The most complete list!
A selection of beautiful phrases and popular aphorisms in Latin, sayings and quotes with translation for tattoos. Lingua latina is one of the most ancient languages, the appearance of which dates back to the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. e.
Wise Latin sayings are often used by contemporaries as inscriptions for tattoos or as independent tattoos in a beautiful font.
Phrases for tattoos in Latin
Audaces fortuna juvat.
(translation from Latin)
Happiness favors the brave.
Contra spent spero.
I hope without hope.
Debellare superbos.
Crush the pride of the rebellious.
Errare humanum est.
Est quaedam flere voluptas.
There is something of pleasure in tears.
Ex veto.
By promise, by vow.
Faciam ut mei memineris.
Quote from the work of the ancient Roman author Plautus.
I'll make sure you remember me.
Fatum.
Fate, rock.
Fecit.
I did it, I did it.
Finis coronat opus.
End crowns the work.
Gaudeamus igitur, Juvenes dum sumus!.
Let's have fun while we're young.
Gutta cavat Lapidem.
A drop wears away a stone.
Literally: Gutta cavat lapidem, consumitur anulus usu – A drop chisels a stone, the ring wears out from use. (Ovid)
Hoc est in votis.
That's what I want.
Homo homini Lupus est.
Man is a wolf to man.
Homo Liber.
Free man.
In hac spe vivo.
I live by this hope.
The truth is in the wine.
Magna res est amor.
The great thing is love.
Malo mori quam foedari.
Better death than dishonor.
Ne cede malls.
Don't be discouraged by misfortune.
Noll me tangere.
Don't touch me.
Omnia mea mecum Porte.
I carry everything that’s mine with me.
Per aspera ad astra.
Through thorns to the stars.
The option is also used Ad astra per aspera– to the stars through thorns.
The famous saying is attributed to Lucius Annaeus Seneca, an ancient Roman philosopher.
Quod licet Jovi, non licet bovi.
What is allowed to Jupiter is not allowed to the bull.
A Latin phraseological unit that defines that there is no and cannot be equality among people.
Suum cuique.
To each his own.
Ubi bene, ibi patria.
Where it is good, there is homeland.
The original source appears to be in the comedy Plutus by the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes.
Vale et me ama.
Farewell and love me.
Cicero ended his letters with this phrase.
I came, I saw, I conquered!
Laconic notice of Caesar about his victory over Pharnaces, son of Mithridates, at Cela, 47 BC.
Vlvere militare est.
To live means to fight.
Vivere est cogitare
Living means thinking.
Words of the Roman statesman, writer and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC)
Ab altero expectes, alteri quod feceris.
Expect from another what you yourself have done to another.
Abiens, abi!
When you leave, go away!
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.
Ad pulchritudinem ego excitata sum, elegantia spiro et artem efflo.
I am awakened to beauty, breathe grace and radiate art.
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 the 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.
Aut viam inveniam, aut faciam.
Either I’ll find a way, 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.
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 based on which French philosopher and the 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)
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.)
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.”)
Hoc est vivere bis, vita posse priore frui.
To be able to enjoy the life you have lived means to live twice. (Martial, "Epigrams")
Etiam innocentes cogit mentiri dolor.
Pain makes even the innocent lie. (Publius, "Sentences")
Ignoscito saepe alteri, nunquam tibi.
Forgive others often, never forgive yourself. (Publius, "Sentences")
Infandum renovare dolorem.
To resurrect the terrible, unspeakable pain again, to talk about the sad past. (Virgil, "Aeneid")
Homo homini lupus est.
Man is a wolf to man. (Plautus, “Donkeys”)
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 differ. (The Russian equivalent is the proverb “There is no friend according to taste”)
De mortuis aut bene, aut nihil.
About the dead it’s either good or nothing. (A probable source is Chilon’s saying “Do not slander the dead”)
Descensus averno facilis est.
The path to hell is easy.
Deus ipse se fecit.
God created himself.
Divide et impera.
Divide and conquer. (Latin formulation of the principle of imperialist policy, which arose in modern times.)
Dura lex, sed lex.
The law is harsh, but it is the law. Meaning of the Latin phrase: whatever harsh law, it must be followed.
As long as 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 quam videri.
To be, not to seem.
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.
Experientia est optima magistra.
Experience is the best teacher.
Facile omnes, cum valemus, recta consilia aegrotis damus.
When we are healthy, we easily give good advice to the sick.
Facta sunt potentiora verbis.
Actions are stronger than words.
Factum est factam.
What's done is done (a fact is a fact).
Fama clamosa.
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.
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!
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.
Err is human.
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 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.
Imago animi vultus est.
The face is the mirror of the soul.
Imperare sibi maximum imperium est.
To command oneself is the greatest power.
Forever, forever.
In Daemon Deus!
There is God in the Demon!
In dubio abstine.
When in doubt, refrain.
Infelicissimum genus infortunii est fuisse felicem.
The greatest misfortune is to be happy in the past.
Incertus animus dimidium sapientiae est.
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.
The truth is in the wine. (Cf. Pliny the Elder: “It is generally accepted to attribute truthfulness to wine.”) A very common phrase in tattoos!
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 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.
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.
I hope for the best.
Mens sana in corpore sano.
A healthy mind in a healthy body.
Memento mori.
Remember death.
(The 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 does not know the law; it takes both the king and the poor man.
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.
