Latin proverbs

This is a list of Latin proverbs and sayings.

Alphabetized by first word of proverb A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z · See also · References · External links

A

 * A diabolo, qui est simia dei.
 * Translation: "From the devil, who is a monkey god."
 * English equivalent: Where god has a church the devil will have his chapel.
 * "Wherever God erects a house of prayer, The Devil always builds a chapel there: And 'twill be found, upon examination, The latter has the largest congregation."
 * Daniel Defoe, The True-Born Englishman (1701)
 * Source for proverb:


 * Abbati, medico, patronoque intima pande.
 * Hide nothing from thy minister, physician and lawyer.


 * Quidquid praecipies esto brevis.
 * "Whatever advice you give, be short."
 * Horace, Ars Poetica (18 BC), CCCXXXV. Reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 10-11.


 * Acquirit qui tuetur.
 * English equivalent: Sparing is the first gaining.


 * Acta non verba.
 * Deeds, not words


 * Ancipiti plus ferit ense gula.
 * Gluttony kills more than the sword.


 * Aegrescit medendo.
 * English equivalent: The remedy is often worse than the disease.


 * Aegroto dum anima est, spes est.
 * English equivalent: As long as there is life there is hope.


 * Aeque pars ligni curvi ac recti valet igni.
 * English equivalent: Crooked logs make straight fires.


 * Age quod agis.
 * Do what you do, in the sense of "Do well what you do", "Do well in whatever you do" or "Be serious in what you do"


 * Aliis si licet, tibi non licet.
 * Translation: If others are allowed to, that does not mean you are. (see also quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi)


 * An nescis, mi fili, quantilla prudentia mundus regatur? (alternatively: regatur orbis)
 * Translation: Don't you know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed?
 * (1583 – 1654), 1648 letter to son, who was involved in negotiating the
 * Sometimes attributed to Cardinal Richelieu. Variant form due to John Selden


 * Aliquando dormitat Homerus.
 * English equivalent: Even Homer sometimes nods.


 * Aliquis in omnibus est nullus in singulis.
 * Translation: Someone in all, is nothing in one.
 * English equivalent: Jack of all trades, master of none; Jack of all trades begs bread on Sundays.
 * "Somebody who has a very wide range of abilities or skills usually does not excel at any of them."


 * Arcem ex cloacâ facĕre.
 * English equivalent: Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.


 * Aries cornibus Iasciviens.
 * English equivalent: Better fed than taught.
 * "'Tis better for thee to be wise and not seem so, than to seem wise and not be so: Yet Men, for the most Part, desire and endeavor the contrary."
 * Thomas Fuller, Introductio ad prudentiam: Part II (1727)


 * Atqui, ex lotio est.
 * Translation: Yet it comes from urine.
 * Emperor Vespasian to his son Titus, when the latter, complaining about the former's urine tax, acknowledged a coin collected had no odor.


 * Auctoritas non veritas facit legem
 * Translation: Authority, not truth, makes law.
 * Thomas Hobbes, "Leviathan" II, 26


 * Audaces fortuna iuvat.
 * Translation: Fortune favors the brave.(Virgil, Aeneid 10, 284)
 * English equivalent: Fortune favours the bold.
 * "Those who act boldly or courageously are most likely to succeed."


 * Audentes fortuna juvat.
 * Translation: Fortune favors the bold. (Motto of the 80th Fighter Squadron, of the US Air Force, and of the USS Florida)


 * Audi, vide, tace, si tu vis vivere (in pace).
 * Translation: Hear, see, be silent, if you wish to live (in peace).
 * English equivalent: Those who wish to live in peace, must hear, see, and say nothing.


 * Aut inveniam viam aut faciam.
 * Alternate phrasing: Aut viam inveniam aut faciam
 * Translation: I'll either find a way or make one.
 * English equivalent: Where there's a will, there's a way.
 * "If you are sufficiently determined to achieve something, then you will find a way of doing so."
 * Stone, J. R. (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs and Sayings, Routledge. p. 351
 * Stone, J. R. (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs and Sayings, Routledge. p. 351


 * Ave Caesar, morituri te salutant.
 * Hail Caesar, those who are about to die salute you.
 * Gladiators saluting the Roman Emperor. Suetonius Claudius 21

B

 * Basio saepe volam, cui plagam diligo solam.
 * English equivalent: Many kiss the hand they wish to cut off.


 * Bellum se ipsum alet.
 * War will feed on itself.


 * Bene diagnoscitur, bene curatur.
 * English equivalent: A disease known is half cured.


 * Bis dat qui cito dat.
 * English equivalent: He gives twice, who gives in a trice.


 * Brevis oratio penetrat coelos; Longa potatio evacuat scyphos.
 * English equivalent: Short prayers reach heaven.

C

 * Canus honoretur, puer ad documenta citetur.
 * English equivalent: Gray hairs are honorable.


 * Carpe diem.
 * Translation: "Seize the day." By Horace, Odes I,11,8, to Leuconoe: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero ("take hold of the day, believing as little as possible in the next"). The verb "carpere" has the literal meaning "to pick, pluck," particularly in reference to the picking of fruits and flowers, and was used figuratively by the Roman poets to mean "to enjoy, use, make use of."


 * Carthago delenda est.
 * Translation: "Carthage is to be destroyed." Actually, ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam ("Apart from that, I conclude that Carthage must be destroyed") Cato the Elder used to end every speech of his to the Senate, on any subject whatsoever, with this phrase. Mentioned to indicate that someone habitually harps on one subject.


 * Cave ab homine unius libri.
 * English translation: Fear the man of one book.


 * Cedens in uno cedet in pluribus.
 * English equivalent: Virtue which parleys is near a surrender.


 * Citius venit malum quam revertitur.
 * English equivalent: Misfortune comes on horseback and goes away on foot.


 * Cito maturum cito putridum.
 * English equivalent: Early ripe, early rotten.


 * Cogitationes posteriores sunt saniores.
 * English equivalent: Second thoughts are best; We shall lose nothing by waiting.
 * Source for proverb:


 * Consilio, quod respuitur, nullum subest auxilium.
 * English equivalent: He that will not be counseled cannot be helped.


 * Consuetudinis magna vis est
 * English equivalent: Old habits die hard.


 * Cicero, Tusculanae Quaestiones, II.37


 * Consuetudo altera natura est
 * English equivalent: Old habits die hard.


 * Contritium praecedit superbia.
 * English equivalent: Pride comes before fall.


 * Cor boni concilii statue tecum non est enim tibi aliud pluris illo.
 * English equivalent: Though thou hast ever so many counsellors, yet do not forsake the counsel of thy own soul.


 * Corruptio optimi pessima
 * Translation: The corruption of the best is the worst of all.


 * Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges
 * Translation: The greater the degeneration of the republic, the more of its laws.
 * (Tacitus) Annals (117)


 * "Credula est spes improba.
 * English equivalent: He that lives on hope dances without music.
 * "Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords."
 * Samuel Johnson, letter of 8 June 1762, in James Boswell, Life of Samuel Johnson (1791), Vol. 1, p. 103


 * Crede quod habes, et habes.
 * English equivalent: Fake it till you make it.


 * Cui caput dolet, omnia membra languent.
 * English equivalent: When the head is sick, the whole body is sick.


