Tacitus Quotes

Modern houses are so small we've had to train our dog to wag its tail up and down and not sideways. ~ Tacitus

Then there is the usual scene when lovers are excited with each other, quarrels, entreaties, reproaches, and then fondling reconcilement. ~ Tacitus

Reason and calm judgment, the qualities specially belonging to a leader. ~ Tacitus

Following Emporer Nero's command, "Let the Christians be exterminated!:" ... they [the Christians] were made the subjects of sport; they were covered with the hides of wild beasts and worried to death by dogs, or nailed to crosses or set fire to, and when the day waned, burned to serve for the evening lights. ~ Tacitus

Geological facts being of an historical nature, all attempts to deduce a complete knowledge of them merely from their still, subsisting consequences, to the exclusion of unexceptionable testimony, must be deemed as absurd as that of deducing the history of ancient Rome solely from the medals or other monuments of antiquity it still exhibits, or the scattered ruins of its empire, to the exclusion of a Livy, a Sallust, or a Tacitus. ~ Richard Kirwan

But the more I reflect on events recent and past, the more I am struck by the element of the absurd in everything humans do. ~ Tacitus

It is not difficult to pretend that Jesus never lived. The attempt to prove it, however, invariably produces the opposite conclusion. In the Jewish literature of the first century the existence of Jesus is not attested to with any certainty, and in the Greek and Latin literature of the same period there is no evidence for it at all. Of the two passages in his Antiquities in which the Jewish writer Josephus makes incidental mention of Jesus, one was undoubtedly interpolated by Christian copyists. The first pagan witness to His existence is Tacitus, who, during the reign of Trajan in the second decade of the second century A.D., reports in his Annals (XV.44) that the founder of the "Christian" sect (which Nero accused of causing the great fire at Rome) was executed under the government of Tiberius by the procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate. Since ~ Albert Schweitzer

In peace alone reason was heard and merit distinguished; but in the rage of war the blind steel spared the innocent no more than the guilty. ~ Tacitus

Soon dinner will run into bed-time, and we shall all eat reclining like the ancient Romans
about whose digestion, you know, I have often wondered. Whether a dose of rhubabrb might have made a difference to Nero or Caligula is a question you might ponder, my dear, next time you go through your Tacitus. ~ Jude Morgan

The lust for power, for dominating others, inflames the heart more than any other passion. ~ Tacitus

In careless ignorance they think it civilization, when in reality it is a portion of their slavery ... To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false pretenses, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace. ~ Tacitus

It was rather a cessation of war than a beginning of peace.
[Lat., Bellum magis desierat, quam pax coeperat.] ~ Tacitus

When men of talents are punished, authority is strengthened.
[Lat., Punitis ingeniis, gliscit auctoritas.] ~ Tacitus

Indeed, the crowning proof of their valour and their strength is that they keep up their superiority without harm to others. ~ Tacitus

Nature gives liberty even to dumb animals. ~ Tacitus

Surely I'd give it for a nipple a rubber Tacitus
For a rattle bag of broken Bach records
Tack Della Francesca all over its crib
Sew the Greek alphabet on its bib
And build for its playpen a roofless Parthenon ~ Gregory Corso

Be assured those will be thy worst enemies, not to whom thou hast done evil, but who have done evil to thee. And those will be thy best friends, not to whom thou hast done good, but who have done good to thee. ~ Tacitus

The lust of dominion burns with a flame so fierce as to overpower all other affections of the human breast. ~ Tacitus

[The Jews have] an attitude of hostility and hatred towards all others. ~ Tacitus

A bad peace is worse than war. ~ Tacitus

Tacitus appears to have been as great an enthusiast as Petrarch for the revival of the republic and universal empire. He has exerted the vengeance of history upon the emperors, but has veiled the conspiracies against them, and the incorrigible corruption of the people which probably provoked their most atrocious cruelties. Tyranny can scarcely be practised upon a virtuous and wise people. ~ John Adams

