30 Quintilian Quotes for You to Enjoy

Quintilian

Roman Educator

Born: 35

Died: 95

Alone Man Mind Much Nature Our

In almost everything, experience is more valuable than precept. Quintilian

Experience Valuable Everything More Almost Almost Everything Precept Than

A laugh, if purchased at the expense of propriety, costs too much. Quintilian

Too Much Too Laugh Purchased Costs Propriety Expense Much

We must form our minds by reading deep rather than wide. Quintilian

Reading Our Minds Must Rather Than Form Deep Wide

We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty. Quintilian

Difficulty Our Sloth Pretext Excuse

It is the nurse that the child first hears, and her words that he will first attempt to imitate. Quintilian

Words Will First Imitate Nurse Attempt He Hears Child Her

God, that all-powerful Creator of nature and architect of the world, has impressed man with no character so proper to distinguish him from other animals, as by the faculty of speech. Quintilian

God Nature Character Man World Animals Other Distinguish All-Powerful Architect Proper Faculty Him Impressed Creator Speech

It is fitting that a liar should be a man of good memory. Quintilian

Good Man Memory Liar Good Memory Be A Man Fitting Should

Nature herself has never attempted to effect great changes rapidly. Quintilian

Great Nature Changes Herself Rapidly Never Attempted Effect

The prosperous can not easily form a right idea of misery. Quintilian

Easily Misery Idea Prosperous Form Right Right Idea

Though ambition in itself is a vice, yet it is often the parent of virtues. Quintilian

Ambition Virtues Though Parent Itself Often Vice

Vain hopes are like certain dreams of those who wake. Quintilian

Dreams Vain Those Hopes Like Wake Certain Who

Men, even when alone, lighten their labors by song, however rude it may be. Quintilian

Alone Song Rude Men Lighten However Labors May Even

Everything that has a beginning comes to an end. Quintilian

Beginning Everything End

Fear of the future is worse than one's present fortune. Quintilian

Future Fear Worse Than Fortune Present

The pretended admission of a fault on our part creates an excellent impression. Quintilian

Fault Our Pretended Admission Excellent Part Impression Creates

That which prematurely arrives at perfection soon perishes. Quintilian

Perfection Soon Which Prematurely

For it would have been better that man should have been born dumb, nay, void of all reason, rather than that he should employ the gifts of Providence to the destruction of his neighbor. Quintilian

Man Destruction Better Neighbor Gifts Would Born Rather Void He Employ Been His Providence Dumb Than Should Reason Nay

To swear, except when necessary, is becoming to an honorable man. Quintilian

Man Honorable Except Becoming Swear Necessary

For the mind is all the easier to teach before it is set. Quintilian

Mind Before Easier Teach Set

Where evil habits are once settled, they are more easily broken than mended. Quintilian

Broken Evil Settled Once Easily Mended More Habits Than Where

Though ambition itself be a vice, yet it is often times the cause of virtues. Quintilian

Cause Ambition Virtues Though Itself Times Often Vice

He who speaks evil only differs from his who does evil in that he lacks opportunity. Quintilian

Opportunity Evil Only He Does His Lacks Speaks Who Differs

The gifts of nature are infinite in their variety, and mind differs from mind almost as much as body from body. Quintilian

Nature Mind Gifts Variety Almost Infinite Much Body Differs