Quoque Quotes
More Quoque Quotes
Mores autem graves in spectaculis quis requirat? ad circum nesciunt convenire Catones. quicquid illic a gaudenti populo dicitur, iniuria non putatur. locus est qui defendit excessum. quorum garrulitas si patienter accipitur, ipsos quoque principes ornare monstratur.
cassiodorus— But who looks for serious conduct at the public shows? A Cato never goes to the circus. Anything said there by the people as they celebrate should be deemed no injury. It is a place that protects excesses. Patient acceptance of their chatter is a proven glory of princes themselves.
— Bk. 1, no. 27; p. 19.
At quanto ego de illis melius existimo! ipsi quoque haec possunt facere, sed nolunt. Denique quem umquam ista destituere temptantem? cui non faciliora apparuere in actu? Non quia difficilia sunt non audemus, sed quia non audemus difficilia sunt.
seneca the younger— But how much more highly do I think of these men! They can do these things, but decline to do them. To whom that ever tried have these tasks proved false? To what man did they not seem easier in the doing? Our lack of confidence is not the result of difficulty. The difficulty comes from our lack of confidence.
— Also translated as: It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, but because we do not dare, things are difficult.Letter CIV, verse 26
Quemadmodum omnium rerum, sic litterarum quoque intemperantia laboramus: non vitae sed scholae discimus.
seneca the younger— Just as we suffer from excess in all things, so we suffer from excess in literature; thus we learn our lessons, not for life, but for the lecture room.Letter CVI: On the corporeality of virtue, line 12
Quippe res dei ratio quia deus omnium conditor nihil non ratione providit disposuit ordinavit, nihil [enim] non ratione tractari intellegique voluit. [3] Igitur ignorantes quique deum rem quoque eius ignorent necesse est quia nullius omnino thesaurus extraneis patet. Itaque universam vitae conversationem sine gubernaculo rationis transfretantes inminentem saeculo procellam evitare non norunt.
tertullian— Reason, in fact, is a thing of God, inasmuch as there is nothing which God the Maker of all has not provided, disposed, ordained by reason — nothing which He has not willed should be handled and understood by reason. All, therefore, who are ignorant of God, must necessarily be ignorant also of a thing which is His, because no treasure-house at all is accessible to strangers. And thus, voyaging all the universal course of life without the rudder of reason, they know not how to shun the hurricane which is impending over the world.De Paenitentia (On Repentance), 1.2-3
Omnia fert aetas, animum quoque .
virgil— Time bears away all things, even our minds.Book IX, line 51.
Tentanda via est, qua me quoque possim Tollere humo victorque virum volitare per ora.
virgil— New ways I must attempt, my grov'ling name
To raise aloft, and wing my flight to fame.Book III, lines 8–9 (translated by John Dryden).
Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris Italiam fato profugus Laviniaque venit Litora, multum ille et terris iactatus et alto Vi superum, saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram, Multa quoque et bello passus, dum conderet urbem lnferretque deos Latio, genus unde Latinum Albanique patres atque altae moenia Romae.
virgil— Arms, and the man I sing, who, forced by Fate,
And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate,
Expell'd and exil'd, left the Trojan shore.
Long labours both by sea and land he bore,
And in the doubtful war, before he won
The Latian realm, and built the destin'd town;
His banish'd gods restor'd to rites divine,
And settled sure succession in his line,
From whence the race of Alban fathers come,
And the long glories of majestic Rome.Lines 1–7, translated by John Dryden (1697).Cf. the opening lines of Homer's Odyssey (as translated by Alexander Pope): The man for wisdom's various arts renown'd, / Long exercis'd in woes, oh Muse! resound. / . . . / On stormy seas unnumber'd toils he bore.Cf. also the opening lines of Camões' The Lusiads (as translated by William Julius Mickle): Arms and the Heroes, who from Lisbon's shore, / Thro' Seas where sail was never spread before / . . . / With prowess more than human forc'd their way / To the fair kingdoms of the rising day: / What wars they wag'd, what seas, what dangers past, / What glorious empire crown'd their toils at last.
O socii—neque enim ignari sumus ante malorum— O passi graviora, dabit deus his quoque finem.
virgil— Comrades and friends! for ours is strength
Has brooked the test of woes;
O worse-scarred hearts! these wounds at length
The Gods will heal, like those.Line 199 (translated by John Conington).Cf. Dryden's translation:
Endure, and conquer! Jove will soon dispose
To future good our past and present woes.
