Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso, known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace with whom he is often ranked as one of the three canonical poets of Latin literature. The Imperial scholar Quintilian considered him the last of the Latin love elegists. He enjoyed enormous popularity, but, in one of the mysteries of literary history, he was sent by Augustus into exile...
NationalityRoman
ProfessionPoet
men heaven darkness
Heavens! what thick darkness pervades the minds of men. [Lat., Pro superi! quantum mortalia pectora caecae, Noctis habent.]
god heaven god-within-us
There is a God within us and intercourse with heaven. [Lat., Est deus in nobis; et sunt commercia coeli.]
god heaven earth
There is a god within us, and the heavens Have intercourse with earth; from realms above That spirit comes.
heaven rewards cherish
Heaven rewards the pious; those who cherish the gods Themselves are cherished.
beauty heaven boast
Beauty is heaven's gift, and how few can boast of beauty.
stars men heaven
God gave man an upright countenance to survey the heavens, and to look upward to the stars.
night ugly woman
At night there is no such thing as an ugly woman
borne
The burden which is well borne becomes light.
whether women
Whether they give or refuse, it delights women just the same to have been asked.
believe
He who can believe himself well, will be well.
darkness fault hid night woman
Blemishes are hid by night and every fault forgiven; darkness makes any woman fair.
anger becomes belongs fair ferocious peace
Fair peace becomes men; ferocious anger belongs to beasts.
death frown sneer worried
A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man's brow.
prince
A prince should be slow to punish, and quick to reward.