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Get good counsel before you begin; and when you have decided, act promptly.

Sallust

The renown which riches or beauty confer is fleeting and frail mental excellence is a splendid and lasting possession.
SALLUST

Beautiful Excellence Mental Possession Rich
All persons who are enthusiastic that they should transcend the other animals ought to strive with the utmost effort not to pass through a life of silence, like cattle, which nature has fashioned to be prone and obedient to their stomachs.
SALLUST

Animal Effort Nature Obedience Person Stomach Transcend
The man who is roused neither by glory nor by danger it is in vain to exhort; terror closes the ears of the mind.
SALLUST

Dangerous Glory Man Mindset Terror
Each man the architect of his own fate.
SALLUST

Architect Fate Himself Man
But at power or wealth, for the sake of which wars, and all kinds of strife, arise among mankind, we do not aim; we desire only our liberty, which no honorable man relinquishes but with his life.
SALLUST

Desire Himself Kind Liberty Life Man Power War Wealth
In my own case, who have spent my whole life in the practice of virtue, right conduct from habitual has become natural.
SALLUST

Character Life Natural Practice Right Virtue
To have the same desires and the same aversion is assuredly a firm bond of friendship.
SALLUST

Bond Desire Friendship
But assuredly Fortune rules in all things; she raised to eminence or buries in oblivion everything from caprice rather than from well-regulated principle.
SALLUST

Assurance Bury Fate Fortune Principle Raise Rule
The poorest of men are the most useful to those seeking power.
SALLUST

Man Poor Power Seek Useful
It is sweet to surve one country by deeds, and it is not absurd to surve her by words.
SALLUST

Country Herself Madness Sweet Word
The Gods being good and making all things, there is no positive evil, it only comes by absence of good; just as darkness itself does not exist, but only comes about by absence of light.
SALLUST

Absence Darkness Existence God Goodness Light Positive
The Romans assisted their allies and friends, and acquired friendships by giving rather than receiving kindness.
SALLUST

Assistance Friendship Kindness Receive Roman
Before you act consider; when you have considered, tis fully time to act.
SALLUST

Act Action Consider Time Yourself
It is always easy enough to take up arms, but very difficult to lay them down; the commencement and the termination of war are not necessarily in the same hands; even a coward may begin, but the end comes only when the victors are willing.
SALLUST

Coward Difficult Easy Enough Hands Necessary War Willing
In my opinion it is less shameful for a king to be overcome by force of arms than by bribery.
SALLUST

Arms Bribe Force Opinion Shame
To someone seeking power, the poorest man is the most useful.
SALLUST

Deep Man Poor Power Seek

Get good counsel before you begin; and when you have decided, act promptly.

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Get good counsel before you begin; and when you have decided, act promptly.

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Popular Authors

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