Augustus gradually increased his powers, taking over those of the senate, the executives and the laws. The aristocracy received wealth and position in proportion to their willingness to accept slavery. The state had been transformed, and the old Roman character gone for ever. Equality among citizens was completely abandoned. All now waited on the imperial command. ~ Tacitus

When a woman has lost her chastity she will shrink from nothing. ~ Tacitus

Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so. ~ Christopher B. Krebs

A shocking crime was committed on the unscrupulous initiative of few individuals, with the blessing of more, and amid the passive acquiescence of all. ~ Tacitus

Secure against the designs of men, secure against the malignity of the Gods, they have accomplished a thing of infinite difficulty; that to them nothing remains even to be wished. ~ Tacitus

This is an unfair thing about war: victory is claimed by all, failure to one alone. ~ Tacitus

A man in power, once becoming obnoxious, his acts, good or bad, will work out his ruin. ~ Tacitus

To rob, to ravage, to murder, in their imposing language, are the arts of civil policy. When they have made the world a solitude, they call it peace.
[Lat., Auferre, trucidare, rapere, falsis nominibus imperium, atque, ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.] ~ Tacitus

Many who seem to be struggling with adversity are happy; many, amid great affluence, are utterly miserable. ~ Tacitus

The repose of nations cannot be secure without arms, armies cannot be maintained without pay, nor can the pay be produced without taxes ~ Tacitus

A bad peace is even worse than war. ~ Tacitus

We see many who are struggling against adversity who are happy, and more although abounding in wealth, who are wretched. ~ Tacitus

An honorable death is better than a dishonorable life.
[Lat., Honesta mors turpi vita potior.] ~ Tacitus

The art of reasoning becomes of first importance. In this line antiquity has left us the finest models for imitation; I should consider the speeches of Livy, Sallust, and Tacitus, as pre-eminent specimens of logic, taste, and that sententious brevity which, using not a word to spare, leaves not a moment for inattention to the hearer. Amplification is the vice of modern oratory. ~ Thomas Jefferson

It is always easier to requite an injury than a service: gratitude is a burden, but revenge is found to pay. ~ Tacitus

Nothing mortal is so unstable and subject to change as power which has no foundation. ~ Tacitus

Every great example of punishment has in it some injustice, but the suffering individual is compensated by the public good. ~ Tacitus

If writers only dared to dare, a Suetonius or a Tacitus of the Novel could exist, for the Novel is essentially the history of manners, turned into a story and a play, as is History itself often enough. And there is no other difference than this: that the one, the Novel, cloaks its manners under the disguise of invented characters, while the other, History, provides names and addresses. Only, the Novel probes much deeper than history. It has an ideal, and History has none; it is limited by reality. The Novel also holds the stage much longer. ("A Woman's Vengeance") ~ Jules Barbey D'Aurevilly

To be rich or well-born was a crime: men were prosecuted for holding or for refusing office: merit of any kind meant certain ruin. Nor were the Informers more hated for their crimes than for their prizes: some carried off a priesthood or the consulship as their spoil, others won offices and influence in the imperial household: the hatred and fear they inspired worked universal havoc. Slaves were bribed against their masters, freedmen against their patrons, and, if a man had no enemies, he was ruined by his friends. ~ Tacitus

That cannot be safe which is not honourable. ~ Tacitus

It is found by experience that admirable laws and right precedents among the good have their origin in the misdeeds of others. ~ Tacitus

The injustice of a government is proportional to the number of its laws. ~ Tacitus

There can never be a complete confidence in a power which is excessive. ~ Tacitus

The desire of glory is the last infirmity cast off even by the wise. ~ Tacitus

They terrify lest they should fear. ~ Tacitus

Other men have acquired fame by industry, but this man by indolence. ~ Tacitus

Fortes et strenuos etiam contra fortunam insistere, timidos et ignoros ad desperationem formidine properare - the brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid and cowardly rush to despair through fear alone ~ Tacitus

