Fulmen est ubi cum potestate habitat iracundia
“Where anger lives with power, there is lightning.”
Publilius Syrus, Sententiae
What does “Fulmen est ubi cum potestate habitat iracundia” mean?
Fulmen est ubi cum potestate habitat iracundia translates as “Where anger lives with power, there is lightning.”
Anger in a powerful person is dangerous.
“Fulmen est ubi cum potestate habitat iracundia” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Fulmen | lightning, a thunderbolt | nominative singular, neuter, of fulmen, “lightning”; the subject-complement of est |
| est | there is; it is | 3rd person singular present indicative of sum, “I am” |
| ubi | where | adverb introducing the clause that follows |
| cum | with | preposition taking the ablative |
| potestate | power | ablative singular, feminine, of potestas, “power”; governed by cum |
| habitat | lives, dwells | 3rd person singular present indicative active of habito, “I dwell” |
| iracundia | anger, a quick temper | nominative singular, feminine, of iracundia, “irascibility”; subject of habitat |
How to pronounce “Fulmen est ubi cum potestate habitat iracundia”
The two systems differ only slightly here: classical has a hard k in the stressed syllable of cum, as in koom, and a short i in iracundia, while Church Latin makes the first i of iracundia a long ee. In potestate the stress falls on the third-to-last syllable, STAH.
The story behind it
Word for word the line runs “lightning is where anger lives with power”. The sense is that anger joined to power strikes like a thunderbolt: sudden, destructive and hard to escape.
It comes from the Sententiae, a collection of one-line moral sayings attributed to Publilius Syrus, a Syrian-born writer of mimes who worked in Rome in the first century BC. The sayings were pulled out of his stage pieces and gathered into a collection that was widely used for teaching.
The thought is a classic warning about rulers and bosses: temper is a private fault in an ordinary person, but in someone with power it becomes a public danger. Today the line is quoted in discussions of leadership, authority and self-control.
How to use “Fulmen est ubi cum potestate habitat iracundia”
Fits a speech or essay on leadership, authority or the abuse of power, and works as a tattoo or desk motto for anyone who wants a reminder to keep their temper in check when they hold the upper hand.
- Latin
- Fulmen est ubi cum potestate habitat iracundia
- English
- Where anger lives with power, there is lightning.
- Source
- Publilius Syrus, Sententiae
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Leadership
Common mistakes
- It does not say that anger is lightning in general. The point is the combination of anger with power.
- Fulmen is neuter, so any adjective added to it must be neuter too. Do not swap in a feminine ending.
- Cum potestate is “with power”. It is not “with the power” of any particular person, and it does not mean “by authority of”.
- It is a saying collected under Publilius Syrus, not a line from a famous speech or from Seneca or Cicero, with whom such sayings are sometimes confused.
Questions about “Fulmen est ubi cum potestate habitat iracundia”
What does “Fulmen est ubi cum potestate habitat iracundia” mean literally?
“There is lightning where anger lives with power.” The idea is that an angry person who also holds power is as dangerous as a thunderbolt.
Who said “Fulmen est ubi cum potestate habitat iracundia”?
It is attributed to Publilius Syrus, a Roman writer of mimes of the first century BC, and appears in the collection of sayings known as his Sententiae.
How do you pronounce “Fulmen est ubi cum potestate habitat iracundia”?
In Classical Latin: FOOL-men est OO-bee koom poh-teh-STAH-teh HAH-bih-tat ih-rah-KOON-dih-ah. Church Latin changes only a few details, such as the long ee in the first syllable of iracundia.
Is “Fulmen est ubi cum potestate habitat iracundia” good Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, the grammar is sound and the word order is natural for Latin verse-like sayings. It is long, so check the spelling of potestate and iracundia carefully before inking.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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