 * Cuilibet fatuo placet sua calva.
 * English equivalentː Every fool is pleased with his own folly.


 * Cuiusvis hominis est errare, nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare. 
 * Any man can make a mistake; only a fool keeps making the same one.
 * English equivalent: He wrongfully blames the sea who suffers shipwreck twice.
 * Marcus Tullius Cicero, Philippica XII, ii, 5


 * Curae canitiem inducunt.
 * English equivalent: Fretting cares make grey hairs.
 * Source for proverb:


 * Custode et cura natura potentior omni.
 * English equivalent: Nature is beyond all teaching.

D

 * De gustibus non est disputandum.
 * Translation: There is no disputing about tastes.
 * English equivalent: There is no accounting for taste.
 * Alternative form:
 * De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum.
 * Translation: "There's no arguing about tastes and colors."


 * De mortuis nil nisi bonum [dicendum est ].
 * Literal translation: Concerning the dead, nothing should be said unless it is good.
 * English equivalent: Speak well of the dead.
 * Traversari, Ambrogio (1432). Benedictus Brognolus (ed.). Laertii Diogenis vitae et sententiae eorvm qvi in philosophia probati fvervnt (in Latin). Venice: Impressum Venetiis per Nicolaum Ienson gallicum. Retrieved 12 May 2013.


 * Deus quem punire vult dementat.
 * Literal translation: He whom God wants to punish, he drives mad.
 * English equivalent: Whom God will destroy, he first make mad.


 * Diem vesper commendat.
 * Literal translation: The evening commends the day."
 * Translation: Celebrate the day when it is evening.


 * Difficile est longum subito deponere amorem.
 * Literal translation: It is difficult to suddenly lay aside a long-standing love.
 * English equivalent: True love never grows old.


 * Dii facientes adiuvant.
 * Translation: Gods help those who do.
 * English equivalent: God helps them that help themselves.
 * "When in trouble first of all every one himself should do his best to improve his condition."


 * Dives aut iniquus est, aut iniqui heres.
 * Literal translation: The rich man either cold-hearted, or heir to the cold-hearted.
 * English equivalent: No one gets rich quickly if he is honest.


 * Dives est qui sibi nihil deesse putat.
 * Translation: Rich is he who thinks he lacks nothing.
 * English equivalent: Wealth rarely brings happiness.


 * Divide et impera.
 * Translation: Divide and rule [or conquer]. Attributed to Julius Caesar.
 * English equivalent: Divide and conquer.
 * "The best way to conquer or control a group of people is by encouraging them to fight among themselves rather than allowing them to unite in opposition to the ruling authority."


 * Docendo discimus.
 * Translation: By teaching, we learn. (Seneca)


 * Duabus ancoris fultus.
 * Literal translation: Propped up by two anchors.
 * English equivalent: Good riding at two anchors, men have told, for if the one fails, the other may hold.


 * Ductus Exemplo
 * Translation: Lead by Example.


 * Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.
 * Translation: It is sweet and honorable to die for the motherland. By Horace, Odes III, 2, 13, frequently quoted on war memorials, and notably in the poem Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen, who calls it "the old lie".


 * Dulce pomum quum abest custos.
 * Translation: Sweet is the apple when the keeper is away.
 * English equivalent: Forbidden fruit is sweetest.
 * "Things that you must not have or do are always the most desirable."


 * Dulcior illa sapit caro, quae magis ossibus haeret.
 * Literal translation "That flesh tastes sweeter, which clings more to the bones."
 * English equivalent: The sweetest flesh is near the bones.


 * Dum canem caedimus, corrosisse dicitur corrium.
 * Translation: If you want to beat a dog you will easily find a stick.


 * Dum lusus bonus est, ipsum dimittere fas est.
 * English equivalent: Leave a jest when it pleases you best.


 * Dum satur est venter, gaudet caput inde libenter.
 * Translation: When the belly is full, the head is pleased.
 * English equivalent: Full stomach, contented heart.


 * Dum spiro, spero.
 * Translation: "As long as I breathe, I hope." Translated as "While I breathe, I hope" the motto of the State of South Carolina []
 * English equivalent: As long as there is life there is hope.
 * English equivalent: As long as there is life there is hope.


 * Dum vivimus, vivamus!
 * Translation: While we live, let us live!


 * Dum vita est, spes est.
 * Translation: While there is life, there is hope.

E

 * Ecce omnis, qui dicit vulgo proverbium, in te assumet illud dicens: Sicut mater, ita et filia ejus.
 * English equivalent: Like mother, like daughter.
 * "Daughters may look and behave like their mothers. This is due to inheritance and the example observed closely and daily."


 * Effectus sequitur causam.
 * Literal translation: Effect follows cause.
 * English equivalent: Every why has a wherefore.
 * "Everything has an underlying reason."


 * Eodem cubito, eadem trutina, pari libra.
 * English equivalent: Whatever measure you deal out to others will be dealt back to you.


 * Errare humanum est.
 * English meaningː To err is human.


 * Ex granis fit acervus.
 * English equivalent: Every little helps.
 * "All contributions, however small, are of use."
 * Source for proverbs:
 * Source for proverbs:


 * Et ipsa scientia potestas est.
 * Translation: "And knowledge itself, is power" (Francis Bacon, Meditationes sacrae)


 * Ex malis moribus bonae leges natae sunt.
 * Literal translation: From bad customs, good laws are born.
 * English equivalent: Good laws have sprung from bad customs.


 * Ex nihilo nihil fit.
 * Translation: "Nothing comes from nothing" (you need to work for something; also the Conservation Law in philosophy and modern science) (Lucretius). This is also a famous Shakespeare quote in King Lear.
 * "If you would have any thing done for you, you must give something, for people will not serve you for nothing."


 * Exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis.
 * Translation: "The exception confirms the rule in cases not excepted" (Cicero, Pro Balbo)
 * Meaning: If an exception to a rule is explicitly stated (such as a "no right turns on red light" sign at an intersection), that allows one to conclude the general rule to which this is an exception (i.e. "right turns are permitted on red lights unless a sign says otherwise").
 * English equivalent: "The exception proves the rule" (though this is often used in other senses).


 * Excusatio non petita, accusatio manifesta.
 * Literal translation: Unasked for excuse, obvious accusation.
 * English equivalent: A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
 * Meaning: "People who know they have done wrong reveal their guilt by the things they say or the way they interpret what other people say."
 * Source for meaning of English equivalent:


 * Extremis malis extrema remedia.
 * Literal translation: Extreme cures for extreme evils.
 * English equivalent: Desperate diseases must have desperate remedies.
 * Meaning: "Drastic action is called for – and justified – when you find yourself in a particularly difficult situation."
 * Source for meaning:


 * Expecta bos olim herba.
 * Latin translation: Cow, wait for grass soon!"
 * English equivalent: While the grass grows the steed starves.
 * Meaning: Dreams or expectations may be realized too late.

F

 * Facilis descensus Averni.
 * Literal translation: The easy descent of the underworld.
 * The descent into hell is easy.


