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That which prematurely arrives at perfection soon perishes.

Quintilian

It seldom happens that a premature shoot of genius ever arrives at maturity.
QUINTILIAN

Arrival Genius Maturity
A liar should have a good memory.
QUINTILIAN

Goodness Lying Memory
We should not speak so that it is possible for the audience to understand us, but so that it is impossible for them to misunderstand us.
QUINTILIAN

Impossible Misunderstand Possible Talk Understand
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

Better Born Destruction Dumb Man Neighbor Reason
A Woman who is generous with her money is to be praised; not so, if she is generous with her person.
QUINTILIAN

Generosity Herself Money Person Woman
Satiety is a neighbor to continued pleasures.
QUINTILIAN

Happiness Pleasure Satire
For the mind is all the easier to teach before it is set.
QUINTILIAN

Easy Mindset Teaching
(Slaughter) means blood and iron.
QUINTILIAN

Blood Death Iron
The pretended admission of a fault on our part creates an excellent impression.
QUINTILIAN

Admission Creation Excellence Impression Pretend
To swear, except when necessary, is becoming to an honorable man.
QUINTILIAN

Exception Honor Man Necessary
To my mind the boy who gives least promise is one in whom the critical faculty develops in advance of the imagination.
QUINTILIAN

Criticism Development Imagination Mindset Promise
Where evil habits are once settled, they are more easily broken than mended.
QUINTILIAN

Break Easy Evil Habit Repair Settle
Fear of the future is worse than one’s present fortune.
QUINTILIAN

Fear Fortune Future Present
From writing rapidly it does not result that one writes well, but from writing well it results that one writes rapidly.
QUINTILIAN

Fast Oneself Result Writing
The obscurity of a writer is generally in proportion to his incapacity.
QUINTILIAN

Capacity Writing
The prosperous can not easily form a right idea of misery.
QUINTILIAN

Easy Ideas Misery Prosperity Right

That which prematurely arrives at perfection soon perishes.

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That which prematurely arrives at perfection soon perishes.

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