Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere
“A good shepherd shears his flock, he does not flay it.”
Suetonius, Life of Tiberius 32
What does “Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere” mean?
Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere translates as “A good shepherd shears his flock, he does not flay it.”
A ruler should tax moderately and not exhaust the people. It applies to any leadership.
“Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Boni | of a good | genitive singular masculine of the adjective bonus, “good”; agrees with pastoris |
| pastoris | shepherd | genitive singular of pastor, “shepherd”; the genitive of the possessor, so “it is the part of a good shepherd” |
| est | is | third person singular present indicative of sum, “I am”; links the genitive to the infinitive tondere |
| tondere | to shear | present infinitive active of tondeo, “I shear”; the subject of est |
| pecus | the flock | accusative singular neuter of pecus, “flock, livestock”; object of tondere (and of deglubere) |
| non | not | adverb of negation |
| deglubere | to flay | present infinitive active of deglubo, “I skin, flay”; its object pecus is understood from the first half |
How to pronounce “Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere”
Both pronunciations sound the same here, since the word pecus has a hard c in either system. In tondere and deglubere the stress falls on the second-to-last syllable, because the e before -re is long.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “it is of a good shepherd to shear the flock, not to flay it”. The point is the contrast: wool can be taken again and again, but a skinned animal gives nothing more.
The saying comes from Suetonius, who wrote biographies of the Roman emperors in the early second century AD. In his Life of Tiberius (chapter 32) he reports that Tiberius answered provincial governors who urged him to raise taxes with this line.
Suetonius presents it as a sign of the emperor’s restraint in money matters. Since then it has been quoted in discussions of taxation and government, as a way of saying that rulers should draw revenue without ruining those who pay it.
How to use “Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere”
Well suited as an epigraph or opening line for an essay on fair taxation, public finance or the duties of those in power. It also fits any talk or caption about leaders who must take from others without exhausting them.
- Latin
- Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere
- English
- A good shepherd shears his flock, he does not flay it.
- Source
- Suetonius, Life of Tiberius 32
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Politics
Common mistakes
- Do not translate pecus as “sheep” only. It means flock or livestock in general, though in this image the sheep are the natural picture.
- The word boni belongs to pastoris (“of a good shepherd”), not to pecus. Dropping the genitive ending and writing “bonus pastor” changes the grammar and the sense.
- The phrase is attributed to Tiberius as reported by Suetonius, not written by Tiberius himself, so quote it as “Tiberius, according to Suetonius”.
- Some versions shorten it to “tondere pecus, non deglubere”, which loses the opening idea of what a good shepherd does.
Questions about “Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere”
What does “Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere” mean literally?
“It is (the job) of a good shepherd to shear the flock, not to flay it.” Shearing takes wool that grows back, while flaying kills the animal.
Who said “Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere”?
The line is credited to the emperor Tiberius, as reported by Suetonius in his Life of Tiberius, chapter 32. He is said to have used it when governors proposed higher taxes.
How do you pronounce “Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere”?
In classical Latin it is BOH-nee pas-TOH-ris est ton-DEH-reh PEH-koos non deh-GLOO-beh-reh. The church pronunciation sounds the same for this sentence.
Is “Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere” good Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, it is correct Latin taken from a classical source. It is quite long, though, and the grammar (a genitive with est) is easy to garble if you change any word, so copy it exactly.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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