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We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty.

Quintilian

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
When we cannot hope to win, it is an advantage to yield.
QUINTILIAN

Advantage Hope Protection Win
A man who tries to surpass another may perhaps succeed in equaling in not actually surpassing him, but one who merely follows can never quite come up with him: a follower, necessarily, is always behind.
QUINTILIAN

Equality Follow Himself Man Quite Success
It is easier to do many things than to do one thing continuously for a long time.
QUINTILIAN

Different Easy Time
(Slaughter) means blood and iron.
QUINTILIAN

Blood Death Iron
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
A laugh costs too much when bought at the expense of virtue.
QUINTILIAN

Cost Expense Laughter Virtue
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
Study depends on the goodwill of the student, a quality that cannot be secured by compulsion.
QUINTILIAN

Compulsion Goodness Secure Study
Everything that has a beginning comes to an end.
QUINTILIAN

Advice Beginning End Proverb
The prosperous can not easily form a right idea of misery.
QUINTILIAN

Easy Ideas Misery Prosperity Right
Vain hopes are like certain dreams of those who wake.
QUINTILIAN

Awake Dreams Hope
Let us never adopt the maxim, Rather lose our friend than our jest.
QUINTILIAN

Adopt Friendship Ourselves
Satiety is a neighbor to continued pleasures.
QUINTILIAN

Happiness Pleasure Satire
For comic writers charge Socrates with making the worse appear the better reason.
QUINTILIAN

Appearance Better Comic Reason Worst Writing
A great part of art consists in imitation. For the whole conduct of life is based on this: that what we admire in others we want to do ourselves.
QUINTILIAN

Admire Art Consist Greatness Life Ourselves

We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty.

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We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty.

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