Tempus est nos de illa perpetua iam, non de hac exigua vita cogitare
“It is time for us to think of that eternal life, not this brief one.”
Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum 10.8.8
What does “Tempus est nos de illa perpetua iam, non de hac exigua vita cogitare” mean?
Tempus est nos de illa perpetua iam, non de hac exigua vita cogitare translates as “It is time for us to think of that eternal life, not this brief one.”
Look beyond the moment to what lasts.
“Tempus est nos de illa perpetua …” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Tempus | time | nominative singular neuter of tempus, “time”; here the predicate: “(it is) time” |
| est | is | third person singular present indicative active of sum, “I am” |
| nos | us | accusative plural of ego, “I”; the subject of the infinitive cogitare |
| de | about, of | preposition taking the ablative; “concerning” |
| illa | that | ablative singular feminine of ille, “that”; agrees with vita, understood from the end |
| perpetua | eternal, unending | ablative singular feminine of perpetuus; agrees with illa and the understood vita |
| iam | now, at last | adverb: “now”, “by now”; here stresses that the time has come |
| non | not | negative adverb; sets up the contrast with the second de-phrase |
| de | about, of | preposition taking the ablative, repeated for the second half of the contrast |
| hac | this | ablative singular feminine of hic, “this”; agrees with vita |
| exigua | brief, meagre | ablative singular feminine of exiguus, “small, short”; agrees with hac and vita |
| vita | life | ablative singular feminine of vita; after de, and shared by both phrases |
| cogitare | to think | present infinitive active of cogito, “I think, I consider”; completes tempus est nos… |
How to pronounce “Tempus est nos de illa perpetua …”
The main differences are iam (ee-AHM in both, though church Latin often says yahm), the g in exigua and cogitare (hard g in Classical, soft j in Church), and v (w versus v). In vita the stress falls on the first syllable in both.
The story behind it
The sentence reads literally “It is time for us to think about that unending life now, not about this brief one”. The word order is deliberate: the two adjectives perpetua and exigua are set against each other, and illa and hac mark the contrast between the life to come and the present one.
It comes from a letter by Cicero to his friend Atticus, written in 49 BC while the civil war between Caesar and Pompey was breaking out and Cicero was deciding what to do. Cicero was reflecting on his own position, so the line is a private remark to a friend and not a public statement.
Cicero uses perpetua vita here to mean lasting reputation and the judgment of posterity, not an afterlife in the Christian sense. Read that way, the line is about acting for what endures, and it is often quoted for that sense in discussions of legacy.
How to use “Tempus est nos de illa perpetua …”
It suits a tattoo or engraving about legacy, a card for someone facing a hard decision or a loss, an essay on Cicero or the late Roman Republic, or a personal motto about long-term priorities over short-term worries.
- Latin
- Tempus est nos de illa perpetua iam, non de hac exigua vita cogitare
- English
- It is time for us to think of that eternal life, not this brief one.
- Source
- Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum 10.8.8
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Death
Common mistakes
- Do not read perpetua vita as the Christian “eternal life” without context. Cicero most likely means lasting fame and the verdict of later generations.
- Illa and hac are feminine ablatives agreeing with vita. Changing the noun to a masculine or neuter one would require changing every ending.
- Cogitare is an infinitive (“to think”) and not a command. Dropping tempus est nos turns it into a different, incomplete sentence.
- Some copies shorten it to “de illa perpetua vita cogitare”, which loses the contrast with the brief life.
Questions about “Tempus est nos de illa perpetua …”
What does “Tempus est nos de illa perpetua iam, non de hac exigua vita cogitare” mean?
“It is time for us to think now about that unending life and not about this brief one.” Cicero is urging himself and Atticus to look beyond the immediate crisis.
Who said “Tempus est nos de illa perpetua”?
Cicero, in a letter to his friend Atticus (Epistulae ad Atticum 10.8.8), written in 49 BC during the civil war.
Does Cicero mean heaven or the afterlife?
Probably not. In context, perpetua vita most likely means lasting reputation and the judgment of posterity, since Cicero was a Roman Republican writing before Christianity.
How do you pronounce “Tempus est nos de illa perpetua”?
Classical: TEM-pus est nohs deh IL-lah per-PEH-too-ah. Church Latin sounds nearly the same, with the c, g and v differences noted in the pronunciation section.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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