Nothing is good in every way
(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 a 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 the 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. “That’s what I do, because I carry everything I have with me,” he answered, meaning your spiritual wealth.)
Omnia fluunt, omnia mutantur.
Everything flows, everything changes.
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 thorns 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 set expression.)
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 will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. (Matt. 7:7)
First among equals. (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. (Russian analogy: 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 I don't know anything.
(Latin translation of the freely interpreted words of Socrates. Compare Russian. Learn for a century, 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.”)
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 is worthy of love, a father is worthy of 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 an 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 option; 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't.)
Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito!
Do not submit to trouble, but boldly go towards it!
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.
A well-known and very popular phrase for tattoos:
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.
Phrase for a tattoo with humor :)
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.
Carpe diem!
The winged Latin expression translates as “live in the present”, “seize the moment”.
The entire phrase goes like this: “ Aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero. - Time: seize the moment, trust the future as little as possible.”
A contrario
On the contrary
In logic, a method of proof that involves proving the impossibility of a proposition that contradicts what is being proven.
Ab ovo usque ad mala
“From eggs to apples”, i.e. from beginning to end
Lunch among the ancient Romans usually began with an egg and ended with fruit.
Abyssus abyssum invocat
The abyss calls to the abyss
Like leads to like, or one disaster leads to another disaster.
Ad notice
“For a note”, for your information.
Ad patres
“To the forefathers”, i.e. to the next world, Bible, book of Kings, 4, 22, 20
Aditum nocendi perfido praestat fides
Trust placed in a treacherous person gives him the opportunity to do harm
Seneca, “Oedipus”
Advocatus diaboli
Devil's Advocate
In an extended sense, the devil's advocate is the defender of a hopeless cause in which the person defending it does not believe.
Alea jacta est
"The die is cast", there is no turning back, all bridges are burned
In 44 BC. e. Julius Caesar decided to seize sole power and crossed the Rubicon River with his troops, thereby breaking the law and starting a war with the Roman Senate.
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.
Amicus Socrates, sed magis amica veritas
Socrates is my friend, but truth is dearer
The expression goes back to Plato and Aristotle.
Amor non est medicabilis herbis
Love cannot be treated with herbs, i.e. there is no cure for love
Ovid, “Heroids”
Anni currentis
Current year
Anno Domini
From the birth of Christ, into the year of the Lord
Form of date designation in Christian chronology.
Ante annum
Last year
Aquila non captat muscas
An eagle does not catch flies, Latin proverb
Asinus Buridani inter duo prata
Buridanov's donkey
A person hesitating between two equal possibilities. It is believed that the philosopher Buridan, proving the inconsistency of determinism, gave the following example: a hungry donkey, on both sides of which lie two identical and equidistant armfuls of hay, will not be able to prefer either of them and will ultimately die of hunger. This image is not found in the writings of Buridan.
Aurea mediocritas
Golden mean
The formula of practical morality, one of the main provisions of Horace’s everyday philosophy, which found expression in his lyrics; also used to describe mediocre people.
Horace
Auribus tento lupum
I hold the wolf by the ears
I'm in a hopeless situation. , Latin proverb
Out Caesar, out nihil
Either Caesar or nothing
Wed. Russian It's either hit or miss. The source of the motto was the words of the Roman Emperor Caligula, who explained his immoderate extravagance by the fact that “you must live either by denying yourself everything, or like a Caesar.”
Ave Caesar, imperator, morituri te salutant
Hello Caesar, Emperor, those going to death salute you
Greeting from Roman gladiators addressed to the emperor.
Beati pauperes spiritu, quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, Matthew 5:3
Benefacta male locata malefacta arbitror
I consider blessings done to an unworthy person to be evil deeds.
Cicero
Cadmea victoria
"Cadmian victory", a victory won at an excessively high cost and tantamount to defeat, or a victory disastrous for both sides
The expression arose on the basis of a legend about a duel in the fight for Thebes, founded by Cadmus, the sons of Oedipus - Eteocles and Polyneices. This duel ended with the death of both warring brothers.
Caesarem decet stantem mori
It is fitting for Caesar to die standing, Suetonius' report on last words Emperor Vespasian
Calamitas virtutis occasio
Adversity is the Touchstone of Valor
Seneca
Cantus cycneus
Swan song
“He says that just as the swans, having sensed the gift of prophecy from Apollo, to whom they are dedicated, foresee what a gift death will be for them, and die singing and with joy, so should all the good and wise do the same.”
Cicero, Tusculan Conversations, I, 30, 73
Castigat ridento mores
“Laughter castigates morals”
Motto of the Comedy Theater (Opera Comique) in Paris. Originally, the motto of the Italian troupe of comic actor Dominic (Dominico Brancolelli) in Paris, composed for it by the New Latin poet Santel (XVII century).
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esse
And besides, I maintain that Carthage must be destroyed
A persistent reminder, a tireless call for something. The Roman senator Marcus Porcius Cato, no matter what he had to express his opinion on in the Senate, added: “And besides, I believe that Carthage should not exist.”
Charta (epistula) non erubescit
Paper (letter) does not turn red
Citius, altius, fortius!
Faster, higher, stronger!
Motto olympic games, adopted in 1913 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Clipeum post vulnera sumere
Take up a shield after being wounded
Wed. Russian After a fight they don’t wave their fists.
