Latin quotes with translation, meaning and origin.
Sapientia abscondita et thesaurus invisus, quae utilitas in utrisque? means “Hidden wisdom and an unseen treasure: what use is there in either.” Knowledge that is never shared and wealth that is never used are equally useless. Source: Vulgate, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 20.
Vita enim mortuorum in memoria est posita vivorum means “For the life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.” The dead live on as long as the living remember them. Source: Cicero, Philippics 9.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis means “Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.” This prayer asks God to give the dead eternal peace and light. Source: Requiem Mass (Introit).
Quod vult habet, qui cupere quod sat est potest means “He has what he wants who can desire only what is enough.” True satisfaction comes from limiting our desires to what we actually need. Source: Sententiae attributed to Publilius Syrus.
Hoc animo fui semper, ut invidiam virtute partam gloriam, non invidiam putarem means “I have always held that unpopularity earned by virtue is glory, not unpopularity.” Being disliked for doing the right thing is not a disgrace but an honor. Source: Cicero, In Catilinam 1.
Quod non est in actis, non est in mundo means “What is not in the records does not exist in the world.” In legal and administrative practice, only what is documented counts. Source: Legal maxim.
Quod ad ius naturale attinet, omnes homines aequales sunt means “As far as natural law is concerned, all human beings are equal.” By nature all people are equal, even if civil laws create distinctions among them. Source: Ulpian, in Justinian’s Digest.
Quid verum atque decens curo et rogo, et omnis in hoc sum means “What is true and fitting is what I care about and ask about, and I am wholly absorbed in this.” Horace declares that he has turned from light verse to the pursuit of truth and right living. Source: Horace, Epistles 1.1.
Concessum est rhetoribus ementiri in historiis, ut aliquid dicere possint argutius means “Orators are allowed to falsify history in order to say something more pointedly.” Cicero wryly admits that speakers bend historical facts to make a better point. Source: Cicero, Brutus.
Quidni mallet, quisquis vir est, somnum suum classico quam symphonia rumpi? means “Why should not any real man prefer to have his sleep broken by the war trumpet rather than by a band of musicians.” Seneca contrasts the hard life of duty with the soft life of luxury, suggesting that toughness is better than pampered pleasure. Source: Seneca, Epistulae morales 51.