 * Factis ut credam facis.
 * Literal translation: By your deeds I may trust you do."
 * English equivalent: No need of words, trust deeds.
 * "Actions may be, and indeed sometimes are deceptive in a measure though not as much so as words; and accordingly are received in general as more full and satisfactory proofs of the real disposition and character of persons than verbal expressions."
 * Source for meaning:


 * Festina lente!
 * Literal translation: Hurry slowly!
 * English equivalent: Make haste slowly.
 * English meaning: proceed quickly but with caution, a motto of Marcus Aurelius


 * Fides facit fidem.
 * English equivalent: Confidence begets confidence.


 * Fidite Nemini
 * Translation: Trust no one.


 * Finis origine pendet.
 * Translation: The end depends on the beginning.
 * English equivalent: Such a beginning, such an end.


 * Forma bonum fragile est.
 * Literal translation: Beauty is a fragile advantage.
 * English equivalent: All that is fair must fade.
 * English meaning: Nothing lasts forever.


 * Fortes fortuna iuvat
 * Translation: Fortune favors the brave. (cf. Audaces fortuna iuvat.) (Terence)


 * Fraus hominum ad perniciem, et integritas ad salutem vocat.
 * Literal translation: Men's deceit brings ruin, and integrity brings security.
 * English equivalent: Honesty is the best policy.
 * "Being honest or telling the truth is always the wisest course of action."


 * Fronti nulla fides.
 * Literal translation: No trust in appearances.
 * English equivalent: Appearances deceive.
 * Source:

G

 * Generosus equus non curat canem latrantem.
 * Literal translation: A well-bred horse does not care for a barking dog.


 * Gloriosum est iniurias oblivisci.
 * Literal translation: It is a glorious thing to forget injuries.
 * English equivalent: Forgive and forget.


 * Gutta cavat lapidem
 * A drop hollows out the stone. (Ovid, Epistles)


 * Gutta cavat lapidem non bis, sed saepe cadendo; sic homo fit sapiens non bis, sed saepe legendo.
 * A drop hollows out the stone by falling not twice, but many times; so too is a person made wise by reading not twice, but many times.


 * ''Gutta cavat lapidem non vi, sed saepe cadendo
 * A drop hollows out the stone not by force, but falling many times. (original latin proverb).

H

 * Historia est vitae magistra.
 * Translation: "History is the teacher of life.”


 * Hodie mihi, cras tibi.
 * Translation: "What's to me today, tomorrow is to you.”
 * English equivalent: The door swings both ways; What goes around comes around.
 * Ferler, J. (1723). Hodie Mihi, Cras Tibi, Gruber.


 * Homines quod volunt credunt.
 * Translation: "Men believe what they want to." (Julius Caesar)
 * Lautenbach, E. (2002). Latein-Deutsch: Zitaten-Lexikon: Quellennachweise, Lit.


 * Homo cogitat, Deus iudicat.
 * Literal Translation: Man thinks, God judges.
 * Meaning: Things often don't turn out as you have planned.


 * Honor sequitur fugientem.
 * Literal translation: Honour follows the fleeing man.
 * English equivalent: Follow glory and it will flee, flee glory and it will follow thee.
 * "For peace do not hope—to be just you must break it Still work for the minute and not for the year; When honor comes to you, be ready to take it; But reach not to seize it before it is near."
 * John Boyle O Reilly, Legends and Ballads, "Rules Of The Road" (1878)


 * Hortamur fari, quo sanguine cretus.
 * Literal translation: We encourage [him] to say, from what blood he was sprung.
 * English equivalent: Good blood always shows itself.


 * Hostium munera, non munera.
 * Translation: Gifts of enemies are no gifts.
 * Note: "This advice has its root in the story of the Trojan Horse, the treacherous subterfuge by which the Greeks finally overcame their trojan adversaries at the end of the Trojan War."
 * English equivalent: Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
 * "Do not trust gifts or favors if they come from an enemy."

I
Note: I and J are the same letter in Latin.
 * Ignavum fortuna repugnat.
 * Fortune disdains the lazy.
 * "Don't yield to that alluring witch, laziness, or else be prepared to surrender all that you have won in your better moments."
 * Horace, Satires


 * Ignorantia legis non excusat
 * Translation: Ignorance of the law does not excuse.
 * Source:


 * Imperare sibi maximum imperium est.
 * Translation: To rule yourself is the ultimate power. (Seneca)


 * Improbe Neptunum accusat, qui iterum naufragium facit.
 * Literal translation: He who causes a shipwreck twice shamelessly blames Neptune.
 * English equivalent: He complains wrongfully at the sea that suffer shipwreck twice.


 * Incus robusta malleum non temnit.
 * Literal translation: The strong anvil does not despise the hammer.
 * English equivalent: A good anvil does not fear the hammer.


 * In dubio, abstine.
 * Translation: When in doubt, abstain.
 * English equivalent: When in doubt, leave it out; When in doubt, do nothing.
 * "If you are unsure what to do, it is best to do nothing at all."


 * In dubio pro reo.
 * Translation: "When in doubt, in favour of the accused". (Corpus Juris Civilis)
 * Stree, W. (1962). In dubio pro reo, Mohr.


 * In iudicando criminosa est celeritas.
 * Literal translation: In judgement, speed is slanderous.
 * Translation: Hasty judgments are criminal.


 * In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas
 * Translation: "In necessary things unity, in doubtful things liberty, in all things charity" (often misattributed to St Augustine).
 * Bretzke, J. T. (1998). Consecrated Phrases: A Latin Theological Dictionary : Latin Expressions Commonly Found in Theological Writings, Liturgical Press.


 * In nullum avarus bonus est, in se pessimus.
 * Literal translation: The bitter man is good to no one, [but] the worst to himself.
 * English equivalent: The covetous man is good to none and worst to himself.


 * In propria causa nemo debet esse iudex.
 * Translation: No one should be the judge in his own trial.
 * English equivalent: No one can be the judge in his own case.


 * In risu agnoscitur fatuus.
 * Literal translation: The fool is recognised in laughter.
 * English equivalent: A fool is ever laughing.


 * In vino veritas.
 * Translation: There is truth in vine.
 * English equivalent: In wine there is truth.
 * "Alcohol consumed removes the inhibition against telling the truth that occasionally one would like to keep secret."
 * Source for meaning and proverbs:


 * Inimicum quamvis humilem docti est metuere.
 * Literal translation: It is the mark of a learned man to fear his enemy although humble.
 * Literal translation: The wise man must fear a humble enemy.
 * Literal translation: The wise man must fear a humble enemy.


 * Innumeras curas secum adferunt liberi.
 * Translation: Children bring with them countless troubles.
 * English equivalent: Children are uncertain comforts but certain cares.
 * "Children are bound to cause their parents anxiety, and may or may not also bring them joy."


 * Intemperans adulescentia effetum corpus tradit senectuti.
 * Literal translation: The intemperate youth hands over his worn-out body to old age.
 * English equivalent: They who would be young when they are old must be old when they are young.


 * Inter gladium et iugulum.
 * Literal translation: Between sword and neck. [note that iugulum, referring anatomically to the collarbone and the area above it, can also be used figuratively to refer to the crux of an argument]
 * English equivalent: Don't go between the tree and the bark.
 * Meaning: Do not interfere when two parts are having an argument.


