Inopiae desunt multa, avaritiae omnia
“Poverty lacks many things; greed lacks everything.”
Publilius Syrus, Sententiae
What does “Inopiae desunt multa, avaritiae omnia” mean?
Inopiae desunt multa, avaritiae omnia translates as “Poverty lacks many things; greed lacks everything.”
However much a greedy person has, it never feels like enough.
“Inopiae desunt multa, avaritiae omnia” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Inopiae | to poverty, to the needy | dative singular (dative) of inopia, “lack, poverty”; the dative goes with desunt, “is lacking to” |
| desunt | are lacking | third person plural present indicative active of desum, “I am lacking”; the subject is multa |
| multa | many things | nominative plural neuter (nominative) of multus, “much, many”; used as a noun and subject of desunt |
| avaritiae | to greed | dative singular (dative) of avaritia, “greed, avarice” |
| omnia | everything, all things | nominative plural neuter (nominative) of omnis, “all”; the subject of desunt, understood from the first half |
How to pronounce “Inopiae desunt multa, avaritiae omnia”
The main differences are ae (eye in Classical, eh in Church), v (w or v) and the ti in avaritiae (tee or tsee). Stress inopiae on the second syllable (no), desunt on the second (sunt), and avaritiae on the third (ri).
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “to poverty many things are lacking, to greed all things”. It sets two kinds of want side by side: the poor person lacks some things, the greedy person lacks everything.
It is one of the one-line maxims attributed to Publilius Syrus, a former slave who became a celebrated writer of mimes in Rome in the 1st century BC. His sayings were later collected as the Sententiae, a book of short moral lines.
The verb desunt is understood a second time in the second half, so the sentence needs no repeated verb. This compact balance is typical of Syrus. The line is still quoted in discussions of greed and contentment.
How to use “Inopiae desunt multa, avaritiae omnia”
It suits a caption or card message about contentment, a desk motto against chasing more, or a tattoo for someone who values having enough. It also works well in an essay on wealth, desire or Stoic-style moderation.
- Latin
- Inopiae desunt multa, avaritiae omnia
- English
- Poverty lacks many things; greed lacks everything.
- Source
- Publilius Syrus, Sententiae
- Era
- Antiquity
- Theme
- Wisdom
Common mistakes
- It does not say that poor people are better off. It says greed can never be satisfied, so the greedy person always feels short of everything.
- Inopiae and avaritiae are dative, not genitive. They mean “to poverty” and “to greed”, not “of poverty” and “of greed”.
- The verb is plural (desunt) because multa and omnia are plural neuter. Changing the subject to a single thing needs desest instead.
- Many collections number or word Syrus’s maxims differently, so check the edition before citing a line number.
Questions about “Inopiae desunt multa, avaritiae omnia”
What does “Inopiae desunt multa, avaritiae omnia” mean literally?
“To poverty many things are lacking, to greed all things.” The idiomatic sense is that poverty lacks many things but greed lacks everything.
Who said “Inopiae desunt multa, avaritiae omnia”?
It comes from the Sententiae attributed to Publilius Syrus, a 1st-century BC Roman writer of mimes who began life as a slave.
How do you pronounce “Inopiae desunt multa, avaritiae omnia”?
In Classical Latin: ih-NOH-pee-eye deh-SOONT MOOL-tah ah-wah-REE-tee-eye OHM-nee-ah. In Church Latin the ae ends sound like eh and the ti in avaritiae like tsee.
Is “Inopiae desunt multa, avaritiae omnia” good Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, it is real, correct Latin with a clear meaning. It is fairly long, so check the spelling and the comma carefully before inking.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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