Cloaca maxima
Great cesspool, great cesspool
IN ancient Rome– a large canal for draining city waste.
Cogitations poenam nemo patitur
No one is punished for thoughts, One of the provisions of Roman law (Digests)
Cogito, ergo sum
I think therefore I am
The position on 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
Concordia parvae res crescunt, discordia maximae dilabuntur
With agreement (and) small states (or affairs) grow, with discord (and) great ones are destroyed
Sallust, "Jugurthine War"
Conscientia mille testes
Conscience is a thousand witnesses, Latin proverb
Consuetudo est altera natura
Habit is second nature
Habit creates, as it were, a kind of second nature.
Cicero, “On the Supreme Good and the Supreme Evil,” V, 25, 74 (in a statement of the views of the philosophers of the Epicurean school)
Cornu copiae
Cornucopia
The origin of the expression is associated with the Greek myth of the goddess Amalthea, who fed the baby Zeus with goat's milk. The goat broke off its horn on a tree, and Amalthea, filling it with fruits, offered it to Zeus. Subsequently, Zeus, having overthrown his father, Kronos, turned the goat that fed him into a constellation and its horn into a wonderful “horn of plenty.”
Ovid, "Fasti"
Corruptio optimi pessima
The fall of the good is the most evil fall
Credat Judaeus Apella
“Let the Jew Apella believe this,” that is, let anyone believe it, just not me
Horace, "Satires"
Credo, quia verum
I believe it because it's ridiculous
A formula that clearly reflects the fundamental opposition between religious faith and scientific knowledge of the world and is used to characterize blind, non-reasoning faith.
De gustibus non disputandum est
Tastes differ
Wed. Russian There is no comrade for the taste and color.
De mortuis aut bene, aut nihil
About the dead it's either good or nothing
A probable source is Chilo’s saying “do not speak ill of the dead.”
Decies repetita placebit
And if you repeat it ten times you will like it
Horace, “The Science of Poetry”
Decipimur specie recti
We are deceived by the appearance of what is right
Horace, “The Science of Poetry”
Deest remedii locus, ubi, quae vitia fuerunt, mores fiunt
There is no place for medicine where what was considered a vice becomes a custom
Seneca, “Letters”
Delirium tremens
"Trembling delirium", delirium tremens
An acute mental illness resulting from prolonged alcohol abuse.
Desire in loco
Go crazy where it's appropriate
Horace, “Odes”
Deus ex machina
God ex machina
Reception ancient tragedy, when a tangled intrigue received an unexpected outcome through the intervention of a god who appeared through a mechanical device.
IN modern literature the expression is used to indicate an unexpected resolution to a difficult situation.
Dies diem docet
Day teaches day
A brief formulation of the thought expressed in the verse of Publilius Sirus: “The next day is the student of the previous day.”
Dies irae, dies illa
That day, the day of wrath
The beginning of a medieval church hymn is the second part of a funeral mass, a requiem. The hymn is based on the biblical prophecy of the day of judgment, "The Prophecy of Zephaniah", 1, 15.
Diluvii testes
Witnesses of the flood (i.e., ancient times)
About people with outdated, archaic views.
Divide et impera
Divide and conquer
The 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
The saying of Cleanthes, translated into Latin by Seneca.
Dura lex, sed lex
The law is harsh, but it's the law
No matter how harsh the law is, it must be respected.
Ecce spectaculum dignum, ad quod respiciat intentus operai suo deus
Here is a sight worthy of God looking back at his creation
Seneca, “On Providence”
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.
Ego sum rex Romanus et supra grammaticos
I am the Roman Emperor and I am above the grammarians
Words said, according to legend, at the Council of Constance by Emperor Sigismund in response to an instruction given to him that by using the word schisma in the feminine gender, he violated Latin grammar.
Ergo bibamus
So let's have a drink
Title and greeting of Goethe's drinking song.
Esse oportet ut vivas, non vivere ut edas
You have to eat to live, not live to eat
A 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.”
Et tu quoque, Brute!
And you, Brutus!
Words allegedly spoken by Caesar before his death, stabbed to death by twenty-three swords of the conspirators.
Etiam innocentes cogit mentiri dolor
Pain makes even the innocent lie
Publilius, “Sentences”
Ex ipso fonte bibere
Drink from the source itself, i.e. go to the original source
Cicero, "On Duties"
Ex malis eligere minima
Choose the least of two evils
Ex nihilo nihil fit
Paraphrase of the main position of Epicurean philosophy in Lucretius
Fac-simile(from fac+simile “do like this”)
Exact copy
Peren. display of one phenomenon in another.
Facilis descensus Averni
The path through Avernus is easy, that is, the path to the underworld
Lake Avernus near the city of Cuma in Campania was considered the threshold of the underworld.
Feci quod potui, faciant meliora potentes
I did everything I could, whoever can do it better
A paraphrase of the formula with which the Roman consuls concluded their reporting speech, transferring powers to their successor.
Fiat lux
Let there be light
And God said: Let there be light. And there was light. , Bible, Genesis, I, 3
Hoc est vivere bis, vita posse priore frui
To be able to enjoy the life you have lived means to live twice
Martial, "Epigrams"
Homo homini lupus est
Man is a wolf to man
Plautus, "Donkeys"
Homo proponit, sed deus disponit
Man proposes, but God disposes
Goes back to Thomas a à Kempis, whose source was the Bible, Proverbs of Solomon “A man’s heart determines his way, but it is up to the Lord to direct his steps.”