 * ''Interdum stultus bene loquitur.'
 * Literal translation: Occasionally a fool speaks well.
 * English equivalent: ”A fool may give a wise man counsel.”


 * Invidus alterius macrescit rebus opimis .
 * Literal translation: Envy wastes away on the fatness of another.
 * English equivalent: Envy is its own torturer.


 * Ira furor brevis est.
 * Translation: "Anger is brief insanity" (Horace, epistles I, 2, 62).
 * Stone, J. R. (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs and Sayings, Routledge.


 * Longum iter est per praecepta, breve et efficax per exempla.
 * Literal translation: Long is the road by teaching, short [is the road] by example.
 * English equivalent: Example is better than precept.


 * Iucundum est narrare sua mala.
 * Literal translation: It's pleasant to recount your troubles.
 * English equivalent: A problem shared is a problem halved.

K
The letter "k" was not commonly used in Classical Latin.

L

 * Latet anguis sub herbis in herba.
 * Literal translation: A snake keeps out of sight under weeds in the grass.
 * English equivalent: Look before you leap, for snakes among sweet flowers do creep.


 * "Latet enim veritas, sed nihil pretiosius veritate" Francisco Sanchez de las Brozas (Minerva I, 1, 40, 16).
 * Translation: "Truth indeed is hidden, but nothing is more precious than the truth”
 * "As to the quantity of absolute truth in a thought: it seems to me the more comprehensive and unobjectionable a thought becomes, the more clumsy and unexciting it gets. I like half-truths of a certain kind — they are interesting and they stimulate."
 * Eric Hoffer, Entry (1950)
 * de las Brozas, F. S. (1754). Minerva, sive de causis latinae linguae commentarius.


 * Lumen soli mutuum das.
 * Translation: You lend light to the sun.
 * Note: Said of persons who affect to explain what is perfectly clear and intelligible.
 * Source of proverb & meaning: H. T. Riley Dictionary of Latin Quotations, Proverbs, Maxims, and Mottos, &c. (1866), p. 210.

M

 * Macte animo! Generose puer sic itur ad astra!
 * Literal translation: Glorified in soul! The boy by excellence is carried on to the stars!"
 * ''Translation: "Be strong, young man! Through this way one gets to the stars." (Motto of the Brazilian Air Force Academy)
 * Chateaubriand, F. R. and A. T. de Mattos (1902). The memoirs of François René, vicomte de Chateaubriand, sometime ambassador to England: being a translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos of the Mémoires d'outre-tombe, with illustrations from contemporary sources, Freemantle and co.


 * Mala herba cito crescit
 * Translation: "Weeds grow fast.”
 * Bezemer, K. (2005). Pierre de Belleperche: Portrait of a Legal Puritan, Klostermann.


 * Mala hostibus eveniant.
 * Literal translation: Bad things may befall our enemies.


 * Mali principii malus finis.
 * Translation: Bad beginnings lead to a bad end.
 * English equivalent: A bad beginning makes a bad ending.
 * "It is as impossible that a system radically erroneous, once commenced, should end well, as it is that a mathematical problem, commenced wrong, should come out right."
 * Source for meaning:


 * Malum consilium quod mutari non potest.
 * Literal translation: It is bad advice because it cannot be changed.


 * Malo nodo malus quaerendus cuneus. A bad wedge is to be preferred to a bad knot.
 * English equivalent: Desperate diseases must have desperate remedies.
 * "Drastic action is called for – and justified – when you find yourself in a particularly difficult situation."


 * Malum quidem nullum esse sine aliquo bono.
 * Literal translation: There is, in fact, no evil without some good."
 * Translation: "There is, to be sure, no evil without something good.”
 * Watasin, E. The Dark Victorian: Risen, A-Girl Studio.
 * English equivalent: Every cloud has its silver lining.


 * Manus manum lavat
 * Literal translation: Hand washes hand.
 * Translation: "One hand washes the other.”
 * Houdt, T. (2002). Self-Presentation and Social Identification: The Rhetoric and Pragmatics of Letter Writing in Early Modern TImes, Leuven University Press.


 * Mater artium necessitas.
 * Literal translation: The mother of craft is necessity.
 * Translation: "Necessity is the mother of invention" (Apuleius)


 * Maxima debetur puero reverentia
 * Translation: "One owes the greatest possible care for the child" (Juvenal)
 * Tegnér, E. and L. F. C. W. Böttiger (1849). Esaias Tegnérs samlade skrifter.


 * Medicus curat, natura sanat
 * Translation: "The doctor cares [for his patient], nature heals [him]." or "Doctor cures, nature saves”


 * Melium est nomen bonum quam divitae multae.
 * Literal translation: A good name is better than great riches.
 * English equivalent: A good name is the best of all treasures.


 * Memento mori.
 * Translation: Remember that you are going to die.


 * Mendacem memorem esse oportet.
 * English equivalent: A liar should have a good memory.
 * "Liars must remember the untruths they have told, to avoid contradicting themselves at some later date."


 * Mens regnum bona possidet.
 * Literal translation: Good judgement holds the kingdom.


 * Merx ultronea putet.
 * Translation and English equivalent: Proffered service stinks.


 * Misera fortuna, qui caret inimico.
 * Literal translation: Unhappy fortune, who lacks an enemy.
 * English equivalent: If you have no enemies it is a sign that fortune has forgotten you; People throw stones only at trees with fruit on them.


 * Mobiles ad superstitionem perculsae semel mentes
 * Literal translation: Minds once beaten down are bent to superstition.
 * Translation: "Minds once cowed are prone to superstition."
 * Tacitus, "Agricola", 1.28


 * Mulgere hircum.
 * Literal translation: To milk a buck.
 * English equivalent: You can't milk a bull.


 * Mulier est hominis confusio.
 * Translation: "Woman is man's ruin."
 * "Part of a comic definition of woman" from the Altercatio Hadriani Augusti et Secundi. Famously quoted by Chauntecleer in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''Canterbury Tales’’.


 * Multum clamoris, parum lanae.
 * Literal tranlation: A lot of noise, little wool.
 * English equivalent: Great cry and little wool.
 * "Much ado about nothing."


 * Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur.
 * Translation: The world desires to be deceived; therefore it is. (Attributed to Petronius)
 * English equivalent: The world wants to be taken in.
 * Thompson, J., C. The University of Arizona. Rhetoric, et al. (2008). "A Kind of Thing that Might Be": Toward a Poetics of New Media, University of Arizona.

N

 * Ne eligat is qui donum accipit.
 * Literal translation: He who receives a gift may not choose it.
 * English equivalent: Beggars can’t be choosers.
 * "We must accept with gratitude and without complaint what we are given when we do not have the means or opportunity to provide ourselves with something better.”


 * Ne puero gladium.
 * Do not give a child a sword.
 * H. T. Riley Dictionary of Latin Quotations, Proverbs, Maxims, and Mottos, &c. (1866), p. 249.


 * Ne quid expectes amicos, quod tute agere possis.
 * Translation: Do not expect something from friends, since you cannot do it yourself.
 * English equivalent: For what thou canst do thyself, rely not on another.


 * Ne quid nimis
 * Translation: "Nothing too much", moderation in all thing (Terence)
 * "Work and play they're never okay to mix."
 * Jimmy Eat World taken from their song "Work" (2004)
 * Kierkegaard, S. (2008). Sickness Unto Death, Wilder Publications.


