Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit, id est semper esse puerum
“Not to know what happened before you were born is to remain always a child.”
Cicero, Orator 120
What does “Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit, id est semper esse puerum” mean?
Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit, id est semper esse puerum translates as “Not to know what happened before you were born is to remain always a child.”
Knowing history makes us grown-ups. Without it, we repeat old mistakes.
“Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit …” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Nescire | to not know | present infinitive of nescio, “I do not know” (ne- + scio); the subject of the sentence |
| quid | what | interrogative pronoun, nominative singular neuter; subject of the indirect question |
| antequam | before (the time when) | conjunction, “before”; introduces a clause about earlier time |
| natus | born | perfect participle of nascor, “I am born” (a deponent verb), nominative singular masculine; with sis it forms the perfect subjunctive |
| sis | you were | second person singular present subjunctive of sum, “I am”; here part of the perfect subjunctive natus sis |
| acciderit | happened | third person singular perfect subjunctive active of accido, “I happen”; the verb of the indirect question |
| id | that | demonstrative pronoun, nominative singular neuter, “that”; sums up the whole phrase before it |
| est | is | third person singular present indicative of sum, “I am” |
| semper | always | adverb of time |
| esse | to be | present infinitive of sum, “I am” |
| puerum | a child | accusative singular masculine of puer, “boy, child”; the predicate noun after esse, agreeing with the unstated subject |
How to pronounce “Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit …”
The differences are in the c of nescire and acciderit, which is hard (k) in Classical and soft (ch) in Church Latin. Stress falls on the second syllable of nescire and acciderit, and on the first of antequam, natus, semper, esse and puerum.
The story behind it
Word for word the sentence says “to not know what happened before you were born, that is always to be a boy”. The Latin puer means boy or child, and Cicero uses it as a picture of immaturity.
The line comes from the Orator, which Cicero wrote in 46 BC as a portrait of the ideal speaker. In this passage he argues that an orator must know the past, because a speaker who does not know history is like a child who has no past to learn from.
The thought is still widely quoted in discussions of history teaching and civic education. It is often quoted in the Latin form above, though the full passage is longer and the quote is usually cut down to this one sentence.
How to use “Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit …”
Fits a classroom poster, a history teacher’s gift, an essay on the value of studying history, or a speech about learning from the past. As a tattoo it suits someone who wants a reminder to keep reading and learning.
- Latin
- Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit, id est semper esse puerum
- English
- Not to know what happened before you were born is to remain always a child.
- Source
- Cicero, Orator 120
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Learning
Common mistakes
- It is not about age. Cicero uses “child” to mean someone who lacks knowledge of the past, not a young person.
- The verb forms natus sis and acciderit are subjunctive because they sit inside an indirect question. Changing them to indicative (natus es, accidit) would be a grammar slip.
- Quotes online often give a shortened or paraphrased version. Check the wording against Orator 120 before using it on a tattoo or print.
- Addressing a woman would need nata sis, since natus is masculine in form.
Questions about “Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit …”
What does “Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit, id est semper esse puerum” mean?
“Not to know what happened before you were born is to remain always a child.” Cicero means that without knowledge of history we stay immature.
Who said “Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit”?
Cicero, in his Orator, section 120, written in 46 BC. He was describing what a good orator needs to know.
How do you pronounce “Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit”?
Classical: nes-KEE-reh kwid AN-teh-kwam NAH-toos sis ak-KEE-deh-rit. Church Latin softens the c to ch, so nes-CHEE-reh and ak-CHEE-deh-rit.
Is “Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, it is Cicero’s own wording. For a woman, change natus to nata; otherwise leave the forms as they are.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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