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In almost everything, experience is more valuable than precept.

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

Complimentary Design Laughter Raise
He who speaks evil only differs from his who does evil in that he lacks opportunity.
QUINTILIAN

Evil Himself Opportunity Talk
In almost everything, experience is more valuable than precept.
QUINTILIAN

Experience Value
By writing quickly we are not brought to write well, but by writing well we are brought to write quickly.
QUINTILIAN

Difference Literature Poet Writing
Lately we have had many losses.
QUINTILIAN

Late Lose One Liner
The learned understand the reason of art; the unlearned feel the pleasure.
QUINTILIAN

Art Feeling Learning Pleasure Reason Understand
One should aim not at being possible to understand, but at being impossible to misunderstand.
QUINTILIAN

Goal Perspective Possible
Our minds are like our stomaches; they are whetted by the change of their food, and variety supplies both with fresh appetite.
QUINTILIAN

Change Food Fresh Mindset Stomach
The obscurity of a writer is generally in proportion to his incapacity.
QUINTILIAN

Capacity 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
That which offends the ear will not easily gain admission to the mind.
QUINTILIAN

Admission Ear Easy Mindset Offend
Satiety is a neighbor to continued pleasures.
QUINTILIAN

Happiness Pleasure Satire
It seldom happens that a premature shoot of genius ever arrives at maturity.
QUINTILIAN

Arrival Genius Maturity
Although virtue receives some of its excellencies from nature, yet it is perfected by education.
QUINTILIAN

Excellence Nature Perfection Virtue
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
A religion without mystics is a philosophy.
QUINTILIAN

One Liner Philosophy Religion
Whilst we deliberate how to begin a thing, it grows too late to begin it.
QUINTILIAN

Beginning Deliberate Growth
The perfection of art is to conceal art.
QUINTILIAN

Art Hide Perfection
(Slaughter) means blood and iron.
QUINTILIAN

Blood Death Iron
Though ambition may be a fault in itself, it is often the mother of virtues.
QUINTILIAN

Ambition Mistake Mom Virtue
Fear of the future is worse than one’s present fortune.
QUINTILIAN

Fear Fortune Future Present
When we cannot hope to win, it is an advantage to yield.
QUINTILIAN

Advantage Hope Protection Win
She abounds with lucious faults.
QUINTILIAN

Flaw Herself
We must form our minds by reading deep rather than wide.
QUINTILIAN

Form Mindset Reading Wide
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

In almost everything, experience is more valuable than precept.

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In almost everything, experience is more valuable than precept.

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Popular Authors

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