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

Quintilian

A liar should have a good memory.
QUINTILIAN

Goodness Lying Memory
For the mind is all the easier to teach before it is set.
QUINTILIAN

Easy Mindset Teaching
A laugh costs too much when bought at the expense of virtue.
QUINTILIAN

Cost Expense Laughter Virtue
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
Men of quality are in the wrong to undervalue, as they often do, the practise of a fair and quick hand in writing; for it is no immaterial accomplishment.
QUINTILIAN

Accomplishment Man Quality Value Wrong
Those who wish to appear learned to fools, appear as fools to the learned.
QUINTILIAN

Appearance Fools Learning
It is the heart which inspires eloquence.
QUINTILIAN

Heart Inspirational One Liner
We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty.
QUINTILIAN

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

Difference Evil Opportunity
It is worth while too to warn the teacher that undue severity in correcting faults is liable at times to discourage a boy’s mind from effort.
QUINTILIAN

Courage Effort Mistake Severe Teacher Worth
The learned understand the reason of art; the unlearned feel the pleasure.
QUINTILIAN

Art Feeling Learning Pleasure Reason Understand
Forbidden pleasures alone are loved immoderately; when lawful, they do not excite desire.
QUINTILIAN

Alone Desire Excite Feeling Law
In a crowd, on a journey, at a banquet even, a line of thought can itself provide its own seclusion.
QUINTILIAN

Crowd Journey Seclusion
It is easier to do many things than to do one thing continuously for a long time.
QUINTILIAN

Different Easy Time
The soul languishing in obscurity contracts a kind of rust, or abandons itself to the chimera of presumption; for it is natural for it to acquire something, even when separated from any one.
QUINTILIAN

Kind Natural Oneself Separate Soul

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

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

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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