent. - Small things suit small people.

[parvum parva detsent (parvum parva detsent)] Horace (“Epistle”, I, 7, 44), addressing his patron and friend Maecenas, whose name later became a household name, says that he is completely satisfied with his estate in the Sabine Mountains (see. “Hoc erat in votis”) and he is not attracted to life in the capital.

Pauper ubique jacet. - The poor thing is defeated everywhere.

[pavper ubikve yatset] Compare: “All the cones fall on poor Makar”, “On the poor man the censer smokes.” From Ovid's poem "Fasti" (I, 218).

Pecunia nervus belli. - Money is the nerve (driving force) of war.

[pecunia nervus belli] The expression is found in Cicero (Philippics, V, 2, 6).

Peccant reges, plectuntur Achivi. - The kings sin, and the [ordinary] Achaeans (Greeks) suffer.

[pekkant reges, plektuntur ahivi] Compare: “The bars fight, but the men’s forelocks crack.” It is based on the words of Horace (“Epistle”, I, 2, 14), who tells how the Greek hero Achilles, insulted by King Agamemnon (see “inutil terrae pondus”), refused to participate in the Trojan War, which led to defeat and death many Achaeans.

Pecunia non olet. - Money doesn't smell.

[pekunya non olet] In other words, money is always money, regardless of its source of origin. According to Suetonius (“The Divine Vespasian,” 23), when Emperor Vespasian imposed a tax on public toilets, his son Titus began to reproach his father. Vespasian brought a coin from the first profit to his son’s nose and asked if it smelled. “Non olet” (“It does not smell”), answered Titus.

Per aspera ad astra. - Through thorns (difficulties) to the stars.

[peer aspera ad astra] A call to go towards the goal, overcoming all obstacles along the way. In reverse order: "Ad astra per aspera" is the motto of the state of Kansas.

Pereat mundus, fiat justitia! - Let the world perish, but justice will be done!

[pereat mundus, fiat justitia!] “Fiat justitia, pereat mundus” (“Let justice be done and let the world perish”) is the motto of Ferdinand I, Emperor (1556-1564) of the Holy Roman Empire, expressing the desire to restore justice at any cost. The expression is often quoted with the last word replaced.

Periculum in mora. - The danger is in delay. (Delay is like death.)

[periculum in mora] Titus Livius (“History of Rome from the Founding of the City,” XXXVIII, 25, 13) speaks of the Romans, pressed by the Gauls, who fled, seeing that they could no longer hesitate.

Plaudite, cives! - Applaud, citizens!

[plaudite, tsives!] One of the final addresses of Roman actors to the audience (see also “Valete et plaudite”). According to Suetonius (The Divine Augustus, 99), before his death, Emperor Augustus asked (in Greek) his friends as they entered to clap if, in their opinion, he had played the comedy of life well.

Plenus venter non studet libenter. - A full belly is deaf to learning.

[plenus vanter non studet libenter]

plus sonat, quam valet - more ringing than meaning (more ringing than it weighs)

[plus sonata, quam jack] Seneca (“Moral Letters to Lucilius”, 40, 5) speaks of the speeches of demagogues.

Poete nascuntur, oratores fiunt. - People are born poets, but become orators.

[poete naskuntur, oratbres fiunt] It is based on words from Cicero’s speech “In defense of the poet Aulus Licinius Archias” (8, 18).

pollice verso - with a turned finger (finish him off!)

[pollitse verso] By turning the lowered thumb of the right hand to the chest, the spectators decided the fate of the defeated gladiator: the winner, who received a bowl of gold coins from the organizers of the games, had to finish him off. The expression is found in Juvenal (“Satires”, III, 36-37).

Populus remedia cupit. - People are hungry for medicine.

[populus ramdia will buy] Saying of Galen, personal physician of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (reigned 161-180), his son-in-law-co-ruler Verus and son Commodus.

Post nubila sol. - After bad weather - the sun.

[post by nubila sol] Compare: “Not everything is bad weather, there will be a red sun.” It is based on a poem by the New Latin poet Alan of Lille (12th century): “After the dark clouds, the sun is more comforting to us than the usual; // so love after quarrels will seem brighter” (translated by the compiler). Compare with the motto of Geneva: “Post tenebras lux” (“After darkness, light”).

Primum vivere, deinde philosophari. - First to live, and only then to philosophize.

[primum vivere, deinde philosophari] A call to experience and experience a lot before talking about life. In the mouth of a person associated with science, it means that the joys of everyday life are not alien to him.

primus inter pares - first among equals

[primus inter pares] On the position of the monarch in a feudal state. The formula dates back to the time of Emperor Augustus, who, fearing the fate of his predecessor, Julius Caesar (he was too clearly striving for sole power and was killed in 44 BC, as see in the article “Et tu, Brute!” ), maintained the appearance of a republic and freedom, calling himself primus inter pares (since his name was in first place on the list of senators), or princeps (i.e., first citizen). Hence, established by Augustus by 27 BC. a form of government when all republican institutions were preserved (Senate, elected offices, national assembly), but in fact power belonged to one person, is called the principate.

Prior tempore - potior jure. - First in time - first in right.

[prior tempore - potior yure] A legal norm called the right of the first owner (first seizure). Compare: “He who ripened, ate.”

pro aris et focis - for altars and hearths [to fight]

[about aris et focis] In other words, to protect everything that is most precious. Found in Titus Livy (“History of Rome from the Founding of the City”, IX, 12, 6).

Procul ab oculis, procul ex mente. - Out of sight, out of mind.

[proculus ab oculis, proculus ex mente]

Procul, profani! - Go away, uninitiated!

[prokul este, profane!] Usually this is a call not to judge things that you don’t understand. Epigraph to Pushkin’s poem “The Poet and the Crowd” (1828). In Virgil (Aeneid, VI, 259), the prophetess Sibyl exclaims this way, hearing the howling of dogs - a sign of the approach of the goddess Hecate, mistress of shadows: “Strangers to the mysteries, go away! Leave the grove immediately!” (translated by S. Osherov). The seer drives away the companions of Aeneas, who came to her to find out how he can go down to the kingdom of the dead and see his father there. The hero himself was already initiated into the mystery of what was happening thanks to the golden branch that he plucked in the forest for the mistress of the underworld, Proserpina (Persephone).

Proserpina nullum caput fugit. - Proserpine (death) spares no one.

[proserpina nullum kaput fugit] It is based on the words of Horace (“Odes”, I, 28, 19-20). About Proserpina, see the previous article.

Pulchra res homo est, si homo est. - A person is beautiful if he is a person.

[pulhra res homo est, si homo est] Compare in Sophocles’ tragedy “Antigone” (340-341): “There are many miracles in the world, // man is the most wonderful of them all” (translated by S. Shervinsky and N. Poznyakov). In the original Greek - the definition is “deinos” (terrible, but also wonderful). The point is that great powers lie hidden in a person, with their help you can do good or evil deeds, it all depends on the person himself.

Qualis artifex pereo! - What artist dies!

[qualis artifex pereo!] About something valuable that is not used for its intended purpose, or about a person who has not realized himself. According to Suetonius (Nero, 49), these words were repeated before his death (68 AD) by Emperor Nero, who considered himself a great tragic singer and loved to perform in theaters in Rome and Greece. The Senate declared him an enemy and sought him out for execution according to the custom of his ancestors (the criminal had his head clamped with a block and whipped with rods until death), but Nero still hesitated to give up his life. He ordered to dig a grave, then to bring water and firewood, all exclaiming that a great artist was dying in him. Only when he heard the approach of the horsemen who were instructed to take him alive, Nero, with the help of the freedman Phaon, plunged a sword into his throat.

Qualis pater, talis filius. - Such is the father, such is the fellow. (Like father, like son.)

[qualis pater, talis filius]

Qualis rex, talis grex. - Like the king, such is the people (i.e., like the priest, such is the parish).

[qualis rex, talis grex]

Qualis vir, talis oratio. - Such is the husband (person), such is the speech.

[qualis vir, talis et orazio] From the maxims of Publilius Sir (No. 848): “Speech is a reflection of the mind: as the husband is, so is speech.” Compare: “To know a bird by its feathers, and a fellow by its speech,” “Like a priest, such is his prayer.”

Qualis vita, et mors ita. - As life is, so is death.

[qualis vita, et mors ita] Compare: “A dog’s death is a dog’s death.”

Quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus. - Sometimes the glorious Homer dozes (makes mistakes).

[quandokwe bonus dormitat homerus] Horace (“The Science of Poetry,” 359) says that even in Homer’s poems there are weak points. Compare: “Even the sun has spots.”

Qui amat me, amat et canem meum. - Whoever loves me loves my dog.

[kwi amat me, amat et kanem meum]

Qui canit arte, canat, ! - He who can sing, let him sing, [he who can drink, let him drink]!

[kwi kanit arte, rope, kwi bibit arte, bibat!] Ovid (“Science of Love”, II, 506) advises the lover to reveal all his talents to his girlfriend.

Qui bene amat, bene castigat. - He who sincerely loves, sincerely (from the heart) punishes.

[kwi bene amat, bene castigat] Compare: “He loves like a soul, but shakes like a pear.” Also in the Bible (Proverbs of Solomon, 3, 12): “Whom the Lord loves, He chastens, and favors, as a father does to his son.”

Qui multum alphabet, plus cupit. - He who has a lot wants [even] more.

[kwi multitum habet, plus buy] Compare: “Whoever is overflowing, give more,” “Appetite comes with eating,” “The more you eat, the more you want.” The expression is found in Seneca (“Moral Letters to Lucilius”, 119, 6).

Qui non zelat, non amat. - He who is not jealous does not love.

[kwi non zelat, non amat]

Qui scribit, bis legit. - He who writes reads twice.

[kwi skribit, bis legit]

Qui terret, plus ipse timet. - He who inspires fear fears himself even more.

[kwi terret, plus ipse timet]

Qui totum vult, totum perdit. - He who wants everything loses everything.

[kwi totum vult, totum perdit]

Quia nominor leo. - For my name is Lion.

[quia nominor leo] About the right of the strong and influential. In the fable of Phaedrus (I, 5, 7), the lion, hunting together with a cow, a goat and a sheep, explained to them why he took the first quarter of the prey (he took the second for his help, the third because he was stronger, and he forbade even touching the fourth).

Quid est veritas? - What is truth?

[quid est varitas?] In the Gospel of John (18, 38) this is the famous question that Pontius Pilate, procurator of the Roman province of Judea, asked Jesus, who was brought before him for trial, in response to His words: “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I came into the world to testify to the truth; everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice" (John 18:37).

Quid opus nota noscere? - Why try what has been tried and tested?

[quid opus nota nossere?] Plautus (“The Boastful Warrior”, II, 1) speaks of excessive suspicion towards people who have proven themselves well.

Quidquid discis, tibi discis. - Whatever you study, you study for yourself.

[quidquid discis, tibi discis] The expression is found in Petronius (Satyricon, XLVI).

Quidquid latet, apparebit. - Everything secret will become clear.

[quidquid latet, apparebit] From the Catholic hymn “Dies irae” (“Day of Wrath”), which speaks of the coming day of the Last Judgment. The basis of the expression, apparently, was the words from the Gospel of Mark (4, 22; or from Luke, 8, 17): “For there is nothing hidden that will not be made manifest, nor hidden that will not be made known and revealed would".