 * Sutor, ne ultra crepidam
 * Literal translation: The shoemaker is not above the shoe.
 * English equivalent: A blind man should not judge of colours.
 * "An uneducated man cannot judge of the attainments of the learned."
 * Carlyle, T., J. Ruskin, et al. (1982). The Correspondence of Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin, Stanford University Press.
 * Carlyle, T., J. Ruskin, et al. (1982). The Correspondence of Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin, Stanford University Press.


 * Nemo regere potest nisi qui et regi.
 * Literal translation: No one can rule unless they can also be ruled.
 * English equivalent: Who has not served cannot command.


 * Nemo iudex in causa sua.
 * Translation: "No one is a judge in his own case".
 * Boczek, B. A. (2005). International Law: A Dictionary, Scarecrow Press.


 * Nescis quid serus vesper vehat.
 * Translation: "You know not what nightfall may bring."
 * H. T. Riley Dictionary of Latin Quotations, Proverbs, Maxims, and Mottos, &c. (1866), p. 261.


 * Nihil ægrius quam disciplinam accipimus.
 * Translation: We receive nothing with so much reluctance as instruction.
 * Note: Specified as a Roman proverb in the source.
 * English equivalent: Advice most needed is the least heeded.


 * ''Nihil est opertum quod non revelabitur, et occultum quod non scietur.' '
 * Literal translation: There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.
 * English equivalent: There is nothing hidden that will not become public.


 * Nihil sub sole novum.
 * English equivalentː There's nothing new under the sun.
 * Vulgate, Ecclesiastes 1.10.


 * Nitidae vestes ornatiorem reddunt.
 * Literal translation: Beautiful clothes look more ornate.
 * English equivalent: Fine feathers make fine birds.


 * In nocte consilium.
 * Literal translation: Counsel is at night
 * English equivalent: Take counsel of one's pillow.
 * Note: Specified as a Latin proverb in the source.


 * Nomen est omen.
 * Literal translation: The name is a sign.
 * English equivalent: The name is a sign, the name speaks for itself.
 * Note: This about a person's name. Nominative determinism.


 * Non alios suo modulo metiri.
 * Literal translation: Do not measure others by your own measure.
 * English equivalent: Do not judge others by your own yardstick.
 * :Those who understand evil pardon it."
 * George Bernard Shaw, Maxims for Revolutionists (1903)


 * Non capiunt lepores tympana rauca leves.
 * English equivalent: Drumming is not the way to catch a hare.
 * Meaning: Don't expect anyone to change his ways by scolding him.


 * Nocere facile est, prodesse difficile.
 * English translation: It is easy to do harm, difficult to do good.


 * Non nobis solum nati sumus
 * Translation: "We are not born for ourselves alone”
 * Stone, J. R. (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs and Sayings, Routledge.


 * Non olet
 * Translation: "It [money] doesn't smell" (according to Suetonius, Emperor Vespasian was challenged by his son Titus for taxing the public lavatories, the emperor held up a coin before his son and asked whether it smelled)
 * Ferlosio, R. S. (2005). Non olet, Destino.
 * Non opus est follo suspendere tympana collo.
 * Translation: A fool does not need any bells.
 * English equivalent: A tongue of a fool carves a piece of his heart to all that sit near him.


 * Non quia difficilia sunt non audemus, sed quia non audemus, difficilia sunt.
 * Translation: "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, but because we do not dare, things are difficult." (Seneca, Letter to Lucilius, letter 104, section 26, line 5)
 * Gresley, W. (1835). Ecclesiastes Anglicanus: being a treatise on preaching, as adapted to a Church of England congregation : in a series of letters to a young clergyman, printed for J. G. F. & J. Rivington.


 * Non scholae, sed vitae discimus.
 * Translation: "We learn not for school but for life." (Seneca's original quotation is "Non vitae, sed scholae discimus.”)
 * "Education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living."
 * John Dewey, My Pedagogic Creed (1897)
 * Stone, J. R. (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs and Sayings, Routledge.


 * Non semper erit aestas.
 * Translation: "It will not always be summer." (be prepared for hard times)
 * Stone, J. R. (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs and Sayings, Routledge.


 * Nulla poena sine lege
 * Translation: "No punishment without law.”
 * Nulla Poena Sine Lege. E.j. Brill, Leiden 1934, Brill Archive.


 * Nulla regula sine exceptione.
 * Translation: "No rule without exception.”
 * (1869). Hygiea.


 * Nulli tacuisse nocet, tutum silentii premium.
 * Literal translation: To have remained silent harms no one, safety is the profit of silence.
 * English equivalent: Least said, soonest mended.
 * "In private animosities and verbal contentions, where angry passions are apt to rise, and irritating, if not profane expressions are often made use of, as we sometimes see to be the case, not only among neighbors, but in families, between husbands and wives, or parents and children, or the children themselves and other members of the household, - the least said, the better in general. By multiplying words, cases often grow worse instead of better."


 * Nullus est dolor quod longinquitas non minuat Dolorem dies longa consumit.
 * Literal translation: There is no pain which time does not diminish. The long day devours pain.


 * Nullus est liber tam mallus, ut non aliqua parte prosit.
 * English equivalent: No book was so bad, but some good might be got out of it.

O

 * Oblata arripe.
 * English equivalent: When the pig is proffered, hold up the poke.


 * Occidit miseros crambe repetita magistros.
 * English equivalent: Take heed of enemies reconciled and of meat twice boiled.


 * Oculus animi index.
 * Translation: Eyes are the index of the mind.
 * English equivalent: The eye looks but it is the mind that sees.


 * Omnia cum pretio.
 * Translation: All things (in rome) have their price. Original "omnia Romae cum pretio" Juvenal


 * Omnibus se accomodat rebus, omnia novit.
 * Translation: He who applies himself to all things, knows all things.
 * English equivalent: All is fish that comes to net.


 * Omnium artium medicina nobilissima est.
 * Translation: Medicine is the noblest of all arts.
 * Lautenbach, E. (2002). Latein-Deutsch: Zitaten-Lexikon: Quellennachweise, Lit.


 * Oratores fiunt, poetae nascuntur.
 * English equivalent: Poets are born, but orators are trained.
 * Meaning: Some things can be improved by training, others require innate talent.


 * Optimi natatores saepius submerguntur.
 * English equivalent: Good swimmers are often drowned.


 * Optimum medicamentum quies est.
 * Translation: Rest is the best medicine.
 * Arnott, J. (1845). Appendix to an essay on therapeutical inquiry, containing the application of plans of treatment noticed therein to the practice of midwifery.


 * Otia dant vitia.
 * English equivalent: Idle hands are the devils playthings.

P

 * Pacta sunt servanda
 * Translation: "Agreements must be honoured.”
 * Hasan, A. M. (2005). Pacta sunt servanda: the principle and its application in petroleum production sharing contract, Fikahati Aneska.


 * Par pari refertur.
 * English equivalent: Give and take is fair play.


