black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

Fortune rules in all things, and advances and depresses things more out of her own will than right and justice.

Sallust

The glory of wealth and of beauty is fleeting and frail; virtue is illustrious and everlasting.
SALLUST

Beautiful Glory Illustration Virtue Wealth
Everything rises but to fall, and increases but to decay.
SALLUST

Decay Fall Life Philosophy Rise
Just to stir things up seemed a great reward in itself.
SALLUST

Greatness Reward
Most honorable are services rendered to the State; even if they do not go beyond words, they are not to be despised.
SALLUST

Beyond Despise Honor Service State Word
In battle it is the cowards who run the most risk; bravery is a rampart of defense.
SALLUST

Battle Brave Coward Defense Risk Run
By union the smallest states thrive. By discord the greatest are destroyed.
SALLUST

Destroy Greatness Small State Thrive
It is always easy enough to take up arms, but very difficult to lay them down; the commencement and the termination of war are not necessarily in the same hands; even a coward may begin, but the end comes only when the victors are willing.
SALLUST

Coward Difficult Easy Enough Hands Necessary War Willing
No grief reaches the dead.
SALLUST

Death Grief One Liner Reach
Everything that rises sets, and everything that grows, grows old.
SALLUST

Growth Old Rise
A good man would prefer to be defeated than to defeat injustice by evil means.
SALLUST

Defeat Goodness Justice Man
Each man the architect of his own fate.
SALLUST

Architect Fate Himself Man
Since we have received everything from the Gods, and it is right to pay the giver some tithe of his gifts, we pay such a tithe of possessions in votive offering, of bodies in gifts of (hair and) adornment, and of life in sacrifices.
SALLUST

Body Gift God Pay Possession Received Sacrifice
It is a law of human nature that in victory even the coward may boast of his prowess, while defeat injures the reputation even of the brave.
SALLUST

Brave Defeat Himself Human Law Nature Reputation Victory
Enough words, little wisdom.
SALLUST

Enough Wisdom Word
To hope for safety in flight, when you have turned away from the enemy the arms by which the body is defended, is indeed madness. In battle those who are most afraid are always in most danger; but courage is equivalent to rampart.
SALLUST

Afraid Body Courage Defeat Enemy Equivalent Hope Madness Safety
For harmony makes small states great, while discord undermines the mightiest empires.
SALLUST

Empire Greatness Harmony Small State
For men who had easily endured hardship, danger and difficult uncertainty, leisure and riches, though in some ways desirable, proved burdensome and a source of grief.
SALLUST

Dangerous Desire Easy Endurance Men Source Way
Advise well before you begin, and when you have maturely considered, then act with promptitude.
SALLUST

Act Advice Beginning Mature
But few prize honour more than money.
SALLUST

Honor Money Prize
The Romans assisted their allies and friends, and acquired friendships by giving rather than receiving kindness.
SALLUST

Assistance Friendship Kindness Receive Roman
Greedy for the property of others, extravagant with his own
SALLUST

Himself Own Property
In victory even the cowardly like to boast, while in adverse times even the brave are discredited.
SALLUST

Brave Coward Credit Time Victory
Of the bodies in the cosmos, some imitate mind and move in orbits; some imitate soul and move in a straight line, fire and air upward, earth and water downward.
SALLUST

Body Cosmos Down Imitation Move On Soul Water
The poorest of men are the most useful to those seeking power.
SALLUST

Man Poor Power Seek Useful
Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master.
SALLUST

Desire Liberty Master Men
To desire the same things and to reject the same things, constitutes true friendship.
SALLUST

Desire Friendship Reject
All persons who are enthusiastic that they should transcend the other animals ought to strive with the utmost effort not to pass through a life of silence, like cattle, which nature has fashioned to be prone and obedient to their stomachs.
SALLUST

Animal Effort Nature Obedience Person Stomach Transcend

Fortune rules in all things, and advances and depresses things more out of her own will than right and justice.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Fortune rules in all things, and advances and depresses things more out of her own will than right and justice.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Sallust Quotes