Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris
“Expect from others what you have done to others.”
Publilius Syrus, Sententiae
What does “Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris” mean?
Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris translates as “Expect from others what you have done to others.”
What goes around comes around. The way you treat people is the way you will be treated.
“Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Ab | from | preposition taking the ablative case |
| alio | another person | ablative singular masculine of alius, “other, another”; here it means “from someone else” |
| expectes | you will expect | second person singular future active indicative of expecto, “I wait for, expect” |
| alteri | to another | dative singular masculine of alter, “the other, a second person”; indirect object of feceris |
| quod | what | relative pronoun, accusative singular neuter, object of feceris; “that which” |
| feceris | you have done | second person singular future perfect active indicative of facio, “I do, make” |
How to pronounce “Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris”
The two pronunciations differ only in expectes (long e as in “say” vs. “eh”) and feceris (hard k vs. ch). Stress falls on the first syllable of alio, the second of expectes, the first of alteri and feceris.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “From another you will expect what you will have done to another”. The Latin uses the future tense twice, which English smooths into a plain “expect what you have done”. It is a sententia, a one-line moral saying.
It is collected under the name of Publilius Syrus, a Syrian-born slave who was freed and became a popular writer of mimes, short stage comedies, in the time of Julius Caesar. His lines were gathered into the Sententiae, a collection of moral sayings, which was used for centuries to teach Latin and good behaviour.
The thought is the same as “what goes around comes around” and is close to the Golden Rule, though the Latin looks forward to what will happen to you rather than telling you how to act.
How to use “Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris”
Fits a card for someone facing the results of how they treated others, a motto for a manager or teacher, a desk reminder to act with fairness, or a tattoo about karma and responsibility.
- Latin
- Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris
- English
- Expect from others what you have done to others.
- Source
- Publilius Syrus, Sententiae
- Era
- Antiquity
- Theme
- Wisdom
Common mistakes
- The line is about what you will receive, not about what you should do. It is a warning or observation, not the Golden Rule in so many words.
- Alio and alteri are different forms (ablative and dative), so do not swap them: ab takes the ablative, while the dative marks the person something is done to.
- The Sententiae is a collection of one-liners; the line is not from a play, and some sayings in the collection were added by later hands, so avoid claiming exact wording or placement.
Questions about “Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris”
What does “Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris” mean literally?
“From another you will expect what you will have done to another.” In natural English: expect from others what you have done to others.
Who said “Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris”?
It is attributed to Publilius Syrus, a freed slave and writer of mimes in the first century BC, and appears in the collection called Sententiae.
How do you pronounce “Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris”?
In Classical Latin: ahb AH-lee-oh eks-PEK-tays AL-teh-ree kwod FEH-keh-rees. Church Latin changes only expectes (eks-PEK-tehs) and feceris (FEH-cheh-rees).
Is “Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, it is genuine Latin from a classical source. It is addressed to one person (“you”, singular), which suits a personal motto.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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