 * Pars est beneficii quod petitur si cito neges.
 * Translation: A prompt refusal has in part the grace of a favour granted.
 * "Friendship ... flourishes not so much by kindnesses as by sincerity."
 * Étienne de la Boétie, Discourse of Voluntary Servitude, Part 3


 * Pax melior est quam iustissimum bellum.
 * Translation: "Peace is better than the most just war.”
 * Clure, A. M. Les HazArts Légendaires, Annie Mc Clure.


 * Pede poena claudo.
 * Translation: "Punishment comes limping."
 * English equivalent: Punishment is lame, but it comes.
 * Valerius, J. D. (1855). Samlade vitterhets-arbeten, Norstedt.


 * Periculum in mora.
 * English equivalent: There is danger in delay.
 * "Hesitation or procastination may lead to trouble or disaster."


 * Philosophum non facit barba.
 * Translation: "A beard doesn't make a philosopher." (Plutarch)
 * '"The educated don't get that way by memorizing facts; they get that way by respecting them."
 * Tom Heehler, The Well-Spoken Thesaurus (2011).
 * Source:


 * Plus ultra
 * Translation: "Further Beyond”, Spanish Motto.


 * Piscem vorat maior minorem.
 * Translation: The large fishes eats the small ones.
 * "Small organizations or insignificant people tend to be swallowed up or destroyed by those that are greater and more powerful."


 * Post prandium stabis, post coenam ambulabis.
 * Translation: "After dinner, rest a while, after supper walk a mile."
 * Source:


 * Potius sero quam numquam
 * Translation: "Better late than never" (Livy)
 * Source:


 * Praemonitus, praemunitus
 * Translation: "Forewarned (is) forearmed”
 * Source:


 * Praesentem mulge, fugientem quid insequeris.
 * Translation: Milk today, for what you are aiming for is fleeing.
 * English equivalent: One today is worth two tomorrows.


 * Praestat cautela quam medela.
 * English equivalent: Prevention is better than cure.
 * Meaning: Precaution is infinitely better than remedial measures.


 * Publica fama non semper vana.
 * Translation: Provided common, commonly true.
 * English equivalent: Common fame is often to blame.
 * "A general disrepute is often true."


 * Pulverulenta novis bene verritur area scopis.
 * English equivalent: "New brooms sweep clean."
 * Meaning: Newcomers are the most ambitious.

Q

 * Qualis pagatio, talis laboratio.
 * Translation: "What pay, such work."
 * English equivalent: "You get what you pay for."


 * Qualis rex, talis grex
 * Translation: "Like king, like people."
 * "The people are fashioned according to the example of their kings; and edicts are of less power than the life of the ruler."
 * Claudianus, De Quarto Consulatu Honorii Augustii Panegyris, CCXCIX.
 * Stone, J. R. (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs and Sayings, Routledge.


 * Quam bene vivas refert, non quam diu.
 * Translation: "How well you live makes a difference, not how long." (Seneca)
 * Haase, W. and H. Temporini (1983). Aufstieg und Niedergang Der Römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms Im Spiegel Der Neueren Forschung, Walter de Gruyter.


 * Quantum satis.
 * Translation: "As much as needed."
 * Rundkvist, A. (1968). Quantum satis: så mycket som är tillräckligt ; aforismer, skaldeord och citat från skilda tider om livet och människan, Rundqvists Bokförlag.


 * Que capit, ille facit
 * English equivalent: "If the shoe fits, wear it."
 * "Every one is for denying, extenuating, or throwing the Blame on others, and never will confess a Fault, and take it upon himself; but this, instead of getting it excused and pardoned aggravates it, and makes it worse, and angers the Party concerned, and so it doth Mischief instead of Good. I advise therefore (unless it be a furious, unforgiving Person, and the Thing be a Crime that must not be owned) frankly to own it, to shew how thou wast brought into it, and wish thou hadst not done it. It's likely this ingenuous dealing and throwing thyself upon his Kindness, may work upon his good Nature, and so the storm may pass off without more Mischief ; but this must be managed artfully in a middle Way between Sneaking and Arrogancy."
 * Thomas Fuller, Introductio ad prudentiam: Part II (1727) =


 * Quem di diligunt, adulescens moritur
 * Translation: "Whom the gods love dies young" (Plautus, Bacchides, IV, 7, 18). In the comic play, a sarcastic servant says this to his aging master. The rest of the sentence reads: dum valet, sentit, sapit, "while he is full of health, perception and judgement.”
 * Morris, G. (2009). Angel Train, B&H Publishing Group.


 * Quem dii odere, paedagogum fecere (also Quem dii oderunt, paedagogum fecerunt)
 * Translation: "Whom the gods hate, they make pedagogues."
 * Moritz, K. P. Anton Reiser: Ein Psychologischer Roman, tredition.


 * Qui audet adipiscitur.
 * Translation: "He who dares wins."


 * Qui dormit non peccat
 * Translation: "He who sleeps does not sin."
 * Archer, P. and L. Archer 500 Foreign Words and Phrases You Should Know to Sound Smart: Terms to Demonstrate Your Savoir Faire, Chutzpah, and Bravado, F+W Media.


 * Quidquid agis, prudenter agas, et respice finem
 * Translation: "Whatever you do, may you do it prudently, and consider the end."
 * Timmer, M. Van Anima tot Zeus / druk 1: encyclopedie van begrippen uit de mythologie, religie, alchemie, cultuurgeschiedenis en jungiaanse psychologie, Lemniscaat.


 * Quidquid discis, tibi discis
 * Translation: "Whatever you learn, you learn it for yourself."
 * Arbiter, P. and W. D. Lowe (1905). Petronii Cena Trimalchionis, D. Bell and co.


 * Quidquid latine dictum, altum videtur
 * Translation: "Whatever is said in Latin seems profound."


 * Quieta non movere
 * Translation: "Don't move settled things."
 * English equivalent: "Don't rock the boat"; "let sleeping dogs lie."
 * McKenna, M. (1996). The Captive Republic: A History of Republicanism in Australia, 1788-1996, Cambridge University Press.


 * Qui habet aures audiendi audiat
 * Translation: "Those who have ears to hear, let them hear." (Vulgate, Matthew 11:15)
 * Collins, J. F. (1985). A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin, Catholic University of America Press.


 * Qui me amat, amet et canem meum.
 * Translation: "Who loves me also loves my dog."
 * Meaning: If you love someone, you will virtually like everything about him.


 * Qui multum habet, plus cupit.
 * Translation: "He who has much desires more." (Seneca)
 * Jones, P. V. and K. C. Sidwell (1986). Reading Latin: Grammar, Vocabulary and Exercises, Cambridge University Press.


 * Qui nimis capit, parum stringit.
 * English equivalent: "Don't have too many irons in the fire."


 * Qui non est hodie, cras minus aptus erit.
 * Translation: "He who is not ready today, will be less so tomorrow."
 * English equivalent: He that will not when he may, when he will he may have nay.
 * "Take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself, even if you do not want or need it at the time, because it may no longer be available when you do."


 * Qui non proficit, deficit.
 * Translation: "He who does not go forward, loses ground." or "He who does not accomplish anything, is a failure/has shortcomings.”
 * English equivalent: "He who does not advance goes backwards."
 * Stone, J. R. (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs and Sayings, Routledge.


 * Qui primus venerit, primus verat.
 * English equivalent: "First come, first served."