Igni et ferro
Fire and iron
The original source of the expression goes back to the first aphorism of Hippocrates: “What medicine cannot cure, iron cures; what iron cannot cure, fire cures.” Cicero and Livy used the expression “to destroy with fire and sword.” Bismarck proclaimed the policy of unifying Germany with iron and blood. The expression became widely known after the publication of the novel “With Fire and Sword” by Henryk Sienkiewicz.
Ignoscito saepe alteri, nunquam tibi
Forgive others often, never forgive yourself.
Publilius, Sentences
Imperitia pro culpa habetur
Ignorance is imputable, Roman Law Formula
In pace leones, in proelio cervi
In time of peace - lions, in battle - deer
Tertullian, "On the Crown"
In sensu strictiori
In a narrower sense
In silvam non ligna feras insanius
Less madness would be to carry firewood into the forest
Horace, "Satires"
In vino veritas
The truth is in the wine
Wed. Pliny the Elder: “It is generally accepted to attribute truthfulness to wine.”
In vitium ducit culpae fuga
The desire to avoid a mistake draws you into another
Horace, "The Science of Poetry"
Infelicissimum genus infortunii est fuisse felicem
The greatest misfortune is to be happy in the past
Boethius
intelligent pauca
For those who understand, a little is enough
Ira furor brevis est
Anger is a momentary insanity
Horace, "Epistle"
Is fecit cui prodest
Made by someone who benefits
Jus primae noctis
First night right
A custom according to which a feudal lord or landowner could spend the first wedding night with the bride of his beloved vassal or serf.
Leave fit, quote bene fertus 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"
Manus manum lavat
Hand washes hand
A proverbial expression dating back to the Greek comedian Epicharmus.
Margaritas ante porcos
Cast pearls before swine
“Do not give holy things to dogs; and do not throw pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.” , Gospel of Matthew, 7, 6
Memento mori
Remember death
A form of greeting exchanged upon meeting between monks of the Trappist order, founded in 1664. It is used both as a reminder of the inevitability of death, and in a figurative sense - of the threatening danger.
Nigra in candida vertere
Turn black into white
Juvenal, "Satires"
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"
Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum
“Not every person manages to get to Corinth,” expensive things are not accessible to everyone
The Corinthian hetaera* Laida, famous for her beauty, was accessible only to the rich who came to her from all over Greece, which is why the widespread Greek saying arose: “not everyone gets to sail to Corinth.” One day Demosthenes secretly came to Laida, but when she asked him to give ten thousand drachmas**, he turned away with the words: “I do not pay ten thousand drachmas for repentance.”
* - in Dr. Greece educated unmarried woman leading a free, independent lifestyle.
** - approximately the price of four kilograms of gold.
Nunc est bibendum
Now I need to drink
Horace, "Odes"
O imitatores, servum pecus!
O imitators, slave herd!
Horace, "Epistle"
O sancta simplicitas!
Oh holy simplicity
A phrase attributed to the Czech reformer, hero of the national liberation movement Jan Hus. According to legend, Hus, being burned at the stake, uttered these words when some old woman, out of pious motives, threw an armful of brushwood into the fire.
O tempora! Oh more!
O times! O morals!
“Speech against Catiline”, “O times! O morals! The Senate understands this, the consul sees it, and he [Catiline] lives.”
Cicero
Oderint dum metuant
Let them hate, as long as they are afraid
Words of Atreus from the tragedy Actium named after him. According to Suetonius, this was the favorite saying of Emperor Caligula.
Omne ignotum pro magnifico est
Everything unknown seems majestic
Tacitus, “Agricola”
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 grab more of their things, someone advised the sage Biant to do the same. “That’s what I do, because I carry everything I have with me,” he answered, referring to his spiritual wealth.
Optimum medicamentum quies est
The best medicine is peace
Medical aphorism, authored by the Roman physician Aulus Cornelius Celsus.
Panem et circenses
Bread and circuses
An exclamation that expressed the basic demands of the Roman crowd in the era of the Empire.
Per aspera ad astra
“Through thorns to the stars”; through difficulties to a high goal
Per risum multum debes cognoscere stultum
You should recognize a fool by his frequent laughter, Medieval proverb
Periculum in mora
“The danger is in delay”, i.e. delay is dangerous
Titus Livius, “History”, “When there was already more danger in delay than in violating military order, everyone fled in disorder.”
Persona grata
Desirable or trusted person
Post scriptum(abbreviated P.S.)
After written
Postscript at the end of the letter.
Primus inter pares
First among equals
A formula characterizing the position of the monarch in a feudal state.
Pro et contra
Pros and cons
Quae sunt Caesaris Caesari
Caesar's to Caesar
“Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's”—Jesus's answer to the Pharisees who asked whether Caesar (i.e., the Roman emperor) should be paid the wages he demanded. , Gospel of Luke, 20, 25
Qui habet aures audiendi, audiat
He who has ears to hear, let him hear, Matthew 11, 15
Qui tacet – consentire videtur
He who remains silent is considered to have agreed
Wed. Russian Silence is a sign of consent.
Quid brevi fortes jaculamur aevo multa?
Why should we strive for so much in a fast-paced life?
Horace, "Odes"
Quot capita, tot sensus
So many heads, so many minds
Wed. Terence, “Formion”: How many people, so many opinions.
