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
long joy delay
Every delay that postpones our joys, is long. [Lat., Longa mora est nobis omnis, quae gaudia differt.]
joy mind poet
The poet's labors are a work of joy, and require peace of mind.
happiness people joy
Few people want the pleasures they are free to take.
cheating joy profit
Grant me profits only, grant me the joy of profit made, and see to it that I enjoy cheating the buyer!
simple joy care
There is no pleasure pure and simple, and some care always comes to mar our joys.
pain joy sorrow
There is some joy in weeping. For our tears Fill up the cup, then wash our pain away.
joy pleasure forbidden
We take no pleasure in permitted joys, But what's forbidden is more keenly sought.
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.