 * Qui pro innocente dicit, satis est eloquens.
 * Translation: "He who speaks for the innocent is eloquent enough." (Publilius Syrus)
 * Chambers, P. L. (2007). Latin Alive and Well: An Introductory Text, University of Oklahoma Press.


 * Qui rogat, non errat.
 * Translation: "(One) who asks, doesn't err.”
 * English equivalent: The only stupid question is the one not asked.
 * Mimbar Altar, Kanisius.


 * Qui scribit, bis legit.
 * Translation: "Who writes, reads twice.”
 * Stone, J. R. (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs and Sayings, Routledge.


 * Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
 * Translation: "Who watches the watchmen?"
 * Satires by Juvenal


 * Qui tacet consentire videtur.
 * English equivalent: "Silence gives consent."


 * Qui tacet consentire videtur, ubi loqui debuit ac potuit.
 * Translation: "Who is silent is seen to agree, when he ought to and might have spoken.”
 * Schlesinger, R. B., P. G. Bonassies, et al. (1968). Formation of contracts: a study of the common core of legal systems, conducted under the auspices of the General principles of law project of the Cornell Law School, Oceana Publications.


 * Qui transtulit sustinet.
 * Translation: "He who transplanted still sustains." (motto of Connecticut referring to the transplantation of settlers from England to the New World.)
 * Caughman, G., J. Devine, et al. (1997). Qui Transtulit Sustinet.


 * Qui vitulum tollit, taurum subduxerit idem .
 * English equivalent: He that steals an egg will steal an ox.


 * Qui vult dare parva non debet magna rogare.
 * Translation: "He who wishes to give little shouldn't ask for much.”
 * Crawford, G. A. and U. o. M. L. Workshop (1963). Elementary Latin: the basic structures, University of Michigan Press.


 * Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
 * Translation: What is asserted gratuitously may be denied gratuitously.
 * Jon R. Stone, The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations (2005), p. 101. Anonymous, widely used since at least the early 19th century (e.g. The Classical Journal, Vol. 40 (1829), p. 312).


 * Quod nocet, saepe docet
 * Translation: "That which harms, often teaches.”
 * English equivalent: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
 * Hoffmann, K. J. (1836). Doppelte aus dem Klassikern gewählte Beispielsammlung für die Syntax der kleinen und grossen Grammatik von Zumpt: nebst einer Beispielsammlung für die Syntaxis ornata und einem Lesenbuche für Anfänger, Dümmler.

R

 * Rapiamus, amici, occasionem de die.
 * English equivalent: Opportunity knocks only once.


 * Rem tene verba sequentur.
 * Translation: Stick to the subject and the words will follow. (Marcus Porcius Cato)
 * Colish, M. L. (1985). The Stoic Tradition from Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages, E.J. Brill.


 * Repetita iuvant.
 * Translation: "Repetition is useful", or "Repeating things helps”.
 * Ghislotti, S. (2008). Repetita iuvant. Mnemotecniche del film narrativo, Sestante.


 * Repetitio est mater studiorum.
 * Translation: Repetition is the mother of study.
 * Stone, J. R. (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs and Sayings, Routledge.


 * Roma die uno non aedificata est
 * Translation: Rome wasn't built in a day.
 * Kudla, H. (2001). Lexikon der lateinischen Zitate: 3500 Originale mit Übersetzungen und Belegstellen, Beck.

S

 * Salus aegroti suprema lex.
 * Translation: The well-being of the patient is the most important law.
 * Source:


 * Salus populi suprema lex esto.
 * Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law. (motto of the U.S. state of Missouri).
 * "Ideally, our rules should be formed in such a fashion that an ordinary helpful kind thoughtful person doesn't really even need to know the rules. You just get to work, do something fun, and nobody hassles you as long as you are being thoughtful and kind."
 * Jimbo Wales, User talk statement (7 April 2005)
 * Source:


 * Sapere aude.
 * Translation: Dare to be wise. (Horace) (Motto of the University of New Brunswick)


 * Sapiens dominabitur astris.
 * Translation: A wise (man) will rule (or possibly, be ruled by) the stars.
 * Alt. Translation "A Wise Man Is Limited By The Stars"


 * Sapiens omnia sua secum portat
 * Translation: A wise man takes everything he owns with himself. (i.e. in his head, his wealth is his wisdom)
 * English equivalent: A good mind possess a kingdom.


 * Sapientia abscondita et thesaurus invisus quae utilitas in utrisque.
 * English equivalent: You can't take it with you.


 * Sapientia est potentia.
 * Translation: Wisdom is power.


 * Scientia non habet inimicum nisi ignorantem.
 * Translation: Knowledge has no enemies but the ignorant.


 * Senatores boni viri, senatus autem mala bestia
 * Translation: Senators are good men, however Senate is a malicious animal


 * Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem.
 * Translation: The same words conceal and declare the thoughts of men.
 * English equivalent: Men talk only to conceal the mind.
 * Source:


 * Sepem vir calcat ibi plus ubi passio exstat.
 * English equivalent: Men leap over where the hedge is lower.
 * Note: Also knows as the Law of least effort.
 * Meaning: Always do things in a way that requires the absolut least amount of labor.


 * Serpens, nisi serpentem comederit, non fit draco.
 * Translation: A serpent, if it does not devour a serpent, does not become a dragon.
 * Francis Bacon, Essays (1612), apparently translating a Greek proverb.
 * Michael Apostolius, Proverbs (15th century), translates the Greek proverb: Serpens nisi serpentem edat, non fiet draco.
 * Erasmus, Adages (16th century), translates the Greek proverb: Serpens ni edat serpentem, draco non fiet.
 * Attributed to Pliny the Elder (Natural History, c. 77-79 AD) by Richard Brathwaite, but Robert Nares believes Brathwaite is mistaken. A search of the text returns many remarks on dragons and serpents, but nothing like this statement.


 * Si amicus tuus mingit, minge; nisi mingere vis, mingere finge!
 * Translation: If your buddy is peeing, pee too; if you don't feel like peeing, pretend doing so. (medieval Occidental students, anonymous)


 * Si fueris Romae, Romano vivito more, si fueris alibi, vivito sicut ibi.
 * Translation: If you are in Rome, live in the Roman way, if you are somewhere else, live like there. (attributed to Ambrose of Milan)
 * English equivalent: When in Rome, do as the Romans.


 * Si hîc esses, seires qua me vellicent.
 * English equivalent: No one knows where the shoe pinches, but he who wears it.
 * "Nobody can fully understand another person's hardship or suffering."


 * Sic Parvis Magna.
 * Translation: "Greatness from Small Beginnings."


 * Silent leges inter arma.
 * Translation: "During war, laws are silent." (Cicero)


 * Similia similibus.
 * English equivalent: Like will to like.
 * "Every man loves well what is like to himself."


 * Si vis pacem, para bellum.
 * Translation: "If you want peace, prepare for war."
 * Paraphrase of Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum (Vegetius, Epitoma rei militaris)
 * Etymon of parabellum for some ammunition and firearms, e.g. Luger parabellum


 * Si vis pacem, para iustitiam.
 * Translation: "If you want peace, prepare justice."


