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A laugh costs too much when bought at the expense of virtue.

Quintilian

The mind is exercised by the variety and multiplicity of the subject matter, while the character is moulded by the contemplation of virtue and vice.
QUINTILIAN

Exercise Mindset Subject Vice Virtue
A liar should have a good memory.
QUINTILIAN

Goodness Lying Memory
God, that all-powerful Creator of nature and architect of the world, has impressed man with no character so proper to distinguish him from other animals, as by the faculty of speech.
QUINTILIAN

Animal Creation Faculty God Impression Nature Powerful Talk
It is the nurse that the child first hears, and her words that he will first attempt to imitate.
QUINTILIAN

Children Himself Imitation Nurse
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
For the mind is all the easier to teach before it is set.
QUINTILIAN

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

Complimentary Design Laughter Raise
Although virtue receives some of its excellencies from nature, yet it is perfected by education.
QUINTILIAN

Excellence Nature Perfection Virtue
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
Though ambition may be a fault in itself, it is often the mother of virtues.
QUINTILIAN

Ambition Mistake Mom Virtue
When we cannot hope to win, it is an advantage to yield.
QUINTILIAN

Advantage Hope Protection Win
Those who wish to appear learned to fools, appear as fools to the learned.
QUINTILIAN

Appearance Fools Learning
We must form our minds by reading deep rather than wide.
QUINTILIAN

Form Mindset Reading Wide
Conscience is a thousand witnesses.
QUINTILIAN

Conscience One Liner Perspective Spirituality
For comic writers charge Socrates with making the worse appear the better reason.
QUINTILIAN

Appearance Better Comic Reason Worst Writing
Without natural gifts technical rules are useless.
QUINTILIAN

Gift Natural Rule Technical
Though ambition in itself is a vice, yet it is often the parent of virtues.
QUINTILIAN

Ambition Parent Vice Virtue
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
(Slaughter) means blood and iron.
QUINTILIAN

Blood Death Iron
Those who wish to appear wise among fools, among the wise seem foolish.
QUINTILIAN

Appearance Fools Virtue Wisdom
One should aim not at being possible to understand, but at being impossible to misunderstand.
QUINTILIAN

Goal Perspective Possible
That which offends the ear will not easily gain admission to the mind.
QUINTILIAN

Admission Ear Easy Mindset Offend
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
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
He who speaks evil only differs from his who does evil in that he lacks opportunity.
QUINTILIAN

Evil Himself Opportunity Talk

A laugh costs too much when bought at the expense of virtue.

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A laugh costs too much when bought at the expense of virtue.

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