Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet qualis tibi videaris quam aliis
“What matters much more is how you see yourself than how others see you.”
Seneca, Epistulae morales 29.11
What does “Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet qualis tibi videaris quam aliis” mean?
Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet qualis tibi videaris quam aliis translates as “What matters much more is how you see yourself than how others see you.”
Your own conscience counts more than other people’s opinion of you.
“Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet …” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Multo | by much, far | ablative of degree of difference (ablative of multus, “much”), used with the comparative magis to mean “by far” |
| autem | but, and | a connecting particle that never comes first in its clause; here it moves the thought along, roughly “now” or “and” |
| ad | to, towards | preposition taking the accusative |
| rem | the matter, the point | accusative singular of res, “thing, matter”; ad rem pertinet means “is relevant to the point” |
| magis | more | comparative adverb, “more, to a greater degree” |
| pertinet | it matters, it concerns | third person singular present indicative active of pertineo, “I pertain, I concern” |
| qualis | of what sort, what kind | nominative singular interrogative adjective (qualis), here in an indirect question |
| tibi | to you, by you | dative singular of tu, “you”; with videaris it means “you seem to yourself” |
| videaris | you seem | second person singular present subjunctive passive of video, “I see”; the passive means “to seem”. Subjunctive because it is in an indirect question |
| quam | than | comparative particle, “than” |
| aliis | to others | dative plural of alius, “other”; understand videantur, “they seem”, so it means “than (what sort) you seem to others” |
How to pronounce “Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet …”
The two differ mainly in the g of magis (hard g in Classical, soft j in Church), the v of videaris (w or v) and the short i vowels, which are more open in Classical. Stress falls on MUL in multo, MAH in magis, PER in pertinet, KWAH in qualis, DEH in videaris and AH in aliis.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says that it matters “much more to the point” what sort of person you seem to yourself than to others. Seneca wrote it in his Epistulae morales, the moral letters he sent to his younger friend Lucilius in his last years.
Letter 29 deals with how a philosopher should speak to people who do not want to hear him. Seneca contrasts the truth about oneself with the applause of the crowd, which he treats as worthless as a guide to living well.
Today the sentence is quoted as a reminder to rely on your own conscience and judgement rather than on reputation. It fits the Stoic idea that only your own character is truly in your power.
How to use “Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet …”
Suits a tattoo, a desk motto or a card for someone learning to ignore public opinion, and works well in an essay about integrity, reputation or self-respect. It is also a good caption for a photo about being true to yourself.
- Latin
- Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet qualis tibi videaris quam aliis
- English
- What matters much more is how you see yourself than how others see you.
- Source
- Seneca, Epistulae morales 29.11
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Self
Common mistakes
- Do not read it as “think only of yourself”. Seneca means your honest inner judgement, not vanity or ignoring others.
- Videaris is second person singular. Speaking to several people you would need videamini.
- The sentence is often shortened or paraphrased online, which loses the contrast between tibi and aliis.
- It is Stoic in spirit, but it is Seneca’s own sentence, not a line from Epictetus or Marcus Aurelius.
Questions about “Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet …”
What does “Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet qualis tibi videaris quam aliis” mean?
It means that it matters far more what kind of person you seem to yourself than what you seem to others. In other words, your own conscience outweighs public opinion.
Who said “Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet qualis tibi videaris quam aliis”?
The Roman Stoic Seneca wrote it in his Epistulae morales, in a letter to Lucilius (29.11).
How do you pronounce “Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet qualis tibi videaris quam aliis”?
In Classical Latin: MUL-toh OW-tem ad rem MAH-gis PER-tih-net KWAH-lis TIH-bee wih-DEH-ah-ris kwam AH-lee-ees. Church Latin softens the g in magis and says v in videaris.
Is this a good Latin quote for a tattoo?
The Latin is correct as written. It is long, so some people choose a shorter line, but cutting words from it can change the grammar, so check any shortened version first.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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