Rideamus!
Let's laugh!
Risus sardonicus
Sardonic laughter
According to the explanation of the ancients, laughter resembles a convulsive grimace caused by poisoning with a poisonous herb growing on the island of Sardinia.
Salus reipublicae – suprema lex
The good of the state is the highest law
Paraphrase from “Let the good of the people be the supreme law.”
Salve, maris stella
Hello, Star of the Sea
A variant of the opening words of the Catholic church hymn “Ave, maris stella” (9th century) - Mary was considered a guide to sailors due to the erroneous convergence of her name (ancient Hebrew Mirjam) with the Latin word mare “sea”.
Scio me nihil scire
I know I don't know anything
Latin translation of the freely interpreted words of Socrates.
Wed. Russian Learn forever, you'll die a fool.
Si vis pacem, para bellum
If you want peace, prepare for war
Source – Vegetius. Also Wed. Cicero: “If we want to enjoy peace, we have to fight” and Cornelius Nepos: “Peace is created by war.”
Solitudinem faciunt, pacem appelant
They create a desert and call it peace
From the speech of the British leader Kalgak, calling on his fellow tribesmen to decisively oppose the Romans who invaded their country.
Tacitus, Agricola
Summa summarum
“Sum of sums”, i.e. the final total or overall total
In ancient times, the phrase was used to mean “a set of things” or “the universe.”
Suum cuique
To each his own, that is, to each what belongs to him by right, to each according to his deserts, Provision of Roman law
Tarde venientibus ossa
He who comes late gets bones, Latin proverb
Tempus edax rerum
All-consuming time
Ovid, “Metamorphoses”
Terra incognita
Unknown land; trans. something completely unknown or inaccessible area
On ancient geographical maps, unexplored parts of the earth's surface were designated this way.
Tertium non datur
There is no third option; there is no third
In formal logic, this is how one of the four laws of thinking is formulated - 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 it, then there cannot be a third, middle judgment between them.
Tibi et igni
“For you and fire”, i.e. read and burn
Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes
Fear the Danaans, even those who bring gifts
Words of the priest Laocoon, referring to a huge wooden horse, built by the Greeks (Danaans) supposedly as a gift to Minerva.
Tranquillas etiam naufragus horret aquas
Shipwrecked and still water afraid
Wed. Russian Burnt child dreads the fire.
Ovid, "Epistle from Pontus"
Urbi et orbi
"To the city and the world"; to the whole world, to everyone
Usus tyrannus
Custom is a tyrant
Varietas delectat
Variety is fun
Phaedrus, "Fables"
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. e. over the Pontic king Pharnaces.
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"
Viva vox alit plenius
“Living speech nourishes more abundantly,” that is, what is presented orally is more successfully absorbed than what is written
Latin is a language in which you can talk about anything, and always sound especially smart and sublime. If you've ever studied it, it probably wasn't the brightest, most fun time of your life, but it was rewarding all the same.
But if you haven’t had the chance to study such a subject, then catch the 25 most famous Latin sayings. Remember at least a few of them, and then, having successfully inserted one or two phrases into a conversation, you will be known as a very intelligent and well-read person. And don’t forget to close your eyes languidly when quoting great philosophers.
25. "Ex nihilo nihil fit."
Nothing comes from nothing.
24. “Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur.”
The world wants to be deceived, so let it be deceived.
Photo: pixabay
23. "Memento mori".
Remember that you are mortal.
Photo: pixabay
22. “Etiam si omnes, ego non.”
Even if that’s all, then I’m not.
Photo: shutterstock
21. “Audiatur et altera pars.”
Let the other side be heard too.
Photo: B Rosen / flickr
20. “Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses.”
If you were silent, you would remain a philosopher.
Photo: Maik Meid/wikimedia commons
19. "Invictus maneo".
I remain undefeated.
Photo: naveenmendi / wikimedia commons
18. “Fortes fortuna adiuvat.”
Fate helps the brave.
Photo: pixabay
17. “Dolor hic tibi proderit olim.”
Bear with it and be strong, this pain will benefit you someday.
Photo: Steven Depolo / flickr
16. "Cogito Ergo Sum".
I think, therefore I exist.
Photo: pixabay
15. “Oderint dum metuant.”
Let them hate, as long as they are afraid.
Photo: K-Screen shots / flickr
14. “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”
Who will guard the watchmen themselves?
Photo: John Kees/flickr
13. “Sic transit gloria.”
This is how worldly glory passes.
Photo: pixabay
12. "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
Never tickle a sleeping dragon.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
11. "Utinam barbari spacium proprium tuum invadant."
Let the barbarians invade your personal space.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
10. “In vino veritas.”
The truth is in the wine.
Photo: Quinn Dombrowski / flickr
9. “Si vis pacem, para bellum.”
If you want peace, prepare for war.
Photo: Σταύρος / flickr
8. "Pacta sunt servanda."
Treaties must be respected.
Photo: pixabay
7. “Non ducor, duco.”
I am not a follower, I lead.
Photo: nist6dh / flickr
6. “Quando omni flunkus moritati.”
If everyone has fallen, pretend to be dead too.
Photo: Pete Markham / flickr
5. “Quid quid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.”
He who speaks Latin sees the highest peaks.
Photo: Tfioreze / wikimedia commons
4. "Dum Spiro, Spero."
As long as I breathe, I hope.