Legiones redde. - [Quintilius Bap,] return [to me] the legions.

[quintiles ware, legiones redde] Regret over an irretrievable loss or a call to return something that belongs to you (sometimes simply said “Legiones redde”). According to Suetonius (The Divine Augustus, 23), Emperor Augustus exclaimed this repeatedly after the crushing defeat of the Romans under Quintilius Varus from the Germans in the Teutoburg Forest (9 AD), where three legions were destroyed. Having learned about the misfortune, Augustus did not cut his hair or beard for several months in a row, and celebrated the day of defeat every year with mourning. The expression is given in Montaigne’s “Essays”: in this chapter (Book I, Chapter 4) we are talking about human incontinence, worthy of condemnation.

Quis bene celat amorem? -Who successfully hides love?

[quis bene tselat amorem?] Compare: “Love is like a cough: you can’t hide it from people.” Quoted by Ovid (“Heroids”, XII, 37) in the love letter of the sorceress Medea to her husband Jason. She remembers the first time she saw a beautiful stranger who arrived on the ship "Argo" for the golden fleece - the skin of a golden ram, and how Jason instantly felt Medea's love for him.

[quis leget hek?] This is what Persia, one of the most difficult Roman authors to understand, says about his satires (I, 2), arguing that for a poet his own opinion is more important than the recognition of his readers.

Quo vadis? - Are you coming? (Where are you going?)

[quo vadis?] According to church tradition, during the persecution of Christians in Rome under Emperor Nero (c. 65), the Apostle Peter decided to leave his flock and find himself a new place for life and deeds. Leaving the city, he saw Jesus heading to Rome. In response to the question: “Quo vadis, Domine? "("Where are you going, Lord?") - Christ said that he was going to Rome to die again for a people deprived of a shepherd. Peter returned to Rome and was executed along with the Apostle Paul captured in Jerusalem. Considering that he was not worthy to die like Jesus, he asked to be crucified head down. With the question “Quo vadis, Domine?” in the Gospel of John, the apostles Peter (13, 36) and Thomas (14, 5) turned to Christ during the Last Supper.

Quod dubitas, ne feceris. - If you doubt it, don’t do it.

[quod dubitas, ne fetseris] The expression is found in Pliny the Younger (“Letters”, I, 18, 5). Cicero speaks about this (“On Duties”, I, 9, 30).

Quod licet, ingratum (e)st. - What is permitted does not attract.

[quod litset, ingratum est] In Ovid’s poem (“Love Elegies”, II, 19, 3) the lover asks the husband to guard his wife, if only so that the other would burn hotter with passion for her: after all, “there is no taste in what is permitted, prohibition excites more sharply "(translated by S. Shervinsky).

Quod licet Jovi, non licet bovi. - What is allowed to Jupiter is not allowed to the bull.

[kvod litset yovi, non litset bovi] Compare: “It’s up to the abbot, but it’s up to the brethren!”, “What the lord can do, Ivan can’t.”

Quod petis, est nusquam. “What you crave is nowhere to be found.”

[quod petis, est nusquam] Ovid in the poem “Metamorphoses” (III, 433) addresses the beautiful young man Narcissus this way. Rejecting the love of the nymphs, he was punished for this by the goddess of retribution, having fallen in love with what he could not possess - his own reflection in the waters of the source (since then, a narcissist is called a narcissist).

Quod scripsi, scripsi. - What I wrote, I wrote.

[kvod skripsi, skripsi] Usually this is a categorical refusal to correct or redo your work. According to the Gospel of John (19, 22), this is how the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate responded to the Jewish high priests, who insisted that on the cross where Jesus was crucified, instead of the inscription made by order of Pilate, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” (according to Hebrew, Greek and Latin - 19, 19), it was written “He said: “I am the King of the Jews” (19, 21).

Quod uni dixeris, omnibus dixeris. -What you say to one, you say to everyone.

[quod uni dixeris, omnibus dixeris]

Quos ego! - Here I am! (Well, I'll show you!)

[ques ego! (quos ego!)] In Virgil (“Aeneid”, 1.135) these are the words of the god Neptune, addressed to the winds that, without his knowledge, had disturbed the sea in order to smash the ships of Aeneas (the mythical ancestor of the Romans) against the rocks, thereby rendering a service unfavorable to to the hero Juno, wife of Jupiter.

Quot homines, tot sententiae. - How many people, so many opinions.

[quote homines, that sententie] Compare: “One hundred heads, one hundred minds”, “There is no need for a mind”, “Everyone has a head of their own” (Gregory Skovoroda). The phrase is found in Terence’s comedy “Formion” (II, 4, 454), in Cicero (“On the Boundaries of Good and Evil”, I, 5, 15).

Re bene gesta. - Do - do so,

[re bene gesta]

Rem tene, verba sequentur. - Comprehend the essence (master the essence), and the words will appear.

[rem tene, verba sequintur] The words of an orator and politician of the 2nd century given in a late textbook on rhetoric. BC. Cato the Elder. Compare Horace (“The Science of Poetry,” 311): “If the subject becomes clear, the words will be chosen without difficulty” (translated by M. Gasparov). Umberto Eco (“The Name of the Rose.” - M.: Book Chamber, 1989. - P. 438) says that if to write a novel he had to learn everything about a medieval monastery, then in poetry the principle “Verba tene, res sequentur” applies. (“Master the words, and the objects will appear”).

Repetitio est mater studiorum.-Repetition is the mother of learning.

[rapetizio est mater studiorum]

Requiem aeternam. - Eternal peace [grant them, Lord].

[requiem eternam dona eis, domine] The beginning of the Catholic funeral mass, whose first word (requiem - peace) gave the name to many musical compositions written on its words; of these, the most famous are the works of Mozart and Verdi. The set and order of the texts of the requiem were finally established in the 14th century. in the Roman rite and was approved by the Council of Trent (which ended in 1563), which prohibited the use of alternative texts.

Requiescat in pace. (R.I.P.) - May he rest in peace,

[requiescat in patse] In other words, peace be upon his (her) ashes. The closing phrase of a Catholic funeral prayer and a common epitaph. The parody “Requiescat in pice” can be addressed to sinners and enemies - “Let him rest (may he rest) in tar.”

Res ipsa loquitur.-The thing speaks for itself [for itself].

[res ipsa lokvitur] Compare: “A good product praises itself,” “A good piece will find its own mouth.”

Res, non verba. - [We need] deeds, not words.

[res, non verba]

Res sacra miser. - Unfortunate is a sacred matter.

[res sakra miser] Inscription on the building of a former charitable society in Warsaw.

Roma locuta, causa finita. - Rome has spoken, the matter is over.

[roma lokuta, kavza finita] Usually this is a recognition of someone’s right to be the main authority in a given field and to decide the outcome of a case with their opinion. The opening phrase of the bull of 416, where Pope Innocent approved the decision of the Synod of Carthage to excommunicate the opponents of St. Augustine (354-430), a philosopher and theologian. Then these words became a formula (“the papal curia made its final decision”).

Saepe stilum vertas. - Rotate your style more often.

[sepe stylem vertas] Style (stylos) is a stick, with the sharp end of which the Romans wrote on waxed tablets (see “tabula rasa”), and with the other, in the shape of a spatula, they erased what was written. Horace (“Satires”, I, 10, 73) with this phrase calls on poets to carefully finish their works.

Salus populi suprema lex. - The good of the people is the highest law.

[salus populi suprema lex] The expression is found in Cicero (“On the Laws”, III, 3, 8). "Salus populi suprema lex esto" [esto] ("The welfare of the people be the supreme law") is the motto of the state of Missouri.

Sapere aude. - Strive to be wise (usually: strive for knowledge, dare to know).

[sapere avde] Horace (“Epistle”, I, 2, 40) speaks of the desire to rationally arrange one’s life.

Sapienti sat. - Smart enough.

[sapienti sat] Compare: “Intelligent: pauca” [intelligenti pavka] - “Not much [is enough] for someone who understands” (an intellectual is someone who understands), “A smart person will understand at a glance.” It is found, for example, in Terence’s comedy “Formion” (III, 3, 541). The young man instructed a resourceful slave to get money and when asked where to get it, he replied: “Father is here. - I know. What? “That’s enough for the smart one” (translated by A. Artyushkov).

Sapientia governor navis. - Wisdom is the helmsman of the ship.

[sapiencia governor navis] Given in a collection of aphorisms compiled by Erasmus of Rotterdam (“Adagia”, V, 1, 63), with reference to Titinius, a Roman comedian of the 2nd century. BC. (fragment No. 127): “The helmsman steers the ship with wisdom, not strength.” The ship has long been considered a symbol of the state, as can be seen from the poem by the Greek lyricist Alcaeus (VII-VI centuries BC) under the code name “New Shaft”.

Sapientis est mutare consilium. - It is common for a wise person [not to be ashamed] to change [his] opinion.

[sapientis est mutare consultation]

Satis vixi vel vitae vel gloriae. - I have lived enough for both life and glory.

[satis vixie val vitae val glorie] Cicero (“On the return of Marcus Claudius Marcellus,” 8, 25) quotes these words of Caesar, telling him that he has not lived enough for his homeland, which has suffered civil wars, and alone is capable of healing its wounds.

Scientia est potentia. - Knowledge is power.

[scientia est potency] Compare: “Without sciences it’s like without hands.” It is based on the statement of the English philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626) about the identity of knowledge and human power over nature (“New Organon”, I, 3): science is not an end in itself, but a means to increase this power. S

cio me nihil scire. - I know that I don't know anything.

[scio me nihil scire] Translation into Latin of the famous words of Socrates, quoted by his student Plato (“Apology of Socrates”, 21 d). When the Delphic oracle (the oracle of the temple of Apollo in Delphi) called Socrates the wisest of the Hellenes (Greeks), he was surprised, because he believed that he knew nothing. But then, having started talking with people who insisted that they knew a lot, and asking them the most important and, at first glance, simple questions (what is virtue, beauty), he realized that, unlike others, he knew at least this that he knows nothing. Compare the Apostle Paul (Corinthians, I, 8, 2): “Whoever thinks that he knows something, still knows nothing as he ought to know.”

Semper avarus eget. - A stingy person is always in need.

[samper avarus eget] Horace (“Epistle”, I, 2, 56) advises to curb your desires: “The greedy is always in need - so set a limit to lusts” (translated by N. Gunzburg). Compare: “The stingy rich man is poorer than the beggar”, “It is not the poor one who has little, but the one who wants a lot”, “It is not the poor one who has nothing, but the one who rakes in”, “No matter how much a dog grabs, a well-fed one cannot happen”, “You can’t fill a bottomless barrel, you can’t feed a greedy belly.” Also from Sallust (“On the Conspiracy of Catalina”, 11, 3): “Greed is not diminished by either wealth or poverty.” Or from Publilius Syrus (Sentences, No. 320): “Poverty lacks little, greed lacks everything.”

semper idem; semper eadem - always the same; always the same (same)

[samper idem; semper idem] “Semper idem” can be considered as a call to maintain peace of mind in any situation, not to lose face, to remain yourself. Cicero in his treatise “On Duties” (I, 26, 90) says that only insignificant people do not know the measure of either sorrow or joy: after all, in any circumstances it is better to have “an even character, always the same facial expression” ( trans. V. Gorenshtein). As Cicero says in “Tusculan Conversations” (III, 15, 31), this is exactly what Socrates was: the grumpy wife of Xanthippe scolded the philosopher precisely because the expression on his face was unchanged, “after all, his spirit, imprinted on his face, did not know changes "(translated by M. Gasparov).

