Citius venit malum quam revertitur
“Misfortune comes more quickly than it goes away.”
Latin proverb
What does “Citius venit malum quam revertitur” mean?
Citius venit malum quam revertitur translates as “Misfortune comes more quickly than it goes away.”
Trouble arrives in a moment but takes a long time to leave. The proverb counsels caution, because damage done quickly is often repaired slowly.
“Citius venit malum quam revertitur” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Citius | more quickly | comparative adverb (from citus, “quick”); “more quickly” or “sooner” |
| venit | comes | third person singular present indicative active of venio, “I come” |
| malum | misfortune, evil | nominative singular neuter of malus, “bad”, used as a noun; the subject of venit |
| quam | than | conjunction used after a comparative (citius) to mean “than” |
| revertitur | it goes back, it returns | third person singular present indicative of revertor, “I return” (a deponent verb: passive form, active meaning) |
How to pronounce “Citius venit malum quam revertitur”
The differences are the c of citius (hard k in Classical, ch in Church Latin), the v (w or v) and the t in citius, which Church Latin softens slightly. Stress falls on the first syllable of citius, venit and malum, and on the third syllable of revertitur.
The story behind it
Word for word the proverb says “misfortune comes more quickly than it returns”. The point is about speed: a setback arrives in an instant, while recovering from it takes far longer.
It is a Latin proverb of uncertain origin, with no known author or ancient source, and it is usually classed as early modern. Its closest English counterpart is “misfortune comes on horseback and goes away on foot”.
Today the line fits any talk of caution and prevention, such as risk management, safety, health or reputation, where harm is quick to cause and slow to repair.
How to use “Citius venit malum quam revertitur”
A fitting line for a risk manager’s notebook, a safety briefing, a speech about prevention, or an essay on how quickly fortunes can turn. It also works as a quiet personal reminder to guard what you have built.
- Latin
- Citius venit malum quam revertitur
- English
- Misfortune comes more quickly than it goes away.
- Source
- Latin proverb
- Era
- Early modern
- Theme
- Fortune
Common mistakes
- It does not mean that bad luck never leaves. It says only that trouble leaves more slowly than it arrives.
- Malum here means “misfortune” or “trouble”, not “apple”. The Latin word mālum, “apple”, is a different word and has a long a.
- Revertitur is a deponent verb, passive in form but active in meaning. It means “it returns”, not “it is returned”.
- The proverb is anonymous. Do not credit it to Seneca, Cicero or any other named author.
Questions about “Citius venit malum quam revertitur”
What does “Citius venit malum quam revertitur” mean literally?
“Misfortune comes more quickly than it returns.” The idea is that trouble arrives fast but takes much longer to go away.
Who said “Citius venit malum quam revertitur”?
No one knows. It is a Latin proverb of unknown origin, not a line from a named ancient author.
What is the English equivalent of “Citius venit malum quam revertitur”?
The nearest English saying is “misfortune comes on horseback and goes away on foot”.
How do you pronounce “Citius venit malum quam revertitur”?
In Classical Latin: KIH-tee-oos WEH-nit MAH-loom kwahm reh-WEHR-tih-toor. In Church Latin the opening is CHEE-tee-oos and the v is pronounced as in English.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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