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Virtue, though she gets her beginning from nature, yet receives her finishing touches from learning.

Quintilian

Without natural gifts technical rules are useless.
QUINTILIAN

Gift Natural Rule Technical
A mediocre speech supported by all the power of delivery will be more impressive than the best speech unaccompanied by such power.
QUINTILIAN

Accompany Average Impression Support
Nature herself has never attempted to effect great changes rapidly.
QUINTILIAN

Change Greatness Nature
Our minds are like our stomaches; they are whetted by the change of their food, and variety supplies both with fresh appetite.
QUINTILIAN

Change Food Fresh Mindset Stomach
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

Animal Creation Faculty God Impression Nature Powerful Talk
We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty.
QUINTILIAN

Difficult Excuse Ourselves
An evil-speaker differs from an evil-doer only in the want of opportunity.
QUINTILIAN

Difference Evil Opportunity
One thing, however, I must premise, that without the assistance of natural capacity, rules and precepts are of no efficacy.
QUINTILIAN

Assistance Capacity Natural Rule
The gifts of nature are infinite in their variety, and mind differs from mind almost as much as body from body.
QUINTILIAN

Body Infinite Mindset Nature
It is much easier to try one’s hand at many things than to concentrate one’s powers on one thing.
QUINTILIAN

Easy Hand Oneself Power Try
Those who wish to appear wise among fools, among the wise seem foolish.
QUINTILIAN

Appearance Fools Virtue Wisdom
Fear of the future is worse than one’s present fortune.
QUINTILIAN

Fear Fortune Future Present
The pretended admission of a fault on our part creates an excellent impression.
QUINTILIAN

Admission Creation Excellence Impression Pretend
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 the mind is all the easier to teach before it is set.
QUINTILIAN

Easy Mindset Teaching
When defeat is inevitable, it is wisest to yield.
QUINTILIAN

Defeat Protection Wisdom

Virtue, though she gets her beginning from nature, yet receives her finishing touches from learning.

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Virtue, though she gets her beginning from nature, yet receives her finishing touches from learning.

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Popular Authors

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