Decipimur specie recti
“We are deceived by the appearance of what is right.”
Horace, Ars Poetica 25
What does “Decipimur specie recti” mean?
Decipimur specie recti translates as “We are deceived by the appearance of what is right.”
What looks correct is not always correct. Good intentions and neat rules can lead us astray.
“Decipimur specie recti” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Decipimur | we are deceived | first person plural, present indicative passive of decipio, “I deceive, I catch out” |
| specie | by the appearance | ablative singular of species, “appearance, outward look”; ablative of cause or means, answering “by what?” |
| recti | of what is right | genitive singular neuter of rectus, “right, straight, correct”, used as a noun: “of the right (thing)” |
How to pronounce “Decipimur specie recti”
The difference is in the c: hard k in classical decipimur and specie, ch in the church style. Stress falls on the second syllable of decipimur, the first of specie and the first of recti.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “we are deceived by the appearance of the right (thing)”. It comes from Horace’s Ars Poetica, a verse letter on the craft of poetry, written in the first century BC and also known as the Epistle to the Pisones.
In context Horace is talking about writers and their faults. Trying to be brief, a poet becomes obscure; aiming at smoothness, he loses vigour and force. In other words, chasing a good quality too hard can land you in the opposite fault.
Read on its own, the line has become a general warning that something can look right without being right. People quote it about rules followed too rigidly, good intentions that backfire, and arguments that sound sound but are not.
How to use “Decipimur specie recti”
It suits an essay on rules, ethics or style, a motto for a writer or editor, or a tattoo for someone who distrusts easy answers. It also works as a caption for a story about a well-meant plan that went wrong.
- Latin
- Decipimur specie recti
- English
- We are deceived by the appearance of what is right.
- Source
- Horace, Ars Poetica 25
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Wisdom
Common mistakes
- The line is not a general claim that all rules are false. In Horace it describes a specific trap, the overshoot of a virtue into a fault.
- Decipimur is passive and plural: “we are deceived”. It does not mean “we deceive”, and changing the ending changes the person.
- Recti is a genitive, “of what is right”, not a nominative. “The right thing deceives us” would need a different sentence.
- Quoted alone, the line loses Horace’s literary context about poets; do not credit it to a moral philosopher.
Questions about “Decipimur specie recti”
What does “Decipimur specie recti” mean literally?
“We are deceived by the appearance of what is right.” Specie recti means the look or semblance of the right thing.
Who wrote “Decipimur specie recti”?
The Roman poet Horace, in his Ars Poetica, around line 25, written in the first century BC.
How do you pronounce “Decipimur specie recti”?
In classical Latin: deh-KEE-pee-toor SPEH-kee-eh REK-tee. In church pronunciation the c becomes ch: deh-CHEE-pee-toor SPEH-chee-eh REK-tee.
What is the context of “Decipimur specie recti” in Horace?
Horace is discussing poets’ faults. Aiming at brevity leads to obscurity, and aiming at smoothness costs a poem its strength.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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