 * Simia est simia, etiamsi purpura vestiatur.
 * Translation: "A monkey is a monkey, even if it is dressed in purple."
 * English equivalent: "A golden bit does not make the horse any better."
 * Meaning: An ugly thing will remain ugly even if its appeareance is taken care of.


 * Some remedies are worse than the disease.
 * Note: Specified as a Roman proverb in the source.


 * Stultorum est se alienis immiscere negotiis.
 * English equivalent: Give neither salt nor counsel till you are asked for it.


 * Sua cuique sponsa, mihi mea; suum cuique pulchrum.
 * English equivalent: Every man thinks his own geese swans.
 * "This proverb imitates that an inbred Philauty runs through the whole Race of Fleſh and Blood. It blinds the Underſtanding, perverts the Judgment and depraves the Reaſon of the Diſtinguishers of Truth and Falſity."
 * Divers Proverbs, Nathan Bailey, 1721


 * Summum ius summa inuria.
 * Translation: "More law, less justice." (Cicero, De officiis I, 10, 33)


 * Sunt facta verbis difficiliora
 * Translation: "Works are harder than words."
 * English equivalent: "Easier said than done."


 * Sunt pueri pueri pueri puerilia tractant
 * Translation: "Boys are boys and boys will act like boys."
 * English equivalent: Boys will be boys.
 * English equivalent: Boys will be boys.


 * Sutor, ne ultra crepidam!
 * Translation: "Cobbler, no further than the sandal!" I.e. don't offer your opinion on things that are outside your competence. It is said that the Greek painter Apelles once asked the advice of a cobbler on how to render the sandals of a soldier he was painting. When the cobbler started offering advice on other parts of the painting, Apelles rebuked him with this phrase (but in Greek).


 * Suum cuique Pulchrum.
 * Translation: To each its own is beautiful.
 * English equivalent: The bird loves her own nest.
 * Divers Proverbs, Nathan Bailey, 1721

T

 * Tarde venientibus ossa.
 * Translation: "For those who come late, only the bones."


 * Tempora aptari decet.
 * Translation: Times should be adapted to.
 * English equivalent: Take things as you find them.
 * "We should not plan and then try to make circumstances fit those plans. Instead we should make plans fit the circumstances."
 * George S. Patton, War as I Knew It (1947)


 * Tempori parce!
 * Translation: "Save time!"


 * Tempus fugit.
 * Translation: "Time flees." (i.e., "time flies"). Originally as Sed fugit interea, fugit irreparabile tempus - translation: "Meanwhile the irreplaceable time flees" (Virgil)
 * English equivalent: Time and tide waits for none.


 * Tempus fugit, aeternitas manet.
 * Translation: "Time flees, eternity dwells."


 * Tempus fugit, amor manet.
 * Translation: "Time flees, love stays"


 * Timendi causa est nescire.
 * Translation: "The cause of fear is ignorance." (Seneca)


 * Tres faciunt collegium.
 * Translation: "Three makes a company."


 * Tolle, lege; Tolle, lege!
 * Translation: "Take up and read; take up and read!" (Augustinus)


 * Tunc tua res agitur, paries cum proximus ardet.
 * Translation: "It also concerns you when the nearest wall is burning."

U

 * Ut salutas (saltus), ita salutaberis oder Malo arboris nodo malus clavus and cuneus infigendus est.
 * English equivalent: What goes around comes around.


 * Ubi bene, ibi patria
 * Translation: "Where one feels good, there is one's country."


 * Ubi concordia, ibi victoria.
 * Translation: "Where there is harmony, there is victory."


 * Ubi dubium, ibi libertas.
 * Translation: "Where there is doubt, there is freedom." legal, meaning when in doubt the prisoner has to be freed.


 * Ubi fumus, ibi ignis.
 * Translation: "Where there's smoke, there's fire."


 * Ulula cum lupis, cum quibus esse cupis.
 * Translation: "Who keeps company with wolves, will learn to howl."


 * Uni navi ne committas omnia.
 * Translation: Do not commit all to one boat.
 * English equivalent: Don't put all your eggs in the same basket.
 * "Spread your risks or investments so that if one enterprise fails you will not lose everything."
 * Source for meaning of English equivalent:


 * Una hirundo non facit ver
 * Translation: "One swallow doesn't make spring"
 * Meaning: A solitary event is no indication that a major change is taking place.


 * Unum castigabis, centum emendabis.
 * Translation: For one reprimand, a hundred corrections."


 * Usus magister est optimus.
 * Translation: "Experience is the best teacher." (i.e., "Practice makes perfect.")


 * Ut ameris, amabilis esto.
 * Translation: "Be amiable, then you'll be loved."
 * Stone, J. R. (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs and Sayings, Routledge.


 * Ut desint vires, tamen est laudanda voluntas
 * Translation: "Even if the powers are missing, the will deserves praise" (Ovid)


 * Ut sementem feceris, ita metes.
 * Translation: "You'll reap what you sow." (Cicero, "De oratore"); The Bible Job 4:8; Galatians 6:7.
 * English equivalent: What you reap is what you sow.


 * Ut sis nocte levis, sit cena brevis!
 * Translation: "That your sleeping hour be peaceful, let your dining hour be brief!" (Sis is one hour before sunset.) (modern: Sleep hard, Sleep fast, Sleep well)


 * Uxor formosa et vinum sunt dulcia venena.
 * Translation: "Beautiful women and wine are sweet venom."

V

 * Varitatio delectat
 * English equivalent: Variety is the spice of life.
 * Source:


 * Vasa inania multum strepunt.
 * English equivalent: Empty vessels make the greatest sound.


 * Vasa vana plurimum sonant
 * English equivalent: It is not the hen that cackles the most that lay the most eggs.


 * Ventis secundis, tene cursum.
 * English equivalent: Go with the flow.
 * "Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows. Let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances."


 * Verba docent, exempla trahunt.
 * Translation: Words instruct, illustrations lead.


 * Verba volant, scripta manent.
 * Translation: Words are fleeting; writing remains.


 * Verit eo caudam, qua decidit arbore, malum.
 * English equivalent: The apple does not fall far from the tree.
 * "Children observe daily and — in their behaviour — often follow the example of their parents."


 * Veritas odium paret
 * Translation: Truth creates hatred. (Terence, Andria 68)


 * Veritas vos liberabit
 * Translation: The truth will set you free.
 * From the Gospel of John, 8:32


 * Veritatem dies aperit.
 * Translation: Time discloses the truth.


 * Vincit omnia veritas.
 * Translation: Truth conquers all.


 * Vincit qui patitur. - motto Berea College, Berea, KY
 * English equivalent: Persevere and never fear.


 * Vir fugiens et denuo pugnabit.
 * English equivalent: He who fights and runs away may live to fight another day.
 * "It is wiser to withdraw from a situation that you cannot win than to go on fighting and lose – by a strategic retreat you can return to the battle or argument with renewed energy at a later date."


 * Vita brevis, ars longa.
 * English meaningː Life is short; art is long.


 * Viveri bis, vitâ posse priori frui.
 * Translation: It is to live twice to be able to enjoy the retrospect of your past life.


 * Vivit post funera virtus.
 * Translation: Virtue survives the grave.


 * Vulpes pilum mutat, non mores!
 * Translation: A fox can change its fur, not its behavior.
 * English equivalent A leopard won't change its spots.