Senectus ipsa morbus.-Old age itself is [already] a disease.

[senectus ipsa morbus] Source - Terence’s comedy “Formion” (IV, 1, 574-575), where Khremet explains to his brother why he was so slow in coming to his wife and daughter, who remained on the island of Lemnos, that when he finally got ready to go there, I learned that they themselves had long since gone to see him in Athens: “I was detained by illness.” - "What? Which one? - “Here’s another question! Isn’t old age a disease?” (Translated by A. Artyushkov)

Seniores priores. - Elders have advantage.

[seniores priores] For example, this can be said by skipping the eldest in age forward.

Sero venientibus ossa. - Those who come late [get] the bones.

[sero venientibus ossa] A Roman greeting to late guests (the expression is also known in the form “Tarde [tarde] venientibus ossa”). Compare: “The last guest eats a bone,” “The late guest eats bones,” “Whoever is late drinks water.”

Si felix esse vis, esto. - If you want to be happy, be [him].

[si felix essay vis, esto] Latin analogue of the famous aphorism of Kozma Prutkov (this name is a literary mask created by A.K. Tolstoy and the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers; this is how they signed their satirical works in the 1850-1860s).

Si gravis, brevis, si longus, levis. - If [the pain] is severe, then it is short-lived; if it is long-lasting, then it is mild.

[si gravis, brevis, si longus, levis] These words of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who was a very sick man and considered pleasure, which he understood as the absence of pain, to be the highest good, are cited and disputed by Cicero (“On the Boundaries of Good and Evil,” II, 29 , 94). Extremely serious illnesses, he says, can also be long-term, and the only way to resist them is courage, which does not allow cowardice. The expression of Epicurus, since it is polysemantic (usually quoted without the word dolor [dolor] - pain), can also be attributed to human speech. It will turn out: “If [the speech] is weighty, then it is short, if it is long (wordy), then it is frivolous.”

Si judicas, cognosce. - If you judge, figure it out (listen)

[si udikas, cognosse] In Seneca’s tragedy “Medea” (II, 194) these are the words of the main character addressed to the king of Corinth Creon, whose daughter Jason, Medea’s husband, for whom she once betrayed her father (helped the Argonauts take away the golden fleece he kept), left her homeland and killed her brother. Creon, knowing how dangerous Medea's anger is, ordered her to immediately leave the city; but, succumbing to her persuasion, he gave her 1 day of respite to say goodbye to the children. This day was enough for Medea to take revenge. She sent clothes soaked in witchcraft as a gift to the royal daughter, and she, having put them on, burned along with her father, who hastened to her aid.

Si sapis, sis apis.-If you are intelligent, be a bee (that is, work)

[si sapis, sis apis]

Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses. - If you had remained silent, you would have remained a philosopher.

[si takuisses, philosophus mansisses] Compare: “Keep silent and you will pass for smart.” It is based on a story given by Plutarch (“On the Pious Life,” 532) and Boethius (“Consolation of Philosophy,” II, 7) about a man who was proud of the title of philosopher. Someone exposed him, promising to recognize him as a philosopher if he patiently endured all the insults. After listening to his interlocutor, the proud man mockingly asked: “Now do you believe that I am a philosopher?” - “I would have believed it if you had remained silent.”

Si vales, bene est, ego valeo. (S.V.B.E.E.V.) - If you are healthy, that’s good, and I’m healthy.

[si vales, bene est, ego valeo] Seneca (“Moral Letters to Lucilius”, 15, 1), talking about the ancient custom of beginning a letter with these words that survived until his time (1st century AD), he himself addresses Lucilius this way: “If you are engaged in philosophy, that’s good. Because only in her is health” (translated by S. Osherov).

Si vis amari, ama. - If you want to be loved, love [yourself]

[si vis amari, ama] Quoted from Seneca (Moral Letters to Lucilius, 9, 6) the words of the Greek philosopher Hekaton.

Si vis pacem, para bellum. - If you want peace, prepare for war.

[ey vis patsem, para bellum] The saying gave the name to the parabellum - a German automatic 8-round pistol (it was in service with the German army until 1945). “Whoever wants peace, let him prepare for war” - the words of a Roman military writer of the 4th century. AD Vegetia (“A Brief Instruction in Military Affairs”, 3, Prologue).

Sic itur ad astra. - So they go to the stars.

[sik itur ad astra] These words in Virgil (“Aeneid”, IX, 641) are addressed by the god Apollo to Aeneas’ son Ascanius (Yul), who struck the enemy with an arrow and won the first victory in his life.

Sic transit gloria mundi. - This is how worldly glory passes.

[sic transit gloria mundi] Usually they say this about something lost (beauty, glory, strength, greatness, authority), which has lost its meaning. It is based on the treatise of the German mystic philosopher Thomas a à Kempis (1380-1471) “On the Imitation of Christ” (I, 3, 6): “Oh, how quickly worldly glory passes.” Beginning around 1409, these words are spoken during the ceremony of consecrating a new pope, burning a piece of cloth in front of him as a sign of the fragility and perishability of everything earthly, including the power and glory he receives. Sometimes the saying is quoted with the last word replaced, for example: “Sic transit tempus” (“This is how time passes”).

NEC MORTALE SONAT
(SOUNDS IMMORTAL)
Latin catchphrases

Amico lectori (To a friend-reader)

A genius lumen. - From genius - light.

[a genio lumen] Motto of the Warsaw Scientific Society.

A Jove principium. - It starts with Jupiter.

[a yove principium)] So they say, moving on to discussing the main issue, the essence of the problem. In Virgil (Bucolics, III, 60), with this phrase the shepherd Damet begins a poetic competition with his comrade, dedicating his first verse to Jupiter, the supreme god of the Romans, identified with the Greek Zeus.

Abiens abi. - Leaving go.

[abience abi]

ad bestias - to the beasts (to be torn to pieces)

[ad bestias] Public reprisal of dangerous criminals, widespread in the imperial era (see Suetonius, “The Divine Claudius”, 14), slaves, prisoners and Christians: they were thrown to predators in the circus arena. The first Christian martyrs appeared under Emperor Nero: in 64 AD, deflecting suspicions of setting fire to Rome, he blamed Christians for it. For several days, executions continued in the city, organized in the form of spectacles: Christians were crucified on crosses, burned alive in the imperial gardens, used as “night lighting”, dressed in the skins of wild animals and given over to be torn to pieces by dogs (the latter was applied to them back in beginning of the 4th century, under Emperor Diocletian).

Ad Calendas (Kalendas) Graecas - before the Greek calendars; on Greek calendars (never)

[ad kalendas grekas] The Romans called the first day of the month Kalends (hence the word “calendar”) (September 1 - September Kalends, etc.). The Greeks did not have kalends, so they use the expression when talking about something that will never happen, or expressing doubt that an event will ever happen. Compare: “after the rain on Thursday”, “when the cancer whistles”, “put under the cloth”, “put on the shelf”; “like the Turks to cross” (Ukrainian), “on Turkish Great Day.” The Romans paid their debts by the calends, and Emperor Augustus, according to Suetonius (The Divine Augustus, 87), often said of insolvent debtors that they would return the money to the Greek calends.

Adsum, qui feci. - I did it.

[adsum, qui fetsi] The speaker points to himself as the true culprit of what happened. Virgil (“Aeneid”, IX, 427) describes an episode of the war between the Trojan Aeneas, who arrived in Italy, and the king of the Rutulians, Turnus, the first groom of the daughter of King Latinus, who was now promised to marry Aeneas (it was his tribe, the Latins, that gave the name to the Latin language). Friends Nisus and Euryal, warriors from the camp of Aeneas, went on reconnaissance and shortly before dawn came across a detachment of rutuli. Euryalus was captured, and Nisus, invisible to the enemies, struck them with spears to free him. But seeing the sword raised over Euryalus, Nis jumped out of his hiding place, trying to save his friend: “Here I am, guilty of everything! Point your gun at me!” (translated by S. Osherov). He defeated the murderer of Euryalus and himself fell at the hands of his enemies.

Alea jacta est. - The die is cast.

[alea yakta est] In other words, a responsible decision has been made and there is no turning back. January 10, 49 BC Julius Caesar, having learned that the Senate, concerned about his victories and growing popularity, ordered him, the governor of Near Gaul, to disband the army, decided to illegally invade Italy along with his legions. Thus, a civil war began in the Roman Republic, as a result of which Caesar actually became the sole ruler. Crossing the Rubicon River, which separated Gaul from the north of Italy, he, according to Suetonius (The Divine Julius, 32), after long reflection on the irreversible consequences of his decision, uttered the phrase “Let the lot be cast.”

aliud stans, aliud sedens - one [speaks] standing, the other - sitting

[aliud stans, aliud sedens] Compare: “seven Fridays in a week”, “keep your nose to the wind”. This is how the historian Sallust (“Invective against Marcus Tullius Cicero,” 4, 7) characterized the inconstancy of the beliefs of this speaker and politician. The "Invective" reflected the real situation in 54 BC. Cicero, sent into exile in 58 for the execution of supporters of the conspirator Catiline, representatives of noble Roman families, returned to Rome with the consent of Caesar and with the help of Pompey, was forced to cooperate with them and defend in court their supporters, in the past his enemies, for example, Aulus Gabinius, consul of 58, involved in his removal into exile.

Amantes amentes.-Mad lovers.

[amantes amentes] Compare: “Love is not a prison, but drives you crazy”, “Lovers are like crazy people.” The title of Gabriel Rollenhagen's comedy (Germany, Magdeburg, 1614) is based on a play on similar-sounding words (paronyms).

Amici, diem perdidi. - Friends, I lost a day.

[amitsi, diem perdidi] Usually this is said about wasted time. According to Suetonius (“The Divine Titus,” 8), these words were spoken by Emperor Titus (who was distinguished by rare kindness and usually did not let a petitioner go without reassuring him), remembering one day at dinner that he had not done a single good deed all day.

Amicus cognoscitur amore, more, ore, re. - A friend is known by love, by disposition, by speech and deed.

[amicus cognoscitur amore, more, ore, re]

Amicus verus - rara avis. - A true friend is a rare bird.

[amicus verus - papa avis] Compare with Phaedrus (“Fables”, III, 9.1): “There are many friends; friendship is only rare” (translated by M. Gasparov). In this fable, Socrates, when asked why he built himself a small house, answers that it is so big for his true friends. The expression “eider avis” (“rare bird”, i.e. great rarity) is separately known; it appears in Juvenal (“Satires”, VI, 169), and is also found in “Satires” of Persia (I, 46).

Amor odit inertes. - Cupid does not tolerate sloths.