Inter cætera mala hoc quoque habet Stultitia semper incipit vivere.
— Among other evils folly has also this, that it is always beginning to live.
— Seneca, Epistolæ Ad Lucilium, 13.
Librum quoque mendosum, et vel falso scriptum, vel falsum etiam in se continentem inspiciens, statim, licet illiteratus omnino fuisset, ad locum mendacii digitum ponebat. Interrogatus autem, qualiter hoc nosset, dicebat daemonem ad locum eundem digitum suum primo porrigere…Contigit aliquando, spiritibus immundis nimis eidem insultantibus, ut Evangelium Johannis ejus in gremio poneretur: qui statim tanquam aves evolantes, omnes penitus evanuerunt. Quo sublato postmodum, et Historia Britonum a galfrido Arthuro tractata, experiendi causa, loco ejusdem subrogata, non solum corpori ipsius toti, sed etiam libro superposito, longe solito crebrius et taediosius insederunt.
gerald of wales— Although he was completely illiterate, if he looked at a book which was incorrect, which contained some false statement, or which aimed at deceiving the reader, he immediately put his finger on the offending passage. If you asked him how he knew this, he said that a devil first pointed out the place with its finger…When he was harried beyond endurance by these unclean spirits, Saint John’s Gospel was placed on his lap, and then they all vanished immediately, flying away like so many birds. If the Gospel were afterwards removed and the History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth put there in its place, just to see what would happen, the demons would alight all over his body, and on the book, too, staying there longer than usual and being even more demanding.Book 1, chapter 5, pp. 117-18.
Itaque ne mortuo quidem perinde adfectus est, sed tantum non statim a funere ad negotiorum consuetudinem rediit iustitio longiore inhibito. Quin et Iliensium legatis paulo serius consolantibus, quasi obliterata iam doloris memoria, irridens se quoque respondit vicem eorum dolere, quod egregium civem Hectorem amisissent.
suetonius— When [his son] Drusus died Tiberius was not greatly concerned, and went back to his usual business almost as soon as the funeral ended, cutting short the period of official mourning; in fact, when a Trojan delegation arrived with condolences somewhat belatedly, Tiberius grinned, having apparently got over his loss, and replied: "May I condole with you, in return, on the death of your eminent fellow-citizen Hector?"Ch. 52
Incitato equo, cuius causa pridie circenses, ne inquietaretur, viciniae silentium per milites indicere solebat, praeter equile marmoreum et praesaepe eburneum praeterque purpurea tegumenta ac monilia e gemmis domum etiam et familiam et supellectilem dedit, quo lautius nomine eius invitati acciperentur; consulatum quoque traditur destinasse.
suetonius— To prevent Incitatus, his favourite horse, from being disturbed he always picketed the neighbourhood with troops on the day before the races, ordering them to enforce absolute silence. Incitatus owned a marble stable, an ivory stall, purple blankets, and a jewelled collar; also a house, a team of slaves, and furniture – to provide suitable entertainment for guests whom Gaius invited in its name. It is said that he even planned to award Incitatus a consulship.Ch. 55
Suus quoque attributus est error: Sed non videmus, manticæ quid in tergo est.
— Every one has his faults: but we do not see the wallet on our own backs.
— Catullus, Carmina, XXII. 20.
Habitarunt Di quoque sylvas.
— The gods also dwelt in the woods.
— Virgil, Eclogues (c. 37 BC), II. 60.
Dabit deus his quoque finem.
— God will put an end to these also.
— Virgil, Æneid (29-19 BC), I. 199.
Patriæ quis exul se quoque fugit.
— Translation: What exile from his country is able to escape from himself?
— Horace, Carmina II. 16. 19.
Omnia fert aetas, animum quoque .
— Time bears away all things, even our minds.
— Book IX, line 51.
Tentanda via est, qua me quoque possim Tollere humo victorque virum volitare per ora.
— New ways I must attempt, my groveling name
To raise aloft, and wing my flight to fame.
— Book III, lines 8–9 (translated by John Dryden).
Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris Italiam fato profugus Laviniaque venit Litora, multum ille et terris iactatus et alto Vi superum, saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram, Multa quoque et bello passus, dum conderet urbem lnferretque deos Latio, genus unde Latinum Albanique patres atque altae moenia Romae.
