Nemo igitur vir magnus sine aliquo adflatu divino umquam fuit
“No great man, then, was ever without some divine inspiration.”
Cicero, De Natura Deorum 2
What does “Nemo igitur vir magnus sine aliquo adflatu divino umquam fuit” mean?
Nemo igitur vir magnus sine aliquo adflatu divino umquam fuit translates as “No great man, then, was ever without some divine inspiration.”
Greatness requires something beyond ordinary talent, a spark of inspiration. Cicero’s Stoic speaker sees genius as touched by the divine.
“Nemo igitur vir magnus sine aliquo …” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Nemo | no one, nobody | nominative singular; the subject of the sentence, here agreeing with vir magnus, so “no great man” |
| igitur | therefore, then | a conjunction (adverb); marks a conclusion drawn from what came before |
| vir | man | nominative singular of vir, “man”; the noun that nemo points to |
| magnus | great | nominative singular masculine of magnus, “great”; agrees with vir |
| sine | without | a preposition that takes the ablative case |
| aliquo | some, any | ablative singular masculine of aliquis, “some, any”; agrees with adflatu |
| adflatu | inspiration, breath | ablative singular of adflatus, “a breathing upon, inspiration”; object of sine. Also spelled afflatu |
| divino | divine | ablative singular masculine of divinus, “divine”; agrees with adflatu |
| umquam | ever, at any time | adverb; in negative sentences it means “ever” |
| fuit | was | third person singular perfect indicative of sum, “I am” |
How to pronounce “Nemo igitur vir magnus sine aliquo …”
The main differences are igitur (hard g in Classical, soft j in Church), vir (w versus v) and magnus (the Church version softens the gn to a ny sound). Stress falls on the second-to-last syllable in adflatu and divino, and on the first syllable of nemo and umquam.
The story behind it
Word for word the sentence says “No man great, therefore, without some divine breath ever was.” Adflatus literally means a breathing on someone, and so it came to mean inspiration, as if a god breathed ideas into a person.
The line comes from Cicero’s De Natura Deorum (“On the Nature of the Gods”), book 2. It is spoken not by Cicero himself but by Balbus, the Stoic character in the dialogue, who argues that the gods look after humankind and especially after outstanding individuals.
The sentence is often quoted on its own, as a saying about genius and creativity. Taken out of its setting, it is read as a claim that real greatness needs a spark that talent and effort alone do not supply.
How to use “Nemo igitur vir magnus sine aliquo …”
A fitting line for an artist’s studio, the opening of a biography or an essay on creativity and genius. Remember that it is a Stoic claim about divine inspiration, which suits religious or reflective settings better than a purely secular one.
- Latin
- Nemo igitur vir magnus sine aliquo adflatu divino umquam fuit
- English
- No great man, then, was ever without some divine inspiration.
- Source
- Cicero, De Natura Deorum 2
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Inspiration
Common mistakes
- It is not Cicero’s own opinion stated in his voice. It is spoken by the Stoic Balbus in a dialogue where other speakers disagree.
- Adflatus is a fourth-declension noun (genitive adflatus), so the ablative adflatu is correct. Do not write adflato or adflatum.
- The spelling afflatu, with a double f, is common and equally correct. Editions of Cicero differ, so choose one and stay consistent.
- To say “no great woman”, nemo igitur vir magnus does not work. Latin would need a different wording, since vir means “man” specifically.
Questions about “Nemo igitur vir magnus sine aliquo …”
What does “Nemo igitur vir magnus sine aliquo adflatu divino umquam fuit” mean?
“No great man, then, was ever without some divine inspiration.” Adflatus means a breathing upon, so it is a divine breath of inspiration.
Who said “Nemo vir magnus sine aliquo adflatu divino umquam fuit”?
It is from Cicero’s De Natura Deorum 2, spoken by the Stoic character Balbus rather than by Cicero in his own voice.
How do you pronounce “Nemo igitur vir magnus”?
In Classical Latin: NEH-moh IH-gih-toor weer MAHG-noos. In Church Latin the g in igitur becomes j, giving EE-jee-toor.
Is this quote good for a tattoo?
The Latin is correct as written. It is a long sentence and speaks of “man” (vir), so consider whether that wording and length suit you before you commit.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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