Photo: pixabay
3. “Tua mater latior quam Rubicon est.”
Your mother is wider than the Rubicon (Italian river).
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
2. “Carpe diem.”
Seize the moment.
Photo: pixabay
1. “Aut viam inveniam, aut faciam.”
Either I will find the road, or I will make it myself.
Photo: www.publicdomainpictures.net
There are moments in a conversation when ordinary words are no longer enough, or they seem inconspicuous in front of the deep meaning that you want to convey, and then people come to the rescue winged sayings, - the Latin ones are the most significant in terms of power of thought and brevity.
alive!
A great variety of words and phrases in different languages world are borrowed from Latin. They are so deeply rooted that they are used all the time.
For example, the well-known aqua (water), alibi (proof of innocence), index (index), veto (prohibition), persona non grata (a person who was not wanted to be seen and was not expected), alter ego (my second self), alma mater (mother-nurse), capre diem (seize the moment), as well as the well-known postscript (P.S.), used as a postscript to the main text, and a priori (relying on experience and faith).
Based on the frequency of use of these words, it is too early to say that the Latin language has long died. He will live in Latin sayings, words and aphorisms for a long time.
The most famous sayings
A small list of the most popular works on history known to many fans and philosophical conversations over a cup of tea. Many of them are almost similar in frequency of use:
Dum spiro, spero. - As long as I breathe, I hope. This phrase first appears in Cicero’s Letters and also in Seneca.
De mortus out bene, out nihil. - It’s good about the dead, or nothing. It is believed that Chilo used this phrase as early as the fourth century BC.
Vox populi, vox Dia. - The voice of the people is the voice of God. A phrase heard in Hesiod’s poem, but for some reason it is attributed to the historian William of Malmesbury, which is completely wrong. In the modern world, the movie “V for Vendetta” brought fame to this saying.
Memento mori. - Remember death. This expression was once used as a greeting among Trapist monks.
Note bene! - A call to pay attention. Often written in the margins of the texts of great philosophers.
Oh tempora, oh mores! - Oh times, oh morals. from Cicero's Oration against Catiline.
After the fact. - Often used to denote an action after an already accomplished fact.
About this contra. - Pros and cons.
In bono veritas. - The truth is good.
Volens, nolens. - Willy-nilly. Can also be translated as “whether you like it or not”
The truth is in the wine
One of the most famous Latin sayings sounds like “in vino veritas”, in which the truth is veritas, in vino - the wine itself. This is a favorite expression of people who often drink a glass, in such a cunning way they justify their craving for alcohol. The authorship is attributed to the Roman writer Pliny the Elder, who died in the eruption of Vesuvius. At the same time, his authentic version sounds somewhat different: “Truth has drowned in wine more than once,” and the subtext is that a drunk person is always more truthful than a sober one. The great thinker was often quoted in his works by the poet Blok (in the poem “Stranger”), the writer Dostoevsky in the novel “Teenager” and some other authors. Some historians claim that the authorship of this Latin saying belongs to a completely different person, the Greek poet Alcaeus. There is also a similar Russian proverb: “What a sober man has on his mind, a drunk man has on his tongue.”
Quotes from the Bible translated from Latin into Russian
Many phraseological units used now are drawn from the greatest book of the world and are grains great wisdom passing from century to century.
He who does not work does not eat (from 2nd Paul). Russian analogue: he who does not work does not eat. The meaning and sound are almost identical.
Let this cup pass from me. - This is taken from the Gospel of Matthew. And from the same source - The student is not higher than his teacher.
Remember that you are dust. - Taken from the book of Genesis, this phrase reminds everyone who is proud of their greatness that all people are made from the same “dough.”
The abyss calls the abyss (Psalter.) The phrase in Russian has an analogue: trouble does not come alone.
Do what you plan (Gospel of John). - These are the words spoken by Jesus to Judas before his betrayal.
Phrases for every day
Latin sayings with transcription in Russian (for easier reading and memorization) can be used in ordinary conversation, decorating your speech with wise aphorisms, giving it special poignancy and uniqueness. Many of them are also familiar to most:
Diez diem dotset. - Every previous day teaches a new one. Authorship is attributed to someone who lived in the first century BC.
Ecce homo! - Behold the Man! The expression is taken from the Gospel of John, the words of Pontius Pilate about Jesus Christ.
Elephantem ex muca fascis. - You make an elephant out of a molehill.
Errare humanum est. - To err is human (these are also the words of Cicero)..
Essay kvam videri. - To be, not to seem.
Ex animo. - From the bottom of my heart, from the soul.
Exitus of the act of trial. - The result justifies the means (action, act, deed).
Look for who benefits
Quid bono and quid prodest. - The words of the Roman consul, who was often quoted by Cicero, who in turn is universally quoted by detectives in modern films: “Who benefits, or look for who benefits.”
Researchers of ancient treatises on history believe that these words belong to the lawyer Cassian Ravilla, who in the first century of our century investigated a crime and addressed the judges with these words.
Words of Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero is a great and political figure who played a leading role in exposing the Catiline conspiracy. He was executed, but many of the thinker’s sayings continue to live among us for a long time, like Latin sayings, and few people know that he was the author.
For example, everyone knows:
Ab igne ignam. - From the fire, fire (Russian: from the fire to the fire).
A true friend is found in a wrong deed (in a treatise on friendship)
To live is to think (Vivere eats Kogitare).
