Quintilian
Quintilian
Marcus Fabius Quintilianuswas a Roman rhetorician from Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing. In English translation, he is usually referred to as Quintilian, although the alternate spellings of Quintillian and Quinctilian are occasionally seen, the latter in older texts...
NationalityRoman
ProfessionEducator
neighbor pleasure satiety
Satiety is a neighbor to continued pleasures. [Lat., Continuis voluptatibus vicina satietas.]
wise wish fool
Those who wish to appear wise among fools, among the wise seem foolish. [Lat., Qui stultis videri eruditi volunt, stulti eruditis videntur.]
reason comic
For comic writers charge Socrates with making the worse appear the better reason.
perfection
That which prematurely arrives at perfection soon perishes.
writing men hands
Men of quality are in the wrong to undervalue, as they often do, the practise of a fair and quick hand in writing; for it is no immaterial accomplishment.
memories liars lying
It is fitting that a liar should be a man of good memory.
obscurity incapacity proportion
The obscurity of a writer is generally in proportion to his incapacity.
natural capacity efficacy
One thing, however, I must premise, that without the assistance of natural capacity, rules and precepts are of no efficacy.
writing doe results
From writing rapidly it does not result that one writes well, but from writing well it results that one writes rapidly.
laughing too-much cost
A laugh costs too much when bought at the expense of virtue.
satire verses
Verse satire indeed is entirely our own.
long easier variety
It is easier to do many things than to do one thing continuously for a long time.
thousand witness conscience
Conscience is a thousand witnesses.
winning yield advantage
When we cannot hope to win, it is an advantage to yield.