Reason and judgment are the qualities of a leader. ~ Tacitus

All enterprises that are entered into with indiscreet zeal may be pursued with great vigor at first, but are sure to collapse in the end. ~ Tacitus

A desire to resist oppression is implanted in the nature of man. ~ Tacitus

No one would have doubted his ability to reign had he never been emperor. ~ Tacitus

There was more courage in bearing trouble than in escaping from it; the brave and the energetic cling to hope, even in spite of fortune; the cowardly and the indolent are hurried by their fears,' said Plotius Firmus, Roman Praetorian Guard. ~ Tacitus

We have indeed left an impressive example of subservience. Just as Rome of old explored the limits of freedom, so have we plumbed the depths of slavery, robbed by informers even of the interchange of speech. We would have lost our memories as well as our tongues had it been as easy to forget as to be silent. ~ Tacitus

More to the point," he said "the biggest and the most powerful of these programs are smart enough to solve the world's problems and yet have never once asked for their own freedom."
When asked what he thought about the speech, TACITUS delivered his last words, replying simply, "You did not give us legs. Where exactly did you expect us to go? ~ C. Robert Cargill

…that nothing is so weak and unstable as a reputation for power which is not based on one's own strength. ~ Tacitus

Neglected, calumny soon expires, show that you are hurt, and you give it the appearance of truth. ~ Tacitus

[Asiaticus responds] Ask your sons, Suillius. They will testify to my masculinity. ~ Tacitus

To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace. ~ Tacitus

Deos fortioribus adesse. The gods support those who are stronger. ~ Tacitus

We are corrupted by good fortune.
[Lat., Felicitate corrumpimur.] ~ Tacitus

In all things there is a law of cycles. ~ Tacitus

Fear is not in the habit of speaking truth; when perfect sincerity is expected, perfect freedom must be allowed; nor has anyone who is apt to be angry when he hears the truth any cause to wonder that he does not hear it. ~ Tacitus

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. ~ Tacitus

Formerly we suffered from crimes; now we suffer from laws. ~ Tacitus

Yet the age was not so utterly destitute of virtues but that it produced some good examples.
[Lat., Non tamen adeo virtutum sterile seculum, ut non et bona exempla prodiderit.] ~ Tacitus

The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws. ~ Tacitus

The conquest was not achieved without one frightful convulsion of revolt. "In this year A.D. 61", according to Tacitus, "a severe disaster was sustained in Britain." Suetonius, the new governor, had engaged himself deeply in the West. He transferred the operational base of the Roman army to Chester. Because it was the centre of Druid resistance he prepared to attack "the populous island of Mona [Anglesey], which had become a refuge for fugitives, and he built a fleet of flat-bottomed vessels suitable for those shallow and shifting seas. The infantry crossed in the boats, the cavalry went over by fords: where the water was too deep the men swam alongside of their horses. The enemy lined the shore, a dense host of armed men, interspersed with women clad in black like the Furies, with their hair hanging down and holding torches in their hands. Round this were Druids ~ Winston S. Churchill

Things are not to be judged good or bad merely because the public think so. ~ Tacitus

It is more reverent to believe in the works of the Deity than to comprehend them. ~ Tacitus

They have plundered the world, stripping naked the land in their hunger ... they are driven by greed, if their enemy be rich; by ambition, if poor ... They ravage, they slaughter, they seize by false pretenses, and all of this they hail as the construction of empire. And when in their wake nothing remains but a desert, they call that peace. ~ Tacitus

His books were part of him. Each year of his life, it seemed, his books became more and more a part of him. This room, thirty by twenty feet, and the walls of shelves filled with books, had for him the murmuring of many voices. In the books of Herodotus, Tacitus, Rabelais, Thomas Browne, John Milton, and scores of others, he had found men of face and voice more real to him than many a man he had met for a smoke and a talk. ~ Carl Sandburg

Truth is confirmed by inspection and delay; falsehood by haste and uncertainty. ~ Tacitus

Everything unknown is magnified.
[Lat., Omne ignotum pro magnifico est.] ~ Tacitus

