No one in Germany laughs at vice, nor do they call it the fashion to corrupt and to be corrupted.
TACITUSNo one would have doubted his ability to reign had he never been emperor.
More Tacitus Quotes
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The task of history is to hold out for reprobation every evil word and deed, and to hold out for praise every great and noble word and deed.
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Men are more ready to repay an injury than a benefit, because gratitude is a burden and revenge a pleasure.
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Rulers always hate and suspect the next in succession. [Lat., Suspectum semper invisumque dominantibus qui proximus destinaretur.]
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The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.
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Once killing starts, it is difficult to draw the line.
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Bodies are slow of growth, but are rapid in their dissolution. [Lat., Corpora lente augescent, cito extinguuntur.]
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Indeed, the crowning proof of their valour and their strength is that they keep up their superiority without harm to others.
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The hatred of relatives is the most violent.
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Eloquence wins its great and enduring fame quite as much from the benches of our opponents as from those of our friends.
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The sciences throw an inexpressible grace over our compositions, even where they are not immediately concerned; as their effects are discernible where we least expect to find them.
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The desire for glory clings even to the best men longer than any other passion.
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Who the first inhabitants of Britain were, whether natives or immigrants, remains obscure; one must remember we are dealing with barbarians.
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All those things that are now field to be of the greatest antiquity were at one time new; what we to-day hold up by example will rank hereafter as precedent.
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The principal office of history I take to be this: to prevent virtuous actions from being forgotten, and that evil words and deeds should fear an infamous reputation with posterity.
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Flatterers are the worst kind of enemies. [Lat., Pessimum genus inimicorum laudantes.]
TACITUS






