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Red-haired, black-lipped, club-footed, and blink-eyed; if you’re a good man, you’re a wonder!

Martial

Gifts are like fish-hooks; for who is not aware that the greedy char is deceived by the fly which he swallows?
MARTIAL

Aware Fly Gift Himself Swallow
You puff the poets of other days, The living you deplore. Spare me the accolade: your praise Is not worth dying for.
MARTIAL

Death Live Poet Praise Worth
Spare the person but lash the vice.
MARTIAL

One Liner Person Vice
In adversity it is easy to despise life; he is truly brave who can endure a wretched life.
MARTIAL

Adversity Brave Himself Life True
He who thinks that the lives of Priam and of Nestor were long is much deceived and mistaken. Life consists not in living, but in enjoying health.
MARTIAL

Enjoyment Health Mistake Thinking
Service cannot be expected from a friend in service; let him be a freeman who wishes to be my master.
MARTIAL

Friendship Master Service Yourself
No man is quick enough to enjoy life.
MARTIAL

Enough Life Man Quick
He who prefers to give Linus the half of what he wishes to borrow, rather than to lend him the whole, prefers to lose only the half.
MARTIAL

Borrow Himself Lose Preference
You praise, in three hundred verses, Sabellus, the baths of Ponticus, who gives such excellent dinners. You wish to dine, Sabellus, not to bathe.
MARTIAL

Excellence Praise Verse Yourself
Live thy life as it were spoil and pluck the joys that fly.
MARTIAL

Fly Joy Life Live
Epigrams need no crier, but are content with their own tongue.
MARTIAL

Content Language Need
Red-haired, black-lipped, club-footed, and blink-eyed; if you’re a good man, you’re a wonder!
MARTIAL

Goodness Man Yourself
If I remember right, Aelia, you had four teeth; a cough displaced two, another two more. You can now cough without anxiety all the day long. A third cough can find nothing to do in your mouth.
MARTIAL

Anxiety Mouth Remember Right Yourself
Be merry if you are wise.
MARTIAL

One Liner Wisdom
If you are poor now, Aemilianus, you will always be poor. Riches are now given to none but the rich.
MARTIAL

Poor Rich Unfair Willing Yourself
If you want him to mourn, you had best leave him nothing.
MARTIAL

Himself Leaving Mourn
Fortune gives many too much, but none enough.
MARTIAL

Enough Fate Fortune
I do not love thee, Sabidius, nor can I say why; I can only say this, “I do not love thee.”
MARTIAL

Love Myself
Why do strong arms fatigue themselves with frivolous dumbbells? To dig a vineyard is worthier exercise for men.
MARTIAL

Arms Exercise Man Strong Worthy
Genuine is the sorrow endured without anyone else knowing about it.
MARTIAL

Endurance Genuine Known Sorrow
A fisherman’s walk: three steps and overboard.
MARTIAL

Man Walk
Some things are good, some middling, more bad.
MARTIAL

Bad Goodness
He who weighs his burdens, can bear them.
MARTIAL

Burden Himself Weigh
Fortune gives too much to many, enough to none.
MARTIAL

Enough Fortune Unfair
You may envy every one, but no one envies you.
MARTIAL

Envy Jealous Yourself
Glory comes too late when we are nought but ashes.
MARTIAL

Ash Glory Late
The swan murmurs sweet strains with a flattering tongue, itself the singer of its own dirge.
MARTIAL

Swan Tongue

Red-haired, black-lipped, club-footed, and blink-eyed; if you’re a good man, you’re a wonder!

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Red-haired, black-lipped, club-footed, and blink-eyed; if you’re a good man, you’re a wonder!

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