Sallust
Sallust
Gaius Sallustius Crispus, usually anglicised as Sallust, was a Roman historian, politician, and novus homo from a provincial plebeian family. Sallust was born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines and was a popularis, an opponent of the old Roman aristocracy, throughout his career, and later a partisan of Julius Caesar. Sallust is the earliest known Roman historian with surviving works to his name, of which Catiline's War, The Jugurthine War, and the Historiesare still extant. Sallust was primarily...
NationalityRoman
ProfessionHistorian
men evil soul
It is not only spirits who punish the evil, the soul brings itself to judgment: and also it is not right for those who endure for ever to attain everything in a short time: and also, there is need of human virtue. If punishment followed instantly upon sin, men would act justly from fear and have no virtue.
men evil good-man
A good man prefers to suffer rather than overcome injustice with evil.
mean men evil
A good man would prefer to be defeated than to defeat injustice by evil means.
light evil darkness
The Gods being good and making all things, there is no positive evil, it only comes by absence of good; just as darkness itself does not exist, but only comes about by absence of light.
fall evil wicked
When the prizes fall to the lot of the wicked, you will not find many who are virtuous for virtue's sake.
evil soul suffering
Souls are punished when they have gone forth from the body, some wandering among us, some going to hot or cold places of the earth, some harassed by spirits. Under all circumstances they suffer with the irrational part of their nature, with which they also sinned. For its sake there subsists that shadowy body which is seen about graves, especially the graves of evil livers.
friendship true-friend desire
To desire the same things and to reject the same things, constitutes true friendship. [Lat., Idem velle et idem nolle ea demum firma amicitia est.]
wicked
By the wicked the good conduct of others is always dreaded.
desire few majority men satisfied
Few men desire liberty; the majority are satisfied with a just master.
glorious glory goes possession
The glory that goes with wealth is fleeting and fragile; virtue is a possession glorious and eternal.
man
Think like a man of action, and act like a man of thought.
To like and dislike the same things, this is what makes a solid friendship.
man proverbs
Every man is the architect of his own fortune.
himself proper seeks seems serious sets task work
He only seems to me to live, and to make proper use of life, who sets himself some serious work to do, and seeks the credit of a task well and skillfully performed.