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Don’t ask of your friends what you yourself can do.

Quintus Ennius

They hate whom they fear.
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Fear Hate
One man by delaying saved the state for us.
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Delay Man Oneself
That is true liberty, which bears a pure and firm breast.
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Liberty One Liner Purity True
Whom men fear they hate, and whom they hate, they wish dead.
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Death Fear Hate Man
Let no one pay me honor with tears, nor celebrate my funeral rites with weeping.
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Celebration Cry Honor Pay Tears
The ape, vilest of beasts, how like to us.
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Animal Beast Similarity
Let no one honour me with tears, or bury me with lamentation. Why? Because I fly hither and thither, living in the mouths of me. [Lat., Nemo me lacrymis decoret, nec funera fletu. Faxit cur? Volito vivu’ per ora virum.]
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Bury Honor Live Myself Tears
One man by delay restored the state, for he preferred the public safety to idle report.
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Man Report Safety State
One man restored our fortunes by delay. [By skilfully avoiding an engagement, Fabius exhausted the resources of the enemy.]
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Avoid Enemy Engagement Man Resource Restore Skill
He whose wisdom cannot help him, gets no good from being wise.
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Goodness Help Himself Wisdom
To open his lips is crime in a plain citizen.
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Citizenship Crime Lips
The wise man is wise in vain who cannot be wise to his own advantage.
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Advantage Man Wisdom
O friend unseen, unborn, unknown, Student of our sweet English tongue, I never indulge in poetics – Unless I am down with rheumatics.
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Born Friendship Myself Poet
The victor is not victorious if the vanquished does not consider himself so
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Himself Victory
How can life be worth living, if devoid Of the calm trust reposed by friend in friend? What sweeter joy than in the kindred soul, Whose converse differs not from self-communion?
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Calm Conversation Friendship Life Soul True Worth
Ennius was the father of Roman poetry, because he first introduced into Latin the Greek manner and in particular the hexameter metre.
QUINTUS ENNIUS

Father Himself Introduction Poetry

Don’t ask of your friends what you yourself can do.

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Don’t ask of your friends what you yourself can do.

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