— Cf. the opening lines of Homer's Odyssey (as translated by Alexander Pope): The man for wisdom's various arts renown'd, / Long exercis'd in woes, oh Muse! resound. / . . . / On stormy seas unnumber'd toils he bore.
— Cf. also the opening lines of Camões' The Lusiads (as translated by William Julius Mickle): Arms and the Heroes, who from Lisbon's shore, / Thro' Seas where sail was never spread before / . . . / With prowess more than human forc'd their way / To the fair kingdoms of the rising day: / What wars they wag'd, what seas, what dangers past, / What glorious empire crown'd their toils at last.
O socii neque enim ignari sumus ante malorum O passi graviora, dabit deus his quoque finem.
— Cf. Dryden's translation:
Endure, and conquer! Jove will soon dispose
To future good our past and present woes.
Mores autem graves in spectaculis quis requirat? ad circum nesciunt convenire Catones. quicquid illic a gaudenti populo dicitur, iniuria non putatur. locus est qui defendit excessum. quorum garrulitas si patienter accipitur, ipsos quoque principes ornare monstratur.
— But who looks for serious conduct at the public shows? A Cato never goes to the circus. Anything said there by the people as they celebrate should be deemed no injury. It is a place that protects excesses. Patient acceptance of their chatter is a proven glory of princes themselves.
— Bk. 1, no. 27; p. 19.
Itaque ne mortuo quidem perinde adfectus est, sed tantum non statim a funere ad negotiorum consuetudinem rediit iustitio longiore inhibito. Quin et Iliensium legatis paulo serius consolantibus, quasi obliterata iam doloris memoria, irridens se quoque respondit vicem eorum dolere, quod egregium civem Hectorem amisissent.
— When [his son] Drusus died Tiberius was not greatly concerned, and went back to his usual business almost as soon as the funeral ended, cutting short the period of official mourning; in fact, when a Trojan delegation arrived with condolences somewhat belatedly, Tiberius grinned, having apparently got over his loss, and replied: "May I condole with you, in return, on the death of your eminent fellow-citizen Hector?"
— Ch. 52
Incitato equo, cuius causa pridie circenses, ne inquietaretur, viciniae silentium per milites indicere solebat, praeter equile marmoreum et praesaepe eburneum praeterque purpurea tegumenta ac monilia e gemmis domum etiam et familiam et supellectilem dedit, quo lautius nomine eius invitati acciperentur; consulatum quoque traditur destinasse.
— To prevent Incitatus, his favourite horse, from being disturbed he always picketed the neighbourhood with troops on the day before the races, ordering them to enforce absolute silence. Incitatus owned a marble stable, an ivory stall, purple blankets, and a jewelled collar; also a house, a team of slaves, and furniture – to provide suitable entertainment for guests whom Gaius invited in its name. It is said that he even planned to award Incitatus a consulship.
— Ch. 55
Omnia fert aetas, animum quoque .
— Time bears away all things, even our minds.
— Virgil, Eclogues (c. c. 42 BC), Book IX, line 51.
Cuius merito quis nos sacerdotes appellet: iustitiam namque colimus et boni et æqui notitiam profitemur, æquum ab iniquo separantes, licitum ab illicito discernentes, bonos non solum metu pœnarum, verum etiam præmiorum quoque exhortatione efficere cupientes, veram nisi fallor philosophiam, non simulatam affectantes.
— Anyone may properly call us [lawyers] the priests of this art, for we cultivate justice and profess to know what is good and equitable, dividing right from wrong, and distinguishing what is lawful from what is unlawful; desiring to make men good through fear of punishment, but also by the encouragement of reward; aiming (if I am not mistaken) at a true, and not a pretended philosophy.
— Pandects, Bk. 1, title 1, section 1, quoting Ulpian, Institutes, Bk. 1. [4]
Superat quoniam Fortuna, sequamur, quoque vocat, vertamus iter.
virgil— 'Tis fate diverts our course, and fate we must obey.Lines 22–23 (translated by John Dryden).
Superat quoniam Fortuna, sequamur, quoque vocat, vertamus iter.
— 'Tis fate diverts our course, and fate we must obey.
— Lines 22–23 (translated by John Dryden).