Either let him drink or leave (out bibat, out abeat) - a phrase often used at Roman feasts. In the modern world it has an analogue: they don’t go to someone else’s barracks with their own regulations.
Habit is second nature (treatise “On the Highest Good”). This statement was also picked up by the poet Pushkin:
The habit has been given to us from above...
The letter does not blush (epistula non erubescit). From a letter from Cicero to a Roman historian, in which he expressed his satisfaction that he could express much more on paper than in words.
Everyone makes mistakes, but only a fool persists. Taken from the work "Philippics"
About love
This subsection contains Latin sayings (with translation) about the high feeling- love. Having reflected on their deep meaning, one can trace the thread that connects all times: Trahit sua quemque voluptas.
Love cannot be cured with herbs. Ovid's words, later paraphrased by Alexander Pushkin:
The disease of love is incurable.
Femina nihil pestilentius. - There is nothing more destructive than a woman. Words belonging to the great Homer.
Amor omnibus let's go. - Part of Virgil's saying, “love is the same for all.” There is another variation: all ages are submissive to love.
Old love must be knocked out with love, like a stake. Words of Cicero.
Analogues of Latin and Russian expressions
A lot of Latin sayings have identical meanings to proverbs in our culture.
The eagle doesn't catch flies. - Each bird has its own nest. It hints that you need to adhere to your moral principles and rules of life, without falling below your level.
Excess food interferes with mental acuity. - Words that have a related proverb among Russians: a full belly is deaf to science. This is probably why many great thinkers lived in poverty and hunger.
Every cloud has a silver lining. There is an absolutely identical saying in our country. Or maybe some Russian fellow borrowed it from the Latins, and from then on it was the same?
Like the king, so is the crowd. Analogue - such is the pop, such is the arrival. And more about the same thing:
What is allowed to Jupiter is not allowed to the bull. About the same thing: to Caesar is what is Caesar's.
Whoever has done half the work has already begun (attributed to Horace: “Dimidium facti, qui tsopit, khabet”). Plato has the same meaning: “The beginning is half the battle,” as well as the old Russian proverb: “A good beginning covers half the battle.”
Patrie fumus igne alieno luculentzior. - The smoke of the fatherland is brighter than the fire of a foreign land (Russian - The smoke of the fatherland is sweet and pleasant to us).
Mottos of great people
Latin sayings have also been used as mottos of famous people, communities and fraternities. For example, “to the eternal glory of God” is the motto of the Jesuits. The motto of the Templars is “non nobis, Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam,” which translates: “Not to us, Lord, but to your name, give glory.” And also the famous “Capre diem” (seize the moment) - this is the motto of the Epicureans, taken from Horace’s opus.
“Either Caesar or nothing,” is the motto of Cardinal Borgia, who took the words of Caligula, the Roman emperor famous for his exorbitant appetites and desires.
"Faster, higher, stronger!" - Since 1913 it has been a symbol of the Olympic Games.
“De omnibus dubito” (I doubt everything) is the motto of Rene Descartes, a scientist-philosopher.
Fluctuat nec mergitur (floats, but does not sink) - on the coat of arms of Paris there is this inscription under the boat.
Vita sine libertate, nihil (life without freedom is nothing) - Romain Roland, a famous French writer, walked through life with these words.
Vivere eat militare (to live means to fight) - the motto of the great Lucius Seneca the Younger, and philosopher.
About how useful it is to be a polyglot
There is a story circulating on the Internet about a resourceful medical student who witnessed how a gypsy woman became attached to an unfamiliar girl with calls to “gild her pen and tell fortunes.” The girl was quiet and shy and could not properly refuse a beggar. The guy, sympathizing with the girl, came up and began shouting out the names of diseases in Latin, waving his arms widely around the gypsy. The latter hastily retreated. After some time, the guy and girl happily got married, recalling the comical moment of their acquaintance.
Origins of language
The Latin language gets its name from the Lanites, who lived in Latium, a small region in the center of Italy. The center of Latium was Rome, which grew from a city to the capital of the Great Empire, and Latin was recognized as the official language over a vast territory from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, as well as in parts of Asia, North Africa and the Euphrates River valley.
In the second century BC, Rome conquered Greece, the ancient Greek and Latin languages mixed, giving rise to many Romance languages (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, among which Sardinian is considered the closest in sound to Latin).
In the modern world, medicine is unthinkable without Latin, because almost all diagnoses and medications are spoken in this language, and the philosophical works of ancient thinkers in Latin are still an example of the epistolary genre and cultural heritage of the highest quality.
Argumentum ad absurdum.
"Proof by absurdity."
Contumeliam nec ingenuus fert, nec fortis facit.
“An honest man does not tolerate insult, and a courageous man does not inflict it.”
Repetitio est mater studiorum.
“Repetition is the mother of learning.”
Damant, quod non intelegunt.
“They judge because they don’t understand.”
"From the heart."
O sancta simplicitas.
"Oh, holy simplicity."
Audire ignoti quom imperant soleo non auscultare.
“I’m ready to listen to stupidity, but I won’t listen.”
Ad impossibilia lex non cogit.
“The law does not require the impossible.”
Latrante uno latrat stati met alter canis.
“When one dog barks, the other immediately barks.”
Amicus plato, sed magis amica veritas.
“Plato is my friend, but truth is dearer.”
Natura non nisi parendo vincitur.
