Pauca sed bona
“Few things, but good ones.”
Latin proverb
What does “Pauca sed bona” mean?
Pauca sed bona translates as “Few things, but good ones.”
Quality matters more than quantity: better a handful of excellent things than a pile of mediocre ones. It applies to friends, possessions, words and work.
“Pauca sed bona” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Pauca | few things | neuter plural accusative (or nominative) of paucus, “few”, used as a noun: “few things” |
| sed | but | conjunction, “but”; sets the second half against the first |
| bona | good ones | neuter plural of bonus, “good”, used as a noun; agrees with pauca, so it means “good things” |
How to pronounce “Pauca sed bona”
Both pronunciations sound the same here. Stress the first syllable of pauca (au is a single sound, like “ow”) and the first syllable of bona.
The story behind it
Word for word the saying is “few things, but good ones”. It is a traditional Latin proverb with no known author or fixed source, so it should be quoted as a proverb rather than credited to any one writer.
The idea is the familiar one that quality beats quantity. It is close in spirit to “Non multa, sed multum” (“not many things, but much”), a line often quoted in the same sense, though the two sayings are separate.
Today the phrase suits anyone who prefers a short, well-chosen list to a long one: a curated shop, a spare home, a few close friends or a tightly edited piece of writing.
How to use “Pauca sed bona”
A neat motto for a minimalist home, a small business with a curated range or a writer who values brevity. It also works as a short tattoo or a note on a card for someone who keeps a small circle of close friends.
- Latin
- Pauca sed bona
- English
- Few things, but good ones.
- Source
- Latin proverb
- Era
- Early modern
- Theme
- Excellence
Common mistakes
- It does not mean “few and good people” only. Pauca and bona are neuter, so they mean “things” in general.
- Do not swap in a masculine or feminine ending (pauci, paucae) without also changing bona to match (boni, bonae); the two words must agree.
- It is a proverb of unknown origin, so avoid attributing it to Cicero, Seneca or any other named author.
- Do not confuse it with “Non multa, sed multum”, which is a different saying with a different meaning.
Questions about “Pauca sed bona”
What does “Pauca sed bona” mean literally?
“Few things, but good ones.” Pauca is “few things”, sed is “but” and bona is “good things”.
Who said “Pauca sed bona”?
No one knows. It is a traditional Latin proverb with no known author or source, so it is best described as a proverb.
How do you pronounce “Pauca sed bona”?
In Classical Latin, POW-kah sed BOH-nah. The Church pronunciation sounds the same here.
Is “Pauca sed bona” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes. The grammar is sound: two neuter plural words joined by sed. Keep the neuter endings as written unless you change both words together.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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