[amor odit inertes] Saying this, Ovid (“Science of Love”, II, 230) advises to hurry to every call of your beloved, to fulfill all her requests.

arbiter elegantiae - arbiter of grace; taste maker

[arbiter elegance] This position, according to Tacitus (Annals, XVI, 18), was occupied at the court of the Roman Emperor Nero by the satirical writer Petronius, nicknamed Arbiter, the author of the novel “Satyricon”, exposing the morals of the early Empire. This man was distinguished by refined taste, and Nero did not find anything refined until Petronius considered it so.

Arbor mala, mala mala. - A bad tree means bad fruit.

[arbor mala, mala mala] Compare: “Do not expect a good offspring from a bad seed”, “An apple does not fall far from the tree”, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Sermon on the Mount: Gospel of Matthew 7:17).

Argumenta ponderantur, non numerantur. - Evidence is weighed, not counted.

[arguments ponderantour, non ponderantur] Compare: “Numerantur sententiae, non ponderantur” [numerantur sententiae, non ponderantur] (“Votes are counted, not weighed”).

Audiatur et altera pars. - Let the other side be heard.

[avdiatur et altera pars] ​​An ancient legal principle that calls for objectivity when considering issues and litigation, judging objects and people.

Aurora Musis amica. - Aurora is a friend of the muses.

[aurora musis amica] Aurora is the goddess of the dawn, the muses are the patroness of poetry, arts and sciences. The expression means that the morning hours are most favorable for creativity and mental work. Compare: “The morning is wiser than the evening”, “Think in the evening, do in the morning”, “He who gets up early, God gives to him.”

Out bibat, out a beat. - Either drink or leave.

[out bibat, out abeat] Citing this Greek table proverb, Cicero (Tusculan Conversations, V, 41, 118) calls either to endure the blows of fate or to die.

Out Caesar, out nihil. - Either Caesar or nothing.

[out tsezar, out nihil] Compare: “Either the chest is in the crosses, or the head is in the bushes”, “Or pan, or disappeared” (Ukrainian). The motto of Cardinal Cesare Borgia, who tried to convict. XV century unite fragmented Italy under his rule. Suetonius ("Gaius Caligula", 37) attributed similar words to the wasteful emperor Caligula: he bathed in fragrant oils and drank wine with pearls dissolved in it.

Aut cum scuto, aut in scuto. - Either with a shield, or on a shield. (Soschit or on the shield.)

[out kum skuto, out in skuto] In other words, come back a winner or die a hero (the fallen were brought on the shield). The famous words of the Spartan woman who saw off her son to war. Free citizens of Sparta were prohibited from engaging in anything other than military affairs. They were constantly at war (after all, they were far outnumbered by state slaves - helots), they lived only by war and the thirst for victory, which is why Spartan mothers gave birth to their children. There is a well-known story about a Spartan woman who sent her five sons into battle and waited for news at the gate. Upon learning that all her sons were killed, but the Spartans won, the mother said: “Then I’m happy that they died.”

Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant. - Hello, Caesar, those going to death greet you.

[ave, caesar, morituri te salutant] So the gladiators, appearing in the arena where they fought with wild animals or among themselves, greeted the emperor who was in the amphitheater (Caesar here is not his own name, but a title). According to Suetonius (“The Divine Claudius”, 21), the soldiers shouted this phrase to the Emperor Claudius, who loved to organize spectacles for the crowd and, before the descent of Lake Fucin, staged a naval battle there. The expression can be used before an exciting test (for example, greeting a teacher during an exam), a speech, or an important, frightening conversation (for example, with a boss, director).

Barba crescit, caput nescit. - The beard grows, but the head doesn’t know.

[barba krestsit, kaput nescit] Compare: “The beard is as long as an elbow, but the mind is as long as a nail,” “The head is thick, but the head is empty.”

Bene dignoscitur, bene curatur. - Well recognized - well treated (about the disease).

[bene dignoscitur, bene curatur]

Bis dat, qui cito dat. - The one who gives quickly gives doubly (that is, the one who helps immediately).

[bis dat, qui cyto dat] Compare: “The road of a spoon for dinner”, “The road of alms in times of poverty”. It is based on the maxim of Publilius Syrus (No. 321).

Calcat jacentem vulgus. - People trample the lying (weak) person.

[calcat yatsentem vulgus] Emperor Nero in the tragedy “Octavia” attributed to Seneca (II, 455), when he says this, means that the people need to be kept in fear.

Carpe diem. - Seize the day.

[karpe diem (karpe diem)] Horace’s call (“Odes”, I, 11, 7-8) to live for today, without missing out on its joys and opportunities, without postponing a full-blooded life for a vague future, to take advantage of the moment, the opportunity. Compare: “Seize the moment,” “You can’t turn back lost time,” “If you’re an hour late, you can’t get it back in a year,” “Drink while you’re alive.”

Carum quod rarum. - What is expensive is what is rare.

[karum kvod rarum]

Casta (e)st, quam nemo rogavit. - Chaste is the one whom no one has molested.

[castast (caste est), kvam nemo rogavit] In Ovid (“Love Elegies”, I, 8, 43) these are the words of an old procurer addressed to girls.

Castis omnia casta. - For the blameless, everything is blameless.

[castis omnia caste] This phrase is usually used as an excuse for one’s unseemly actions and vicious inclinations.

Cave ne cadas. - Be careful that you don't fall.

[kave ne kadas] In other words, curb your pride and remember that you are only human. These words were addressed to the triumphant commander by a slave standing behind him. The triumph (a celebration in honor of Jupiter) was timed to coincide with the return of the commander after a major victory. The procession was opened by senators and magistrates (officials), followed by trumpeters, then they carried trophies, led white bulls for sacrifice and the most important prisoners in chains. The triumphant himself, with a laurel branch in his hand, rode behind in a chariot drawn by four white horses. Portraying the father of the gods, he wore clothes taken from the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill, and painted his face red, as in ancient images of the god.

Ceterum censeo. - Besides, I believe [that Carthage should be destroyed].

[tseterum tsenseo kartaginam delendam essay] So, according to Plutarch (“Marcus Cato”, 27) and Pliny the Elder (“Natural History”, XV, 20), Cato the Elder, a participant in the Battle of Cannae (216 BC), ended each speech in the Senate AD), where Hannibal inflicted a crushing defeat on the Romans. The venerable senator reminded that even after the victorious end of the Second Punic War (201 BC), one should be wary of a weakened enemy. After all, a new Hannibal may appear from Carthage. Cato’s words (the first two are usually quoted) to this day symbolize a stubbornly defended point of view, a decision to insist on one’s own at all costs.

Citius, altius, fortius! - Faster, higher, stronger!

[citius, altius, fortius!] Motto of the Olympic Games. Written on Olympic medals and on the walls of many gyms and sports palaces. Adopted in 1913 by the International Olympic Committee. The games were named after Olympia, a town in southern Greece where the temple of Olympian Zeus was located and a place for competitions dedicated to Zeus. They have been carried out since 776 BC. once every 4 years, during the summer solstice. A truce was declared throughout Greece for these 5 days. The winners were awarded olive wreaths and were revered as the favorites of Zeus. Abolished the games in 394 AD. Roman Emperor of Theodosius. They have been held as world sporting competitions since 1886.

Civis Romanus sum! - I am a Roman citizen!

[civis romanus sum!] This is what a person who occupies a privileged position, has benefits, or a citizen of a state that plays an important role in world politics can say about himself. This formula declared the full rights of the citizen and guaranteed him immunity outside Rome: even the lowest beggar could not be enslaved, subjected to corporal punishment or execution. Thus, Roman citizenship saved the Apostle Paul from scourging in Jerusalem (Acts of the Apostles, 22, 25-29). The expression is found in Cicero in speeches against Verres (V, 52), the Roman governor in Sicily (73-71 BC), who robbed merchant ships and killed their owners (Roman citizens) in quarries.

Cogito, ergo sum. - I think, therefore I exist.

[cogito, ergo sum] French philosopher of the 17th century. Rene Descartes (“Principles of Philosophy”, I, 7) considered this position the basis of a new philosophy: one should doubt everything except the evidence of the self-awareness of the doubting person. Can be quoted with the first word replaced, for example: “I love, therefore I exist.”

Consuetude altera natura. - Habit is second nature.

[consvetudo est altera natura] The basis is the words of Cicero (“On the Boundaries of Good and Evil”, V, 25, 74). Compare: “What is desired in youth is bondage in old age.”

Contra fact um non est argumentum. - There is no evidence against the fact.

[contra factum non est argumentum]

Credo, quia absurdum. - I believe because [it’s] ridiculous.

[credo, quia absurdum est] About blind, unreasoning faith or an initially uncritical attitude towards something. The basis is the words of a Christian writer of the 2nd-3rd centuries. Tertullian, who affirmed the truth of the postulates of Christianity (such as the death and resurrection of the Son of God) precisely because of their incompatibility with the laws of human reason (“On the Body of Christ,” 5): he believed that all this was too absurd to be fiction.

cunctando restituit rem - saved the situation by delay (case)

[kunktando restituit ram] This is how the Roman poet Ennius (“Annals”, 360) speaks of the commander Fabius Maximus. In the spring of 217 BC, after the death of the Roman army in the battle with Hannibal in the gorge near Lake Trasimene, the Senate appointed him dictator, thus granting unlimited powers for a period of six months. Knowing that the strong cavalry of the Carthaginians had an advantage in open areas, Fabius followed Hannibal along the hills, evading battle and preventing the plunder of the surrounding lands. Many considered the dictator a coward, but for these tactics he was given the honorary nickname Fabius Cunctator (Slow). And the policy of cautious movement towards the goal can be called Fabianism.

Currit rota. - The wheel is spinning.

[kurit rota] About the wheel of Fortune - the Roman goddess of fate and luck. She was depicted on a spinning ball or wheel - a symbol of the variability of happiness.

de asini umbra - about the shadow of a donkey (about trifles)

[de azini umbra] According to Pseudo-Plutarch (“The Life of Ten Orators”, “Demosthenes”, 848 a), Demosthenes was once not listened to in the Athenian national assembly, and he, asking for attention, told about how the driver and the young man who hired a donkey , they argued about which of them should take refuge in its shade in the heat. The listeners demanded a continuation, and Demosthenes said: “It turns out that you are ready to listen about the shadow of a donkey, but not about serious matters.”

De mortuis aut bene, aut nihil. - About the dead it’s either good or nothing.

[de mortuis out bene, out nihil] Seven more Greek sages (6th century BC) forbade slandering the dead, for example, Chilo from Sparta (as Diogenes Laertius writes: “The Life, Opinions and Teachings of Famous Philosophers,” I , 3, 70) and the Athenian legislator Solon (Plutarch, “Solon”, 21).

deus ex machina - god from the machine (unexpected outcome; surprise)

[deus ex machina] A theatrical device from an ancient tragedy: at the end an actor was suddenly lowered onto the stage in the image of a deity who resolved all conflicts. This is how they talk about something that contradicts the logic of what is happening. Compare: “as if he fell from the sky.”

Dictum factum. - No sooner said than done; straightaway.

[dictum factum] Compare: “What is said is connected.” The expression is found in Terence in the comedies “The Girl from Andros” (II, 3, 381) and “The Self-Tormentor” (V, 1, 904).

Disce gaudere. - Learn to rejoice.

