Non venit vulnus ad cicatricem, in quo medicamenta temptantur
“A wound does not heal if remedies keep being changed.”
Seneca, Epistulae morales 2.3
What does “Non venit vulnus ad cicatricem, in quo medicamenta temptantur” mean?
Non venit vulnus ad cicatricem, in quo medicamenta temptantur translates as “A wound does not heal if remedies keep being changed.”
Stick with one good method. Constant switching prevents progress.
“Non venit vulnus ad cicatricem, in …” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Non | not | negative adverb |
| venit | comes | 3rd person singular present indicative active of venio, “I come”; the subject is vulnus |
| vulnus | wound | nominative singular neuter of vulnus, “wound”; the subject of venit |
| ad | to | preposition taking the accusative |
| cicatricem | scar | accusative singular feminine of cicatrix, “scar”; object of ad |
| in | in | preposition; here it introduces a relative clause |
| quo | which | ablative singular neuter of the relative pronoun qui; refers back to vulnus, “in which (wound)” |
| medicamenta | remedies | nominative plural neuter of medicamentum, “remedy, drug”; subject of temptantur |
| temptantur | are tried | 3rd person plural present indicative passive of tempto, “I try, test” |
How to pronounce “Non venit vulnus ad cicatricem, in …”
The main differences are in cicatricem, which has a hard c in Classical (kih-kah-TREE-kem) and ch sounds in Church Latin (chee-kah-TREE-chem), and in the v of venit and vulnus (w in Classical, v in Church Latin). In cicatricem the stress falls on the long i of the third syllable, TREE.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “a wound does not come to a scar in which remedies are tried”. The sense is that a wound only closes into a scar if you stop experimenting with treatments.
It comes from Seneca’s Epistulae morales, the letters he wrote to his friend Lucilius, a series of moral essays in letter form. In this early letter Seneca is advising Lucilius on how to read and study.
His point is that someone who keeps switching between many authors and methods never absorbs any of them, and he compares this to a wound that never heals because the treatment keeps changing. Today the line is often quoted as advice to commit to one approach, whether in study, training or recovery.
How to use “Non venit vulnus ad cicatricem, in …”
It suits a desk motto or study reminder for anyone tempted to hop between methods, a note to a friend who is starting a long project, or an essay on focus and patience. As a tattoo it is long, so many people use only the first clause.
- Latin
- Non venit vulnus ad cicatricem, in quo medicamenta temptantur
- English
- A wound does not heal if remedies keep being changed.
- Source
- Seneca, Epistulae morales 2.3
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Patience
Common mistakes
- The Latin does not literally say “heal”; it says the wound does not “come to a scar”. “Heals” is a natural English rendering of that idea.
- Vulnus is neuter, so the relative pronoun is quo, and medicamenta is a neuter plural subject; changing the wound to a feminine noun would require different endings.
- Seneca’s point is about reading too many authors superficially, not medicine itself, so using it as medical advice goes beyond the context.
- Do not cut it after cicatricem and keep the full meaning: the closing clause about remedies being tried is the part that carries the lesson.
Questions about “Non venit vulnus ad cicatricem, in …”
What does “Non venit vulnus ad cicatricem, in quo medicamenta temptantur” mean literally?
Literally, “a wound does not come to a scar in which remedies are tried”. In plain English: a wound will not heal if you keep changing the treatment.
Who said “Non venit vulnus ad cicatricem”?
It is from Seneca, Epistulae morales 2.3, in a letter to his friend Lucilius about reading and study.
How do you pronounce “Non venit vulnus ad cicatricem”?
In Classical Latin: non WEH-nit WUL-nus ad kih-kah-TREE-kem. In Church Latin the v is a normal v and the c in cicatricem is a ch sound.
Is “Non venit vulnus ad cicatricem” good for a tattoo?
The Latin is correct and the idea is clear, but the full line is long. If you shorten it, be aware that the meaning depends on the final clause about remedies.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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