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
life sloth excuse
We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty.
reading book mind
We must form our minds by reading deep rather than wide.
work eye mind
If you direct your whole thought to work itself, none of the things which invade eyes or ears will reach the mind.
dream hope vain
Vain hopes are like certain dreams of those who wake.
motivational memories honesty
A liar should have a good memory.
writing impossible should
One should aim not at being possible to understand, but at being impossible to misunderstand.
writing language introducing
Prune what is turgid, elevate what is commonplace, arrange what is disorderly, introduce rhythm where the language is harsh, modify where it is too absolute.
powerful character men
God, that all-powerful Creator of nature and architect of the world, has impressed man with no character so proper to distinguish him from other animals, as by the faculty of speech.
opportunity mind lost
While we are making up our minds as to when we shall begin. the opportunity is lost.
writing wells
Write quickly and you will never write well; write well, and you will soon write quickly.
writing impossible should
We should not write so that it is possible for the reader to understand us, but so that it is impossible for him to misunderstand us.
procrastination too-late grows
Whilst we deliberate how to begin a thing, it grows too late to begin it.
beginning deliberate late ready
While we deliberate about beginning it is all ready too late to begin