[disse gavdere] This is what Seneca advises Lucilius (“Moral Letters”, 13, 3), understanding true joy as a feeling that does not come from the outside, but is constantly present in the soul of a person.

Dives est, qui sapiens est. - Rich is he who is wise.

[dives est, qui sapiens est]

Divide et impera. - Divide and rule.

[divide et impera] The principle of imperialist policy: to set provinces (social classes, religious denominations) against each other and use this enmity in the interests of strengthening their power. Compare with the saying “Divide ut regnes” (“Divide to rule”), attributed to the French king Louis XI (1423-1483) or the Italian political thinker Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), who believed that only the strong state power is able to overcome the political fragmentation of Italy. Since he allowed any means to strengthen such power, Machiavellianism is called a policy that violates moral standards.

Do ut des. - I give it to you.

[do ut des] Among the Romans, this is the conventional name for contracts that have already been executed by one party. Otto Bismarck, Chancellor of the German Empire from 1871 to 1890, called do ut des the basis of all political negotiations.

Docendo discimus. - By teaching, we learn.

[dotsendo discimus] Compare: “Teach others - and you yourself will understand.” It is based on the words of Seneca (“Moral Letters to Lucilius”, 7, 8): “Spend time only with those who will make you better, admit only those whom you yourself can make better. Both are accomplished mutually, people learn by teaching.”

domi sedet, lanam ducit - sits at home, spins wool

[domi sadet, lanam dutsit] The best praise for the Roman matron (mother of the family, mistress of the house). Unlike reclusive wives in Greece, Roman women went to visit their husbands and attended home feasts. On the street, men made way for them, and at their funerals they made eulogies. At home, their only duty was to make a woolen toga (clothing that served as a symbol of Roman citizenship) for their husband.

Domus propria - domus optima. - Your own home is the best. (Being a guest is good, but being at home is better.)

[domus propria - domus optima]

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

[dum spiro, spero] A similar idea was found in many ancient authors. "Dum spiro, spero" is the state motto of South Carolina. There is also the expression “Contra spent spero” [contra spam spero] (“I hope without hope” (Ukrainian), or “I hope against hope”) - this is the name of a famous poem by Lesya Ukrainka. Written at the age of 19, it is imbued with a strong will, the intention to live and enjoy her spring, overcoming a serious illness (from the age of 12 the poetess suffered from tuberculosis).

Dura lex, sed lex. - The law is harsh, but [it is] the law.

[stupid Lex, sad Lex]

Esce Homo. - This is the Man.

[ektse homo] In the Gospel of John (19:5), these words are spoken by Pontius Pilate, presenting to the Jews who demanded the execution of Jesus, the Man whom they demanded. Therefore, “Ecce Homo” is the name given to images of Christ wearing a crown of thorns, with drops of blood on his forehead from his needles. For example, an Italian painter of the early 17th century has such a painting. Guido Reni (1575-1642). In a figurative sense, the expression is sometimes used as a synonym for the famous “I am a man, and nothing human is alien to me” (see “Homo sum...”) or in the meaning of “This is a real man”, “Here is a man with a capital letter”. A paraphrased version of “Ecce femina” [ektse femina] is also known - “Be a woman” (“This is a real woman”).

Ede, bibe, lude. - Eat, drink, be merry.

[ede, bibe, lyude] It is based on the parable about the rich man told by Jesus (Gospel of Luke, 12, 19). He was just about to lead a carefree life (eat, drink and have fun), when the Lord took his soul. Compare with the ancient inscription on the table utensils: “Eat, drink, there will be no joys after death” (from a student song).

Epistula non erubescit. - The paper doesn't turn red.

[epistula non erubescit] Compare: “Paper will endure everything”, “The tongue becomes rigid, but the pen is not timid.” Cicero (“Letters to Relatives”, V, 12, 1), asking the historian Lucius Lucceus to glorify his merits in his books, says that during meetings he was ashamed to say so.

Errare humanum est. - Humans tend to make mistakes.

[errare humanum est] The expression is found in the orator Seneca the Elder (“Controversions”, IV, 3). In Cicero (Philippics, XII, 2, 5) we find a continuation of this thought: “Only a fool can persist in a mistake.” Compare: “Stubbornness is the virtue of donkeys”, “He makes more mistakes who does not repent of his mistakes.”

Est modus in rebus. - There is a measure in things.

[est modus in rebus (est modus in rebus)] Compare: “Everything is good in moderation”, “A little of good”, “Ne quid nimis” [ne quid nimis] (“Nothing too much”). The expression is found in Horace (“Satires”, I, 1, 106).

Ego in Arcadia. - And I [lived] in Arcadia

[et ego in arcadia] In other words, I also had happy days. Arcadia is a mountainous region in the center of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. In Theocritus’s “Idylls” and Virgil’s “Bucolics”, this is an idealized country where shepherds and their lovers lead an unpretentious, serene life in the lap of nature (hence the “Arcadian shepherds”). The expression “Et in Arcadia ego” has been known since the 16th century. This is the inscription under the skull being examined by two shepherds in a painting by Italian artist Bartolomeo Schidane. His fellow countryman Francesco Guercino (17th century) has this epitaph on the grave of a shepherd (the painting “Arcadian Shepherds,” better known from two copies by the French artist Nicolas Poussin, 1630s).

Et tu, Brute! - And you Brute!

[et tu, brute!] According to legend, these are the dying words of Julius Caesar, who saw Brutus among the murderers of Marcus Junius, whom he treated like a son. The historian Suetonius (“The Divine Julius”, 82, 2) does not confirm the fact of uttering these words. Caesar was killed at a Senate meeting on March 15, 44 BC, having been stabbed 23 times with daggers. It is interesting that almost all the murderers (fearing the strengthening of his autocracy) then lived no more than three years (Suetonius, 89). Brutus committed suicide in 42, after being defeated by the troops of Octavian (Augustus), Caesar's successor. Descendants glorified Brutus as a tyrannicide, but Dante in the Divine Comedy placed him in the last, 9th circle of Hell, next to Judas, who betrayed Christ.

Ex nihilo nihil. - From nothing - nothing.

[ex nihilo nihil] This idea appears in Lucretius’s poem “On the Nature of Things” (1.155-156), which sets out the teachings of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who argued that all phenomena are caused by physical causes, sometimes unknown to us, and not by the will of the gods.

Ex oriente lux. - Light from the East.

[ex oriente lux] Usually about innovations, discoveries, and trends that came from the east. The expression arose under the influence of the story about the Magi (wise men) from the East, who came to Jerusalem to worship the born Jesus, seeing His star in the East (Gospel of Matthew, 2, 1-2).

Ex ungue leonem, . - They recognize a lion by its claw, and a donkey by its ears.

[ex ungwe lebnem, ex avribus azinum] About the possibility of learning and appreciating the whole from a part. Compare: “You can see a bird by its flight,” “You can see a donkey by its ears, a bear by its claws, a fool by its speech.” Found in Lucian (“Hermotim, or On the Choice of Philosophy,” 54), who says that philosophical teaching can be judged without knowing it thoroughly: thus the Athenian sculptor Phidias (5th century BC), having seen only a claw, I calculated from it what the whole lion should be like.

Excelsior - All higher; more sublime

[excelsior] New York's motto. It is used as a creative credo, a principle for comprehending something.

Exegi monumentum. - I erected a monument.

[exegi monumentum] This is what a person can say about the fruits of his own labor, which should outlive him. This is the beginning of Horace’s ode (III, 30), which later received the name “Monument” (the same name came to be given to poems in which the author, usually taking as a basis the composition of Horace’s ode and its first line, speaks of his services to poetry, which should be preserved in memory of descendants and immortalize his name). From the same ode is the expression “Non omnis moriar” (see below). In Russian literature, Horace’s “Monument” was translated and re-sung by Lomonosov, Derzhavin, Fet, Bryusov and, of course, Pushkin (“I erected a monument to myself not made by hands”; the epigraph to this poem is the words “Exegi monumentum”).

Fabricando fabricamur. - By creating, we create ourselves.

[fabricanddo fabrikamur]

Factum est factum. - What is done is done.

[factum est factum] Compare: “You can’t fix things with hindsight”, “They don’t wave their fists after a fight.”

Fama volat. - Word is flying.

[fama volat] Compare: “The earth is full of rumors”, “Rumors scatter like flies.” Virgil says that rumor also gains strength as it goes along (that is, “If you say a word, they will add ten”) (Aeneid, IV, 175).

Feci quod potui, faciant meliora potentes. - I did [everything] I could; let those who can (feel the strength) do better.

[faci kvod potui, faciant meliora potentes] This is what they say when summing up their achievements or presenting their work to someone else’s judgment, for example, finishing a speech at a thesis defense. The verse arose from the formula with which the consuls concluded their report, transferring authority to their successors. After expelling King Tarquin the Proud (510/509 BC), the Romans elected two consuls annually and designated the year with their names. Thus, the conspiracy of Catalina (see “O temporal o mores!”) was revealed during the consulate of Cicero and Antony. From the era of Augustus (in power from 27 BC to 14 AD), the years were counted ab urbe condita [ab urbe condita] (from the founding of Rome, i.e. from 754/753 to AD).

Festina lente. - Hurry slowly.

[festina lente] Compare: “If you drive more quietly, you will continue,” “If you hurry, you will make people laugh.” This proverb (in Greek), according to Suetonius (“Divine Augustus”, 25, 4), was repeated by the Emperor Augustus, saying that haste and rashness are dangerous for a commander.

Fiat lux. - Let there be light.

[fiat luxury] From the description of the Creation of the world (Genesis 1, 3): “And God said: Let there be light. And there was light." This is how they speak about grandiose discoveries (for example, this is the inscription on the portraits of the inventor of printing, Johannes Gutenberg, mid-15th century) or calling for the removal of dark thoughts from the heart.

Fide, sed cui, vide. - Trust, but watch who. (Trust but check.)

[fide, sed kui, vide]

Finis coronat opus. - The end is the crown of the matter. (All is well that ends well.)

[finis coronat opus]

Fit via vi. - The road is paved by force.

[fit via vi] Virgil (Aeneid, II, 494) talks about how the Greeks break into the palace of the Trojan king Priam. These words are quoted by Seneca (“Moral Letters to Lucilius”, 37, 3), saying that the inevitable cannot be avoided, but it must be fought.

Folio sum similis. - I am like a leaf.

[folio sum similis] About the brevity of life, its dependence on the game of fate (the comparison of people with leaves was found in ancient poetry). Source - “Confession” of Archipit of Cologne, poet of the 12th century.

Fortes fortuna juvat. - Fate helps the brave.

[fortes fortuna yuvat] Compare: “The city takes courage.” It is found, for example, in the story of Pliny the Younger (“Letters”, VI, 16, 11) about the death of his uncle, the scientist Pliny the Elder, during the eruption of Vesuvius (79 AD). Having equipped the ships (wanting to help people and study the unusual phenomenon), he encouraged the helmsman with this phrase.

Fortuna vitrea est. - Fate is glass.

[fortuna vitrea est] Sentence of Publilius Sira (No. 236): “Fate is glass: when it shines, it breaks.”

Gaudeamus igitur, - Let's have fun [while we're young]!

[gaudeamus igitur, yuvenes dum sumus!] The beginning of the medieval student hymn, performed at initiation into students.

