Titus Livy
(Titus Livius, lived in 59 BCE – 17 CE. Main historian of the era of Augustus. He was widely respected at the imperial court. He was emperor’s friend.
- “Woe to the vanquished”
- latin: [Vae victis]
- description: words to be said by the leader of the Gauls in 390 BCE during the siege of Rome. The Romans decided to pay the ransom; however, when they noticed that the weights were forged and too heavy, Brennus drew his sword, dropped it on the scale, and exclaimed, “Vae victis!”.
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, V 48
- “Rich enemy was the prize of the victor, however poor.”
- latin: [Ditem hostem quamvis pauperis victoris praemium esse]
- description: words to be spoken by Roman military commanders during the war with the Samnites, who were to be characterized by beautiful and ornate armor.
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, IX 40
- “Experience the teacher of fools”
- latin: [Stultorum iste magister est]
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, XXII 39
- “Hannibal before the gates”
- latin: [Hannibal ante portas!]
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, 23,16,2
- “He who scorns false glory shall possess the true”
- latin: [Vanam gloriam qui spreverit veram habebit]
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, XXII.39
- “Better late than never”
- latin: [Potius sero quam numquam]
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 4.2
- “There is danger in delay”
- latin: [Periculum in mora]
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita
- “From the Founding of the City”
- latin: [Ab urbe condita]
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita
- “Words instruct, examples lead”
- latin: [Verba docent, exempla trahunt]
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita
- “Because a necessary war is a just war and where there is hope only in arms, those arms necessary war is a just war and where there is hope only in arms, those arms are holy”
- latin: [Iustum enim est bellum quibus necessarium, et pia arma, ubi nulla nisi in armis spes est]
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita IX, 1
- “You, Hannibal, know how to gain a victory; you do not know how to use it”
- latin: [Vincere scis, Hannibal, victoria uti nescis]
- description: Maharbal was to say full sentence, “Assuredly, no one man has been blessed with all God’s gifts. You, Hannibal, know how to gain a victory; you do not know how to use it”.
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, XXII, 51
- “In grave difficulties, and with little hope, the boldest measures are the safest”
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita
- “Friendships should be immortal, enmities mortal”
- latin: [Amicitiæ immortales, mortales inimicitias debere esse]
- source: Titus Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, XL.46
