Magnas inter opes inops
“Poor in the midst of great wealth.”
Horace, Odes 3.16
What does “Magnas inter opes inops” mean?
Magnas inter opes inops translates as “Poor in the midst of great wealth.”
Having plenty but still feeling it is never enough.
“Magnas inter opes inops” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Magnas | great | accusative feminine plural of magnus, “great”; agrees with opes |
| inter | among, in the midst of | preposition (here placed after its adjective) that takes the accusative case |
| opes | wealth, resources | accusative feminine plural of ops, “power, resources”; plural opes means “wealth” |
| inops | poor, in need | nominative singular of inops, “without resources”; describes the unnamed man in the line |
How to pronounce “Magnas inter opes inops”
The only real difference is the g in magnas: hard in Classical (as in “go”), a soft “ny” sound in Church Latin. Stress the first syllable of every word.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “among great riches, poor”. Horace sets the two ideas side by side on purpose, since opes (“wealth”) and inops (“without wealth”) are built from the same root, so the wording itself delivers the contradiction.
It comes from Horace, Odes 3.16, a poem about contentment. Horace writes in the first century BC and argues that piling up money does not end want: the more a person has, the more he still craves.
The line has lived on as a short, sharp description of greed, and it still fits anyone who has plenty but never feels they have enough.
How to use “Magnas inter opes inops”
It suits a tattoo or motto for someone who values contentment over accumulation, a card for a friend who is always chasing more, or an essay or speech on greed, money and satisfaction.
- Latin
- Magnas inter opes inops
- English
- Poor in the midst of great wealth.
- Source
- Horace, Odes 3.16
- Era
- Antiquity
- Theme
- Wisdom
Common mistakes
- Do not read it as “poor among the great”. Magnas goes with opes (wealth), not with people.
- The word order is poetic: inter comes after magnas, but it still means “among” and still takes opes.
- Inops is the nominative singular and describes one man. For a woman it stays inops, but a group needs the plural inopes.
- It does not mean “poor despite being rich” as a simple fact about money alone; the sense is about feeling lacking, not about the bank balance.
Questions about “Magnas inter opes inops”
What does “Magnas inter opes inops” mean literally?
“Poor among great riches.” Magnas opes means “great wealth”, inter means “among”, and inops means “poor, lacking resources”.
Who said “Magnas inter opes inops”?
The Roman poet Horace, in Odes 3.16, a poem about contentment and the emptiness of greed.
How do you pronounce “Magnas inter opes inops”?
In Classical Latin: MAHG-nahss IN-ter OH-pays IN-ops. In Church Latin the g of magnas softens to “ny”: MAHN-yahss IN-ter OH-pays IN-ops.
Is “Magnas inter opes inops” good Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, it is an authentic line from Horace and the grammar is sound. Be aware that inops describes one person, so it works as a personal motto but would need changing to speak of several people.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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