Gutta cavat lapidem. - A drop chisels a stone.

[gutta kavat lapidam] About someone’s patience, a firm and unwavering desire to achieve one’s own. Words of Ovid (“Letters from Pontus”, IV, 10, 5).

Habent sua fata libelli. - Books have their own destiny.

1286th verse from a poem by a Roman grammarian of the 1st-2nd centuries. AD Terenzian Mavra “On letters, syllables and sizes”: “Depending on the reader’s perception, books have their own destiny.”

Hannibal ad portas. - Hannibal is at the gate.

It was first used as an indication of imminent danger by Cicero (Philippics, I, 5.11). Appears in Titus Livy (“History of Rome from the Foundation of the City”, XXIII, 16). It is also customary to associate these words with the events of 211 BC, when Hannibal’s army, after standing for several days a mile from Rome, retreated from the city.

Hic Rhodus, hic salta. - Rhodes is here, jump here.

In other words, don’t brag, but prove here and now what you’re capable of. Compare: “We have heard the speeches, but we do not see the deeds.” From Aesop’s fable “The Boastful Pentathlete” (No. 33), where a loser athlete, having returned to his homeland, boasted of his extraordinary jump on the distant island of Rhodes - the same one where the Colossus of Rhodes stood in ancient times (35-meter statue of the sun god Helios, one of seven wonders of the world). Having called all the Rhodians as witnesses, he heard in response from his fellow citizens: “If this is true, then why do you need witnesses? Imagine that Rhodes is here, jump here!” The expression can also be understood as follows: “Here is the most important thing; This is something we need to work on.”

Historia est magistra vitae. - History is the teacher of life.

From Cicero’s treatise “On the Orator” (II, 9, 36): “History is the witness of the times, the light of truth, the life of memory, the teacher of life, the messenger of antiquity.” A call to learn lessons from the past and look for examples in history worthy of imitation. Often paraphrased (“Philosophy is the teacher of life”).

Hoc erat in votis. - That's what I dreamed about

Horace (“Satires”, II, 6.1) about the gift given to him by Maecenas, a friend of Emperor Augustus (and then of Horace himself), of an estate in the Sabine Mountains, northeast of Rome.

Hominem quaero. - I'm looking for a person.

According to Diogenes Laertius (“Life, opinions and teachings of famous philosophers”, VI, 2, 41), this was the answer of the Greek philosopher Diogenes - the same one who lived in a barrel and was glad that there are so many things in the world that you can do without , - when asked why he walks the streets with a lantern in broad daylight. “And you didn’t find it?” - they asked him. - “I found good children in Sparta, good husbands - nowhere.” The fable of Phaedrus (III, 19) describes a similar incident from the life of the Greek fabulist Aesop. Taking a light from his neighbors, he, with a lit lamp in his hand, hurried home to his owner (since he was a slave) and answered the question of a passer-by in this way, apparently not considering him a person because he pesters busy people.

Homo est animal sociale. - Man is a social animal (creature).

Source - “Nicomachean Ethics” (1097 b, 11) by Aristotle. Popularized by the Persian Letters (No. 87) of the French thinker Charles Montesquieu (1721).

Homo homini lupus est. - Man is a wolf to man.

In other words, everyone is selfish by nature and strives to satisfy their desires, which naturally leads to conflicts with other people. With these words in Plautus’s comedy “Donkeys” (II, 4, 495), the merchant motivates his refusal to transfer money for the owner through his servant, who assures of his honesty.

Homo sum: . - I am human [and I believe that nothing human is alien to me].

The expression means: 1) that the speaker, like everyone else, is not alien to human weaknesses and errors, and is subject to ordinary ailments; 2) that he is not at all indifferent to the misfortunes and joys of others, he is interested in life in all its manifestations, he is able to understand, respond, and sympathize; 3) that he is a man of broad interests. In Terence’s comedy “The Self-Tormentor” (I, 77), old man Khremet asks why his elderly neighbor works in the field all day long, and, hearing the answer: “Do you really have so much free time from your own affairs that you interfere in other people’s?” - he justifies his curiosity with this phrase.

Honors mutant mores. - Honors change morals. (Character changes along with fate.)

This, according to Plutarch (“Life of Sulla”, 30), is confirmed by the biography of the Roman commander Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In his youth, he was gentle and compassionate, and when he came to power (in November 82 BC, after the end of the civil war between him and the commander Gaius Marius, Sulla was proclaimed dictator for an unlimited period to restore order in the state), he showed indomitable cruelty. The dictatorship began with terror (Latin terror - fear), that is, with mass lawless murders. Proscriptions were displayed in public places - lists with the names of supporters of Marius who were declared outlaws (they could be killed with impunity).

Ibi victoria, ubi concordia. - There is victory where there is unity.

[ibi victoria, ubi concardia] From the maxim of Publilius Sira (No. 281).

Ignorantia non est argumentum. - Ignorance is not an argument. (Ignorance is not an argument.)

[ignorantia non est argumentum] From Spinoza’s treatise “Ethics” (Part 1, Addendum). Compare: “Ignorance of the law does not exempt you from responsibility.”

Ignoti nulla cupido. - There is no attraction to the unknown. (You cannot wish for the unknown.)

[ignoti nulla cupido] Therefore, Ovid (“Science of Love”, III, 397) advises beauties to go to crowded places.

Imperare sibi maximum imperium est. - Self-control is the highest power.

[imperare sibi maximum imperium est] The expression is found in Seneca (“Moral Letters to Lucilius”, 113, 30). We find a similar idea in Cicero (“Tusculan Conversations”, II, 22, 53): he talks about the Roman commander Gaius Maria, who, when he needed to cut his leg, for the first time ordered not to tie himself to the board, which many later began to do according to his example.

in actu mori - to die in the midst of activity (while on duty)

[in actu mori] Found in Seneca (“Moral Letters to Lucilius”, 8, 1).

in aqua scribis - you write on the water

[in aqua scribis] About empty promises, vague plans, wasted work (compare: “it was written on the water with a pitchfork”, “grandmother said in two”, “to build sand castles”). The Roman poet Catullus (70, 3-4) uses the expression “in aqua scribere” (“to write on the water”), speaking about the frivolity of women’s vows: “What a passionate girlfriend says to a lover // you need to write in the wind or on fast water" (translated by S. Shervinsky).

In dubio pro reo. - In case of doubt - in favor of the accused. (If the votes are equal, the defendant is acquitted.)

[in dubio about reo]

In hoc signo vinces. - Under this banner you will win, (Staroslav. By this victory.)

[in hok signo vinces] In 305 AD. Emperor Diocletian left the throne and retired to the city of Salona, ​​taking up cultivation of flowers and vegetables. A fierce struggle for power began in the Empire between its co-rulers. The winner was the son of one of them, Constantine, later nicknamed the Great. According to church tradition (Eusebius, “Life of Constantine”, I, 28), on the eve of the decisive battle (312) he saw a luminous crucifix in the sky with the Greek inscription “With this banner you will conquer”, after which he ordered to depict a cross on the banner and shields of the soldiers ( many of whom were secret Christians) and, despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, won.

In maxima potentia minima licentia. - In the greatest power there is the least freedom (for the ruled).

[in maxima potencia minima licentia]

In vino veritas. - The truth is in wine. (There is truth in wine.)

[in wine varitas] Compare: “What is on the sober mind is on the tongue of the drunk.” In the Middle Ages, the expression “In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas” [in wine veritas, in aqua sanitas] (“In wine there is truth, in water there is health”) appeared. A similar idea was found in Pliny the Elder (“Natural History”, XIV, 28), Horace (“Epodes”, 11, 13-14). Typically, the expression "In vino veritas" is used as an invitation to drink or to toast.

Inde irae et lacrimae. - Hence the anger and tears. (This is what causes anger and tears.)

[inde ire et lacrime] Juvenal (“Satires”, I, 168) speaks of the crushing scourge of satire, i.e. about the effect that it has on those who see in it a caricature of their own vices and therefore are so desperately indignant when they hear, for example, the lines of Lucilius (Roman satirist poet of the 2nd century BC). Compare Terence in the comedy “The Girl from Andros” (1.1, 126): “Hinc illae lacrimae” - “That’s where these tears come from” (“That’s the point”). This is what the young man’s father exclaimed when he saw her pretty sister at the funeral of his neighbor Chrysis: he immediately understood why his son Pamphilus mourned so much for Chrysis, a seemingly complete stranger to him.

Inter arma silent Musae. - Among weapons (when weapons thunder) the muses are silent.

[inter arma silent muze] About the fact that war is not the best time for the arts and sciences. It is no coincidence that the peak of creativity of such famous Roman authors as the poets Virgil, Horace, Ovid, the historian Titus Livia, whose language is called Golden Latin, occurred during the reign of Emperor Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD) , when, after civil wars, relative calm reigned within the empire. The expression is based on the words of Cicero: “Inter arma silent leges” [leges] (“Among weapons, the laws are silent”). This is how the speaker justifies a man who killed his political opponent in a fight, of which he was not the instigator (“Speech in Defense of Titus Annius Milo,” IV, 10).

Inter pares amicitia. - Friendship is between equals.

[inter pares amicitsia] Compare: “The well-fed is not a companion to the hungry”, “Know the horse with the horse, and the ox with the ox” (Ukrainian).

Inter utrumque vola. - Fly in the middle.

[inter utrumkve vola (inter utrumkve vola)] Advice to stick to the golden mean. So in Ovid’s poems “The Science of Love” (II, 63) and “Metamorphoses” (VII, 206), Daedalus, having made wings for himself and his son Icarus from bird feathers fastened with wax (in order to leave the island of Crete, where they were forcibly held by King Minos), explains to the young man that it is dangerous to fly too close to the sun (it will melt the wax) or to the water (the wings will get wet and heavy).

inutile terrae pondus - useless burden of the earth

[inutile terre pondus] About something (someone) useless, not fulfilling its purpose, non-functional. It is based on Homer’s “Iliad” (XVIII, 104), where Achilles, the strongest of the Greeks who fought at Troy, calls himself this way. Angry at King Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek army, who had taken away his beloved captive Briseis, the hero refused to fight, thereby becoming an indirect cause of the death of many of his comrades and his best friend, Patroclus (who, in order to frighten the Trojans, entered the battlefield in the armor of Achilles and was defeated by Hector, son of the Trojan king Priam). Mourning his friend, the hero bitterly regrets that he could not curb his anger.

Jucundi acti labores. - Completed works (difficulties) are pleasant.

[yukundi acta labores] In other words, the consciousness of completed work, overcome difficulties (Latin labores - torment, difficulties, labors) is pleasant. Compare with Pushkin (“If life deceives you…”): “Whatever passes, it will be nice.” The proverb is cited by Cicero (“On the Boundaries of Good and Evil,” II, 32, 105), disagreeing with the Greek philosopher Epicurus that a wise man should remember only the good and forget the bad: after all, sometimes it is gratifying to remember past adversities. A similar idea was found in Homer (“Odyssey”, XV, 400-401): “Past troubles are readily remembered // by a husband who experienced them a lot and wandered around the world for a long time” (translated by V. Zhukovsky).

Justitia fundamentum regnorum. - Justice is the basis of states.

