Societas Via Romana - Discussion Archives

Salvete omnes philosophi,

I would like to start a project here, one that's easy and where everyone can contribute. I'd like to assemble a quotes library of famous Romans and Greeks, or of people who made memorable quotes regarding ancient Mediterranean civilisations. They can be serious, philosophical, funny or just plain absurd and funny.

So please, share them with us, pass us some quotes!!

Valete bene,
Draco

Here is a nice easy one in Latin to start out. It is certainly philosophical as well.

It is an epigraph that used to adorn a bridge that connected the ancient city of Aquileia with one of its many necropoli. The inscription is in the National Museum of Aquileia (on the north Adriatic coast of Italy).

Quod es ego fui
Et tu eris quod sum

"In Cauda Venenum"

Salvete!

Here's a few from the top of my head.

* homo homini lupus - Tacitus (?) (man is a wolf for the man)
* pecunia non olet - Vespasianus (money doesn't stink)
* alea iacta est - Caesar (the die is cast)
* veni, vidi, vici - Caesar (I came, I saw, I won)
* si vis pacem, para bellum - Cicero (?) (if you want peace, prepare for war)
* mens sana in corpore sano - Iuvenalis (a healthy mind in a healthy body)
* festina lente (make haste slowly)
* verba volant, scripta manent (words fly, writings remain)
* do ut des (I give for you would give)

Valete bene!
Draco

Salvete

There are so many applicable quotations, and so confusing at times to go through them all, that I think rather than consolidating lists of quotes we should consider different lists for each collegia. Not all the quotes given so far would I consider philosophical quotes. They may apply in other collegia though.

Gnæus Dionysius Draco wrote:* festina lente (make haste slowly)

On this one, the author was Augustus, widely adopted as a motto during the Renaissance.

Valete optime
Moravius Piscinus

Salve Piscine,

Yes, not all quotes are philosophical but if there was one collegium under which the topic fitted I believe 'twas this one. Besides, as rector I can be chauvinistic about my own collegium can't I?

Thanks for the authorship on "festina lente", I had always assumed that it was just a general proverb.

Draco

Here's another philosophical quote:

TEMPUS EDAX RERUM
Time, the devourer of all things.

(Ovid)

Here are two I like

"Nothing happens to any man which he is not formed by nature to bear."
Marcus Aurelius


"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. "
Marcus Aurelius

Salvete Ovidi et Messalina,

Thanks for your contributions. If you know more, keep 'em comin' .

Valete,
Draco

Avete Romani,

"Tu quoque fili mi?" - Julius Caesar (You too, my son?"
"Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae" - Julius Caesar (Of all the tribes, the Belgians are the bravest.)
"Cave canem" (Beware of the dog)

Valete bene,

Tiberius Dionysius Draco

I always thought that Julius Caesar's last words were

"Et tu Brute?"
Where "et" has the force of "even". This usage also appears famously in the passage from Vergil

"Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes".

Salve Tergeste;

Here it's always assumed that it was "tu quoque, fili mi?". But they are not mutually exclusive, methinks .

However, researchers believe that Caesar said his last words in Greek, which would have been "kai su, teknon?".

Thanks for the quotes, I've begun assembling them into a html page yesterday.

Vale bene,
Draco

Salvete

Gnæus Dionysius Draco wrote: researchers believe that Caesar said his last words in Greek, which would have been "kai su, teknon?".

That is what I have read too, that his words were in Greek , translated then into Latin as "Et tu, mi fili" I do not read Greek but my understanding was that teknon only possibly implied a son and could have meant something else. So where did the "Et tu, Brute" come from?

Valete
Piscinus

Salve Piscine,

It's been a while since I had any Greek, but from my understanding "teknon" is the past participle of "titenai" (hellenists please correct me if I'm wrong!) which means "to bear; to bring forth; to produce (in an organic sense)". So "teknon" means "that which has been produced, which is born."

So, "me teknon" should be "my 'product'" (ugly translation but hey ). Has Caesar used the word for son, "huios", one could have supposed that he meant son in a spiritual sense or perhaps an adoptive sense, but I don't think there's any doubt about the word "teknon".

I have no idea where "et tu, Brute" comes from. Perhaps a different source reporting on Caesar's death?

Vale bene,
Draco

Hmmm. A little searching on the Web has shown that the phrase "Et tu, Brute" is from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, rather than from any ancient sources (unless good old William had some ancient sources that are now lost to us). Since the use of "et" in this way is a bit unusual, it shows that William had a good grasp of his Latin.

Salvete,

Gratias tibi ago Corunciane. I especially liked the Tibullus quote.

Mi Tergeste, I had missed your post there. Yes, Shakespeare was definitely latinate - more latinate than any of us here, I think. Renaissance artists and writers were expected to be able to at least fluently write Latin (and if possible, Greek and Hebrew too). I wonder what they would think of SVR .

Valete,
Draco

Salvete!

I'm re-opening this topic for personal reasons... For one of my courses (ethics) I have to collect quotes (especially on ethic problems). Does anyone know some more?

Valete,

Locatus