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Verse satire indeed is entirely our own.

Quintilian

If you direct your whole thought to work itself, none of the things which invade eyes or ears will reach the mind.
QUINTILIAN

Direct Eyes Mindset Reach Work
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
The prosperous can not easily form a right idea of misery.
QUINTILIAN

Easy Ideas Misery Prosperity Right
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
We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty.
QUINTILIAN

Difficult Excuse Ourselves
Though ambition in itself is a vice, yet it is often the parent of virtues.
QUINTILIAN

Ambition Parent Vice Virtue
While we are examining into everything we sometimes find truth where we least expected it.
QUINTILIAN

Examination Expectation Time
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
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
Sayings designed to raise a laugh are generally untrue and never complimentary. Laughter is never far removed from derision.
QUINTILIAN

Complimentary Design Laughter Raise
In almost everything, experience is more valuable than precept.
QUINTILIAN

Experience Value
When defeat is inevitable, it is wisest to yield.
QUINTILIAN

Defeat Protection Wisdom
Conscience is a thousand witnesses.
QUINTILIAN

Conscience One Liner Perspective Spirituality
It is the heart which inspires eloquence.
QUINTILIAN

Heart Inspirational One Liner
It is easier to do many things than to do one thing continuously for a long time.
QUINTILIAN

Different Easy Time
Though ambition may be a fault in itself, it is often the mother of virtues.
QUINTILIAN

Ambition Mistake Mom Virtue
To my mind the boy who gives least promise is one in whom the critical faculty develops in advance of the imagination.
QUINTILIAN

Criticism Development Imagination Mindset Promise
Too exact, and studious of similitude rather than of beauty.
QUINTILIAN

Beautiful Exact Similar
Nothing can be pleasing which is not also becoming.
QUINTILIAN

Deep Please
One should aim not at being possible to understand, but at being impossible to misunderstand.
QUINTILIAN

Goal Perspective Possible
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
For the mind is all the easier to teach before it is set.
QUINTILIAN

Easy Mindset Teaching
That which offends the ear will not easily gain admission to the mind.
QUINTILIAN

Admission Ear Easy Mindset Offend
For comic writers charge Socrates with making the worse appear the better reason.
QUINTILIAN

Appearance Better Comic Reason Worst Writing
To swear, except when necessary, is becoming to an honorable man.
QUINTILIAN

Exception Honor Man Necessary
While we ponder when to begin, it becomes too late to do.
QUINTILIAN

Action Beginning Late
Consequently the student who is devoid of talent will derive no more profit from this work than barren soil from a treatise on agriculture.
QUINTILIAN

Agriculture Profit Student Talent Work

Verse satire indeed is entirely our own.

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Verse satire indeed is entirely our own.

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