[justitia fundamentum regnorum]

Labor omnia vincit. - Labor conquers everything.

[labor omnia vincit] Compare: “Patience and labor will grind everything down.” The expression “Hard work has conquered everything” is found in Virgil (Georgics, I, 145). He says that Jupiter deliberately hid many blessings from people (for example, fire) and did not teach useful skills, so that they themselves, prompted by need and difficult conditions of existence, through reflection and experience, could comprehend the world around them and improve their lives. "Labor omnia vincit" is the motto of the American state of Oklahoma.

lassata necdum satiata - tired but not satisfied

[lassata nekdum satsiata] Juvenal (“Satires”, VI, 129) speaks of Valeria Messalina, the third wife of Emperor Claudius, who, as contemporaries said, often spent nights in brothels and in the morning, “tired of the caress of men, left unfed” (translated by . D. Nedovich and F. Petrovsky), According to Suetonius (“The Divine Claudius”, 26, 2-3), the emperor was extremely unlucky with his wives. Having executed Messalina, who entered into a new marriage in front of witnesses, he vowed not to marry again, but was seduced by his niece Agrippina. Claudius was unlucky this time too: it is believed that it was Agrippina in 54 AD. poisoned him in order to place her son Nero on the throne.

Late anguis in herba. - There is a snake hiding in the grass.

[latet angvis in herba] A call to be alert, not to take everything for granted, and not to forget about the possibility of a catch. This is what they say about a hidden but imminent danger, insidious, insincere people pretending to be friends. The source of the expression is Virgil's Bucolics (III, 92-93).

Libri amici, libri magistri. - Books are friends, books are teachers.

[libri amici, libri magistri] Compare: “A book decorates in happiness, and consoles in misfortune”, “To live with a book is not to bother forever”, “Liber est mutus magister” [liber est mutus magister] (“The book is a dumb teacher” ).

Lingua dux pedis. - The tongue leads the legs.

[lingua dux padis] Compare: “The language will take you to Kyiv.”

Littera scripta manet. - The written letter remains.

[litera scripta manet] Compare: “Verba volant, scripta manent” [verba volant, scripta manent] (“Words fly away, what is written remains”), “What is written with a pen cannot be cut out with an ax.”

Longa est vita, si plena est. - Life is long if it is full.

[longa est vita, si plena est] The expression is found in Seneca (“Moral Letters to Lucilius”, 93, 2).

Longae regum manus. - Kings have long arms.

[longe ragum manus] Compare: “The hands of gentlemen are in debt”, “The royal eye strikes far away”. Source - Ovid's "Heroids" (a collection of messages written on behalf of mythological heroines to their lovers). Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, writes in response to the Trojan prince Paris that she fears persecution from her husband (“Heroids”, XVII, 166).

Lupus non mordet lupum. - A wolf does not bite a wolf. (He doesn’t touch his own.)

[lupus non mordet lupum] Compare: “A wolf is not poisoned by a wolf” (that is, you cannot set a wolf against a wolf), “A raven will not peck out a raven’s eye.”

Madeant pocula Baccho. - Let the cups be filled with Bacchus (wine).

[madeant pokula bakho] The poet Tibullus (“Elegies”, III, 6, 5) calls on Bacchus (that is, Dionysus - the god of viticulture and winemaking) to heal him from a love wound.

Magister dixit. - [So] the teacher said.

[Master Dixit] A reference to generally accepted authority, often ironic. According to Cicero (“On the Nature of the Gods,” I, 5, 10), this is how the students of the Greek philosopher Pythagoras substantiated all their statements. This formula was also used by medieval philosophers, referring to Aristotle, as a decisive argument.

magni nominis umbra - shadow of the great name

[magni nominis umbra] About those who can only remember their glorious past, and about descendants who are not worthy of their ancestors. Lucan in the poem “Pharsalia” (I, 135) says this about the Roman commander Pompey, who outlived his greatness. He had major victories, but in 48 BC, on the eve of the decisive battle with Caesar (near the city of Pharsala in northern Greece), who, having declared war on the Senate (see “Alea jacta est”), took possession of all of Italy Apart from the provinces, Pompeii, which had already gained fame in the past and had not fought for a long time, was greatly inferior to its rival, who lived with hopes for the future. Having fled to Egypt after the defeat, Pompey was killed there on the orders of King Ptolemy, who apparently wanted to please Caesar.

Malum exemplum imitabile. - A bad example is contagious.

[malum exemplum imitabile]

Manum de tabula! - Hand [away] from the board! (Enough! Enough!)

[manum de tabula!] A call to stop, to put an end to something in a timely manner. As Pliny the Elder writes (“Natural History”, XXXV, 36, 10), it was precisely the inability to remove his hand from the board with a painting in time, which further intervention by the painter could only spoil, that the Greek artist Apelles reproached his no less talented contemporary Protogen. The expression is also found in Petronius’s novel Satyricon (LXXVI).

Manus manum lavat. - Hand washes hand.

[manus manum lavat] Compare: “The hand washes the hand, but the rogue covers the rogue”, “A favor for a favor”, “You give me, I give you.” Among Roman writers, the expression is found in Petronius (Satyricon, XLV) and in the pamphlet attributed to Seneca, “The Apotheosis of the Divine Claudius” (9), where the immortals decide whether to recognize the feeble-minded Claudius after death (54 AD) as a god, as other Roman emperors: “The decision leaned in favor of Claudius, for Hercules [in front of whose temple Claudius, a lover of legal proceedings, judged even in the summer], seeing that it was necessary to strike while the iron was hot, began […] to persuade everyone: “Please don’t let me down.” me, on occasion, I will repay you with anything: hand washes hand (translated by F. Petrovsky).

mare verborum, gutta rerum - a sea of ​​words, a drop of deeds

[mare varborum, gutta rerum] Compare: “there is a lot of noise, but there is little use”, “we heard speeches, but we don’t see actions”, “he takes his tongue, but does not stick to the matter.”

Margaritas ante porcos. - [Don’t throw] pearls before swine.

[margaritas ante porcos] A call not to waste good words on those who are not able to understand and appreciate them, or not to make too learned speeches that are not understandable to the majority. Source - Christ's Sermon on the Mount (Gospel of Matthew, 7, 6): “Do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot.”

Medica mente, non medicamente. - Treat with your mind (soul), not with medicine.

[medica mante, non medicamente]

Medice, cura te ipsum! - Doctor, heal yourself!

[meditsa, kura te ipsum!] A call not to meddle in other people’s business and, before lecturing others, to pay attention to oneself and one’s own shortcomings. The proverb is found in the Gospel of Luke (4, 23), where Jesus, having read in the synagogue an excerpt from the Book of the prophet Isaiah (61, 1: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; for He […] has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted”), says to those listening: “Of course, you will tell Me the saying: doctor! heal yourself!”

Medicus curat, natura sanat. - The doctor heals, nature heals.

[medicus kurat, natura sanat] In other words, although the doctor prescribes treatment, it is always nature that heals, which supports the patient’s vitality. Therefore, they talk about vis medicatrix naturae [vis medicatrix nature] - the healing (healing) power of nature. The source of the expression is an aphorism of Hippocrates translated into Latin.

Mel in ore, verba lactis, // fel in corde, firaus in factis. - Honey on the tongue, milk in words, bile in the heart, deception in deeds.

[mel in ore, verba lactis, // fel in corde, fravs in factis] Medieval epigram on the Jesuits.

Memento mori. - Memento Mori.

[memento mori] The expression is better known in the “translation” of the heroes of Leonid Gaidai’s comedy “Prisoner of the Caucasus”: “Instantly at sea.” Hence, apparently, the persistent desire to pronounce “momento more” (in the first case, the test word will be memoria - memory, from which our memorial is). The primary source is considered to be the story of Herodotus (“History”, II, 78) about the Egyptian custom during a feast to carry around the guests an image of a deceased person lying in a coffin. The expression “Memento vivere” (“Remember life”) is also known - a call to find time for entertainment, not to allow grief to kill the joy of life. The poem "Vivere memento!" Ivan Franko has it in the cycle “Vesnyanki” (XV).

Mens sana in corpore sano.-A healthy mind in a healthy body.

[mens sana in corpore sano] One of the few Latin expressions, the modern interpretation of which is opposite to the meaning originally intended by the author. Roman poet I-II centuries. AD Juvenal in his “Satires” (X, 356) spoke out against the excessive passion of the Romans for bodily exercises: “We must pray that the mind be healthy in a healthy body” (translated by D. Nedovich and F. Petrovsky; the Latin mens also means “mind”, and “spirit”, hence the word “mentality”). Nowadays, the words of Juvenal, often written on the walls of medical or sports institutions, call, on the contrary, in caring for the spiritual and sublime, not to forget about your body, your health.

Militat omnis amans.-Every lover is a soldier.

[militat omnis amans] Ovid (“Love Elegies”, I, 9, 1) compares the life of a lover, standing as an honor guard at the door of his chosen one and carrying out her instructions, with military service.

Misce utile dulci. - Mix business with pleasure.

[misce utile dulci] The basis was the “Science of Poetry” (343), where Horace tells the poet the right way to please all ages: “The one who combined the useful (what older readers especially value in poetry) with the pleasant” achieved general approval.”

Miserere - Have mercy

[miserere] The name of the repentant psalm (No. 50), which King David of Israel uttered, having learned from the prophet Nathan that he had committed evil in the eyes of the Lord by taking Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, as his wife, and sending her husband to death (Second Book of Kings, 12 , 9); therefore the son born of Bathsheba will die. Oral Jewish tradition says that this woman was intended for David since the Creation of the world, and since their second son was the wisest King Solomon, the deceased firstborn could become the Messiah; David's sin was that he took Bathsheba before the due date. To the sounds of this psalm, monks and fanatics scourged themselves, so “Miserere” can jokingly be called a good flogging.

Modicus cibi - medicus sibi. - A person who eats in moderation is his own doctor.

[modicus cibi - medicus sibi] Compare: “Eating in excess is illness and misfortune”, “Eat without finishing, drink without finishing.”

Natura est semper invicta. - Nature is always invincible

[nature est semper invicta] In other words, everything inherent in nature (talents, inclinations, habits) will manifest itself, no matter how hard you try to suppress it. Compare: “Drive nature through the door - it will fly into the window”, “No matter how you feed the wolf, he still looks into the forest.” Horace (“Epistle”, I, 10, 24) says: “Drive nature with a fork - it will return anyway” (translated by N. Gunzburg).

Navigare necesse est, . - It is necessary to swim, [there is no need to live].

[navigare netsesse est, vivare non est netsesse] According to Plutarch (“Comparative Lives,” Pompey, 50), these words were spoken by the Roman commander and politician Gnaeus Pompey (see about him in the article “magni nominis umbra”), who was responsible for grain supply, when he was the first to board a ship carrying grain from Sardinia, Sicily and Africa to Rome, and ordered it to sail, despite a strong storm. In a figurative sense, they talk about the need to move forward, overcoming difficulties, to dare, to fulfill one’s duty (to people, the state, profession), even if this involves risking one’s life or requires a lot of time that could be spent with great pleasure for oneself .

Naviget, haec summa (e)st. - Let him float (sail away), that’s all.