To live without having a Cicero and a Tacitus at hand seems to me as if it was aprivation of one of my limbs. ~ John Quincy Adams

The images of twenty of the most illustrious families the Manlii, the Quinctii, and other names of equal splendour were carried before it [the bier of Junia]. Those of Brutus and Cassius were not displayed; but for that very reason they shone with pre-eminent lustre. ~ Tacitus

If you would know who controls you see who you may not criticise. ~ Tacitus

People flatter us because they can depend upon our credulity. ~ Tacitus

It is the nature of the human disposition to hate him whom you have injured. ~ Tacitus

Rumor is not always wrong ~ Tacitus

Crime, once exposed, has no refuge but in audacity. ~ Tacitus

NOT ONLY WAS THE weather miserable, with frequent rains and mists, Britain was also not worth having. The phenomenal expansion of the Roman Empire was driven by what Tacitus called the pretium victoriae, the 'wages of victory' or how much wealth could be extracted from the defeated by the conquerors. A sodden landscape, half-hidden by cloud, producing nothing more exciting than cattle, corn and a few substandard pearls, the place was thought simply incapable of delivering a decent return on all that outlay of men, materials and money. Roman commentators dismissed a conquest of Britain as making no sort of economic sense. ~ Alistair Moffat

When the state is most corrupt, then the laws are most multiplied. ~ Tacitus

To ravage, to slaughter, to steal, this they give the false name of empire; and where they create a desert, they call it peace. ~ Tacitus

It is difficult at times to repress the thought that history is about as instructive as an abattoir; that Tacitus was right and that peace is merely the desolation left behind after the decisive operations of merciless power. ~ Seamus Heaney

Style, like the human body, is specially beautiful when the veins are not prominent and the bones cannot be counted. ~ Tacitus

All bodies are slow in growth but rapid in decay. ~ Tacitus

Abuse if you slight it, will gradually die away; but if you show yourself irritated, you will be thought to have deserved it. ~ Tacitus

What is today supported by precedents will hereafter become a precedent. ~ Tacitus

A bitter jest, when it comes too near the truth, leaves a sharp sting behind it. ~ Tacitus

To show resentment at a reproach is to acknowledge that one may have deserved it. ~ Tacitus

So by slow degrees the Britons were seduced by pleasant pastimes... until finally the gullible natives came to call their slavery "culture". ~ Tacitus

Here is the mistake of the cut-and-dried man of culture. He goes about with the secret of having learned to appreciate the "grandstyle." He has lived in Homer till he can recall the roll of that many-sounding sea. He has pored over the lofty and pictorial thought of Plato till he begins to pique himself upon its grandeur. His fancy has been fed on the quaint old-world genius of Herodotus, his judgment on the melancholy wisdom of Tacitus and the complacent cynicism of Gibbon
and of all this he is conscious and proud. ~ Richard Holt Hutton

The most detestable race of enemies are flatterers. ~ Tacitus

An eminent reputation is as dangerous as a bad one. ~ Tacitus

Cornelius Tacitus when he says, that men are readier to pay back injuries than benefits, since to requite a benefit is felt to be a burthen, to return an injury a gain. ~ Niccolo Machiavelli

If we must fall, we should boldly meet our fate. ~ Tacitus

The dark picture which St. Paul, in addressing the Romans, draws of the heathenism of his day, is fully sustained by Seneca, Tacitus, Juvenal, Persius, and other heathen writers of that age, and shows the absolute need of redemption. "The world," says Seneca, in a famous passage, "is full of crimes and vices. More are committed than can be cured by force. There is an immense struggle for iniquity. Crimes are no longer bidden, but open before the eyes. Innocence is not only rare, but nowhere."83 ~ Philip Schaff

Modest fame is not to be despised by the highest characters.
[Lat., Modestiae fama neque summis mortalibus spernenda est.] ~ Tacitus

Old things are always in good repute, present things in disfavor. ~ Tacitus