“Nature can only be conquered by obeying it.”
Omne ignotum pro magnifico.
“Everything unknown seems grandiose.”
Benefacta male locata malefacta arbitror.
“Benefits shown to the unworthy, I consider atrocities.”
Amor, ut lacrima, ab oculo oritur, in cor cadit.
“Love, like a tear, is born from the eyes and falls on the heart.”
"With good intentions."
Cujusvis hominis est errare; nullius, nisi insipientis in errore perseverare.
“It is common for every person to make mistakes, but only a fool can persist in a mistake.”
De gustibus non disputandum est.
"Tastes differ."
Conditio sine qua non.
"A requirement."
Consuetudo est altera natura.
“Habit is second nature.”
Carum quod rarum.
“What is expensive is what is rare.”
Accipere quid ut justitiam facias, non est tam accipere quam extorquere.
“Accepting rewards for the administration of justice is not so much acceptance as extortion.”
Aut vincere, aut mori.
"Either win or die."
Aequitas enim lucet per se.
"Justice shines by itself."
Citius, altius, fortius.
"Faster, higher, stronger."
Facile omnes, cum valemus, recta consilia aegrotis damus.
“All of us, when we are healthy, easily give advice to the sick.”
Beatitudo non est virtutis praemium, sed ipsa virtus.
“Happiness is not a reward for valor, but it is valor itself.”
Audi, multa, loquere pauca.
“Listen a lot, talk little.”
Divide et impera.
"Divide and conquer."
Veterrimus homini optimus amicus est.
"The oldest friend is the best."
Homo homini lupus est.
"Man is a wolf to man."
De mortuis aut bene, aut nihil.
“It’s either good or nothing about the dead.”
Bonis quod bene fit haud perit.
“What is done for good people is never done in vain.”
Vestis virum reddit.
“Clothes make the man, clothes make the man.”
Deus ipse se fecit.
"God created himself."
Vivere est cogitare.
“Living means thinking.”
“I wish you good luck!”
Fac fideli sis fidelis.
"Be faithful to those who are faithful to you."
Antiquus amor cancer est.
"Old love is never forgotten."
Vox p?puli vox D?i.
“The voice of the people is the voice of God.”
Consumor aliis inserviendo.
“By serving others, I waste myself; By shining for others, I burn myself.”
Calamitas virtutis occasio.
“Adversity is the touchstone of valor.”
Dura lex, sed lex.
"The law is harsh, but it is the law."
Vir excelso animo.
"A man of exalted soul."
Aditum nocendi perfido praestat fides.
“Trust placed in a treacherous person allows him to do harm.”
Corruptio optimi pessima.
“The worst fall is the fall of the purest.”
Dura lex, sed lex.
"The law is harsh, but it is the law."
Quotes in Latin with translation
“With agreement, small things grow; with discord, even big ones decline.”
Bene qui latuit, bene vixit.
“He lived well who lived unnoticed.”
Facta sunt potentiora verbis.
“Actions are stronger than words.”
Veni, vidi, vici.
“I came, I saw, I conquered.”
Consensus omnium.
"By common consent."
Vir bonus semper tiro.
“A decent person is always a simpleton.”
Scire leges non hoc est verba earum tenere, sed vim ac potestatem.
“Knowing laws is not about remembering their words, but about understanding their meaning.”
Melius est nomen bonum quam magnae divitiae.
“A good name is better than great wealth.”
Castigo te non quod odio habeam, sed quod amem.
“I punish you not because I hate you, but because I love you.”
Amor non est medicabilis herbis.
"There is no cure for love."
Vox emissa volat; litera scripta manet.
“What is said disappears, what is written remains.”
"Remember death."
Deffuncti injuria ne afficiantur.
“The crime of a dead person is beyond jurisdiction.”
Absentem laedit, qui cum ebrio litigat.
“He who argues with a drunken man fights with an absent one.”
Вis dat, qui cito dat
“He who gives quickly gives double.”
Quod non habet principium, non habet finem.
“What has no beginning has no end.”
Errare humanum est.
"Err is human."
Memoria est signatarum rerum in mente vestigium.
“Memory is a trace of things fixed in thought.”
Facilis descensus averni.
“The ease of descent into the underworld.”
Poeta nascitur non fit.
“Poets are born, not made.”
Audi, vide, sile.
“Listen, watch, be silent.”
Sivis pacem para bellum.
“If you want peace, prepare for war.”
Alitur vitium vivitque tegendo.
“By concealment, vice is nourished and maintained.”
Ex parvis saepe magnarum rerum momenta pendent.
“The outcome of big cases often depends on the little things.”
Haurit aquam cribro, qui discere vult sine libro.
“He who wants to study without a book draws water with a sieve.”
Concordia parvae res crescunt, discordia maximae dilabuntur.
“With agreement, small things grow, with disagreement, great things are destroyed.”
Descensus averno facilis est.
Phrases in Latin still attract young men and women. There is something alluring in these words and letters, some mysterious meaning. Each quote has its own history, its own author, its own time. Just think about the words: “Feci quod potui, faciant meliora potentes”; this phrase means “I did everything I could, whoever can do it better” and refers to ancient Roman times, when consuls chose their successors. Or: “Aliis inserviendo consumor”, which means “serving others I waste myself”; The meaning of this inscription was self-sacrifice; it was written under a candle. It was also found in many ancient publications and collections of various symbols.