[naviget, pek summat (pek sum est)] A call to move forward, not to stand still. In Virgil (Aeneid, IV, 237) this is an order from Jupiter, transmitted through Mercury to the Trojan Aeneas, who, in the arms of Queen Dido of Carthage, forgot about his mission (to reach Italy and lay the foundations of the Roman state, which will become the heir of the burned Troy).

Ne sus Minervam. - Don’t [teach] Minerva a pig. (Don't teach a scientist.)

[ne sus minervam] Found in Cicero (“Academic Discourses”, I, 5.18). Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, patroness of crafts and arts, identified with the Greek Athena.

Ne sutor supra crepidam. - Let the shoemaker [judge] not above the boot.

[ne cytop suppa kripidam] Compare: “Every cricket knows its nest”, “Know, cat, its basket”, “It’s a disaster if a cobbler starts baking pies, and a pie-maker starts making boots” (Krylov). Pliny the Elder (“Natural History” XXXV, 36.12) talks about how the famous Greek artist of the 4th century. BC. Apelles exhibited his new painting in an open gazebo and, hiding behind it, listened to the opinions of passers-by. Having heard a comment about the number of loops on the inside of the shoes, the next morning he corrected the omission. When the shoemaker, having become proud, began to criticize the leg itself, the artist answered him with these words. This incident is described by Pushkin (“The Shoemaker”).

Nec mortale sonat. - Sounds immortal; no mortal [voice] sounds.

[nek mortale sonata (nek mortale sonat)] About thoughts and speeches filled with divine inspiration and wisdom. The basis is the words of Virgil (Aeneid, VI, 50) about the ecstatic prophetess Sibyl (Apollo himself revealed to her the secrets of the future). Inspired by God, she seemed taller to Aeneas (he came to find out how to go down to the underworld and see his father there); even her voice sounded different from that of mortals.

Nee pluribus impar - Not inferior to many; above all

[nek pluribus impar] Motto of King Louis XIV of France (1638-1715), who was called the “Sun King”.

[nek plus ultra] Usually they say: “to pes plus ultra” (“to the limit”). These words (in Greek) were allegedly spoken by Hercules, erecting two rocks (the Pillars of Hercules) on the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar (this place was then considered the western limit of the inhabited world). The hero reached there, performing his 10th feat (kidnapping the cows of the giant Geryon, who lived in the far west). “Nee plus ultra” is the inscription on the ancient coat of arms of the city of Cadiz in Southern Spain. Compare with the motto of the Habsburg dynasty, which ruled Austria, Austria-Hungary, the Holy Roman Empire and Spain: “Plus ultra” (“Beyond perfection,” “Even further,” “Forward”).

Magis inepte, quam ineleganter.(MAGIS INEPTE, KVAM INELEGANTER.)
More ridiculous than ugly.
Suetonius in “The Divine Claudius” about the emperor: “He also composed eight books about his life, written not so much tastelessly as stupidly.”

Magister bibendi(MASTER BIBANDI).
Drinking teacher; drinking party manager; master of drinking.

Magni nominis umbra(MAGNI NOMINIS UMBRA.)
The shadow of a great name (about a person who survived the time of his glory and success or about a descendant of a great person).
From Lucan.

Magnum opus(MAGNUM OPUS).
The main work.

Mala gallina - malum ovum(MALYA TALLINA - MALYUM OVUM).
A bad chicken is a bad egg.
Wed. Russian: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Mala herba cito crescit(MALIA HERBA CYTO CRESCIT).
Thin grass grows quickly.
Proverb.

Male cuncta ministrat impetus(MALE KUNKTA MINISTRAT IMPETUS).
Passion is a bad leader.
From Papinia Station.

Mali principit - malus finis Mali(PRINCIPLES - MALUS FINIS).
Bad beginning, bad ending.
From Terence.

Malesuada fames(MALEZUADA FAMES).
Hunger is a bad advisor.
From V e r g i l i a.

Malo cum Platone errare, quam cum aliis recte sentire(MALO KUM PLYATONE ERRARE, KVAM KUM ALIIS REKTE SENTIRE).
It is better to be wrong with Plato than to be right with others. Or: It is better to be wrong with a wise man than to be right with fools.

Malum consillium est, quod mutari non potest(MALYUM CONSILLIUM EST, KVOD MUTARI NON POTEST).
A bad decision is one that cannot be changed.
From Publilius Syrus (1st century BC).

Malum nullum est sine aliquo bono(MALUM NULLUM EST SINE ALIQUO BONO).
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Proverb found in Pliny the Elder.

Malus animus(MALUS ANIMUS).
Bad intention.

Malus eventus(MALUS EVENTUS).
Bad case; bad incident.

Mane et nocte(MANE ETH NOKTE).
Morning and night.

Manifestum non eget probatione(MANIFESTUM NON EGET PROBATIONE).
The obvious does not need proof.

Manus manum lavat(MANUS MANUM LYAVAT).
The hand washes the hand.
Proverb found in Petronius and Seneca.

Mare interbibere(MARE INTERBIBERE).
Drink the sea, i.e. do the impossible.
The source is a legend told by Plutarch (c. 46 - c. 127) about the resolution of a controversial issue between the Ethiopian and Egyptian kings.

Materia subtilis(MATERIA SUBTILIS).
Thin, delicate material.

Materia tractanda(MATERIA TRACTANDA).
Subject of discussion, conversation.

Mater natura(MATER NATURA).
Nature is mother.

Mater pia(MATER PIA).
Tender, kind mother.

Mea culpa(MEA KULPA).
My fault; sinful.

Mea, memoria(MEA MEMORIA).
In my memory.

Mea parvitas(MEA PARVITAS).
My insignificance (derogatory about myself).
From Valerius Maximus (1st century AD).

Medice, cura te ipsum!(MEDICE, KURA TE IPSUM!)
Doctor, heal yourself!
Gospel of Luke, 4, 23. The proverb that Jesus Christ used in a conversation with the inhabitants of Nazareth: “He said to them: Of course, you will say to Me the proverb: Physician, heal yourself; do also here, in your fatherland, what we heard it happened in Capernaum."

Mel in ore, verba lactis, fel in corde, fraus in factis(MEL IN ORE, VERBA LYAKTIS, FEL IN CORDE, FRAUS IN FACTIS).
Honey on the tongue, milk in words, bile in the heart, deception in deeds.
An ancient epigram on the Jesuits.

Melius non incipient, quam desinent(MALIUS NON INCIPENT, QUAM DESIENT).
It's better not to start than to stop halfway.
From Senek.

Memento mori(MEMENTO MORI).
Memento Mori!
A form of greeting exchanged upon meeting between monks of the Trappist order, founded in 1664.

Memento quod es homo(MEMENTO KVOD ES HOMO).
Remember that you are human.
From F. Bacon (1561-1626).

Mendax in uno, mendax in omnibus(MENDAX IN UNO, MENDAX IN OMNIBUS).
He who lies about one thing lies about everything.

Mens agitate molem(MENS AGITAT PRAYER).
The mind moves the mass, i.e. thought sets matter in motion.
From Virgil.

Mens sana in Sogroge sano(MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO).
In a healthy body healthy mind.
From Yu venal.

Meo voto(IEO VOTO).
In my opinion.

Merito fortunae(MARITO FORTUNE).
On a happy occasion.

Mihi nihil aliud virile sexus esset(MIHI NIKHIL ALIUD VIRILE SEXUS ESSET).
If I have anything masculine, it is a sign of gender.
From Petronius Arbiter.

Mihi vindicta, ego retribuam.(MIHI VINDICTA, EGO RETRIBUAM).
Vengeance is mine, and I will repay.
Romans 12, 19.

Militavi pop sine gloria.(MILITAVI NON SINE GLORIA).
I fought not without glory.
From Horace.

Minima de malis(MINIMA DE MALIS).
The lesser of two evils (choose).

Minus habens(MINUS HABANS).
Having little (about a person of small abilities).

Miserable dictu(MIZERABILE DIKTU).
Regrettable.

Mixture verborum(MIXTURE VERBORUM).
Verbal jumble.

Modo vir, modo femina(MODO VIR, MODO FEMINA).
Either a man or a woman.
From Ovid.

modus agendi(MODUS AGENDI).
Modus operandi.

Modus cogitandi(MODUS COGITANDI).
Way of thinking.

modus dicendi(MODUS DICENDI).
Manner of expression.

modus vivendi(MODUS VIVENDI).
Lifestyle.

Moilia tempora fandi(MOLLIA TEMPORA FANDI).
A time convenient for conversation.

More majorum(MORE MAJORUM).
According to the custom of our ancestors; as it was done in the old days.

Mors animae(MORS ANIME).
Death of the soul.

Mors ultima ratio(MORS ULTIMA RATION).
Death is the final reason for everything.

Mortem effugere nemo potest.(MORTEM EFFUGERE NEMO POTEST).
No one can escape death.
From Cicero.

Multa nocent(MULTA NOTE).
A lot of harm.

Multa, non-multum(MULTA, NON MULTUM).
A lot, but not much, i.e. large in quantity, but insignificant.

Multa paucis(MULTA PAUCIS).
Much in little, that is, short and clear.

Multi sunt vocati, pauci vero electi(MULTI SUNT VOKATI, PAUCI VERO ELECTI).
Many are called, but few are chosen.
Gospel of Matthew, 20, 16. In his parable, Jesus Christ compares the kingdom of heaven with the owner of the house, who hired workers in his vineyard. He paid everyone the same for the work: both those who came in the morning and those who came at the end of the day. One of those who hired a job in the morning began to grumble about the injustice of such payment. But the owner of the vineyard answered him like this: “Take what is yours and go; I want to give this last one the same as I give you; am I not empowered to do what I want in my life? Or is your eye envious because I am kind? So it will be.” The last are first, and the first are last; for many are called, but few are chosen.”

Multum in parvo(MULTUM IN PARVO).
A lot in a small amount (about a lot of content in a small volume).

Multum, non-multa(MULTUM, NON MULTUM).
A lot, not a lot (read, do).
Proverb; found in Pliny the Elder: “You ask how I would advise you to study in your long solitude... Do not forget to carefully select authors in each genre. After all, you must, as they say, read a lot, not a lot.” Also from Quintilian: “We must develop the mind and develop a style by reading a lot, and not by reading a lot.”

Mundus uqiversus exercet histrioniam(MUNDUS UNIVERSUS EKSERZET HISTRIONIAM).
The whole world is engaged in acting.
From Petronius Arbiter.

Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur(MUNDUS VULT DECIPI, ERGO DECIPIATUR).
The world wants to be deceived, so let it be deceived.
The aphorism is attributed to Pope Paul IV (1555-1559); found in a truncated form in some medieval authors.

Munerum animus optimus est(MUNERUM ANIMUS OPTIMUS EST).
The best of gifts is intention, i.e. A gift is not expensive - love is expensive.

Mus in pice(MUS IN PICE).
Mouse in peas (about a situation from which it is difficult to get out).

Mutatis mutandis(MUTATIS MUTANDIS).
By changing what needs to be changed; with changes; with reservations; in accordance with the situation and conditions.

Mutato nomine(MUTATO NOMINE).
Under a different name.

Mysterium magnum(MYSTERIUM MAGNUM).
Great miracle; great mystery.
From Jacob Boehme (1575-1624).