Tacitus
Tacitus
PubliusCornelius Tacituswas a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors. These two works span the history of the Roman Empire from the death of Augustus in AD 14 to the years of the First Jewish–Roman War in AD 70. There are substantial lacunae in the surviving texts,...
NationalityRoman
ProfessionHistorian
encouragement errors events
So obscure are the greatest events, as some take for granted any hearsay, whatever its source, others turn truth into falsehood, and both errors find encouragement with posterity.
time pay dues
Posterity will pay everyone their due.
time old-things
Old things are always in good repute, present things in disfavor.
fear sincerity habit
Fear is not in the habit of speaking truth.
freedom thinking wish
Such being the happiness of the times, that you may think as you wish, and speak as you think.
thinking may likes
It is the rare fortune of these days that one may think what one likes and say what one thinks.
tears politics feds
Cruelty is fed, not weakened, by tears.
best-friend worst-enemy history
Be assured those will be thy worst enemies, not to whom thou hast done evil, but who have done evil to thee. And those will be thy best friends, not to whom thou hast done good, but who have done good to thee.
escaping brave trouble
There was more courage in bearing trouble than in escaping from it; the brave and the energetic cling to hope, even in spite of fortune; the cowardly and the indolent are hurried by their fears,' said Plotius Firmus, Roman Praetorian Guard.
character law history
Augustus gradually increased his powers, taking over those of the senate, the executives and the laws. The aristocracy received wealth and position in proportion to their willingness to accept slavery. The state had been transformed, and the old Roman character gone for ever. Equality among citizens was completely abandoned. All now waited on the imperial command.
generosity ruins moderation
Candor and generosity, unless tempered by due moderation, leads to ruin.
fall hands coward
Valor is of no service, chance rules all, and the bravest often fall by the hands of cowards.
inspirational bitter jest
A bitter jest, when it comes too near the truth, leaves a sharp sting behind it.
passion men desire
The desire for glory clings even to the best men longer than any other passion.