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

Quintilian

While we ponder when to begin, it becomes too late to do.
QUINTILIAN

Action Beginning Late
The learned understand the reason of art; the unlearned feel the pleasure.
QUINTILIAN

Art Feeling Learning Pleasure Reason Understand
The prosperous can not easily form a right idea of misery.
QUINTILIAN

Easy Ideas Misery Prosperity Right
Nature herself has never attempted to effect great changes rapidly.
QUINTILIAN

Change Greatness Nature
Give bread to a stranger, in the name of the universal brotherhood which binds together all men under the common father of nature.
QUINTILIAN

Father Food Nature Poor Stranger Togetherness
Nothing can be pleasing which is not also becoming.
QUINTILIAN

Deep Please
Where evil habits are once settled, they are more easily broken than mended.
QUINTILIAN

Break Easy Evil Habit Repair Settle
Nothing is more dangerous to men than a sudden change of fortune.
QUINTILIAN

Change Dangerous Fortune
Whilst we deliberate how to begin a thing, it grows too late to begin it.
QUINTILIAN

Beginning Deliberate Growth
Fear of the future is worse than one’s present fortune.
QUINTILIAN

Fear Fortune Future Present
A Woman who is generous with her money is to be praised; not so, if she is generous with her person.
QUINTILIAN

Generosity Herself Money Person Woman
Vain hopes are like certain dreams of those who wake.
QUINTILIAN

Awake Dreams Hope
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
That which prematurely arrives at perfection soon perishes.
QUINTILIAN

Arrival Lost Perfection Vanish
It is easier to do many things than to do one thing continuously for a long time.
QUINTILIAN

Different Easy Time
Study depends on the goodwill of the student, a quality that cannot be secured by compulsion.
QUINTILIAN

Compulsion Goodness Secure Study
Lately we have had many losses.
QUINTILIAN

Late Lose One Liner
To swear, except when necessary, is becoming to an honorable man.
QUINTILIAN

Exception Honor Man Necessary
While we are making up our minds as to when we shall begin. The opportunity is lost.
QUINTILIAN

Beginning Lost Mindset Opportunity Time
In a crowd, on a journey, at a banquet even, a line of thought can itself provide its own seclusion.
QUINTILIAN

Crowd Journey Seclusion
Satiety is a neighbor to continued pleasures.
QUINTILIAN

Happiness Pleasure Satire
For all the best teachers pride themselves on having a large number of pupils and think themselves worthy of a bigger audience.
QUINTILIAN

Audience Best Big Pride Teacher Worth
The perfection of art is to conceal art.
QUINTILIAN

Art Hide Perfection
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
It seldom happens that a premature shoot of genius ever arrives at maturity.
QUINTILIAN

Arrival Genius Maturity
An evil-speaker differs from an evil-doer only in the want of opportunity.
QUINTILIAN

Difference Evil Opportunity
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

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

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

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