Greek original · Patience
Σπεῦδε βραδέως
Speude bradeōs
“Make haste slowly.”
Favourite saying of Emperor Augustus (Suetonius, Life of Augustus 25)
Meaning
What does “Speude bradeōs” mean?
Act quickly but carefully: steady progress beats rushed mistakes.
Origin
The story behind it
The Roman historian Suetonius reports that Augustus often repeated this Greek proverb, since he disliked rash commanders. The Romans used Greek for many such sayings, just as English speakers use Latin today.
Greek and Latin
From Greek to Latin
The Greek originalΣπεῦδε βραδέως
Speude bradeōs
The Latin versionFestina lente
The Latin translation festina lente became the famous form, later the motto of the Medici and of the printer Aldus Manutius.
Pronunciation
How to say it
Roughly SPEW-deh bra-DEH-ose.
When to use it
How to use it today
A good motto for project managers, craftspeople and anyone learning a skill.
- Greek
- Σπεῦδε βραδέως
- Transliteration
- Speude bradeōs
- English
- Make haste slowly.
- Latin
- Festina lente
- Source
- Favourite saying of Emperor Augustus (Suetonius, Life of Augustus 25)
One Latin line. Every Monday.
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