Nihil aegrius quam disciplinam accipimus
“We accept nothing more reluctantly than instruction.”
Latin proverb
What does “Nihil aegrius quam disciplinam accipimus” mean?
Nihil aegrius quam disciplinam accipimus translates as “We accept nothing more reluctantly than instruction.”
People resist being taught, even when the teaching is for their good. Pride makes correction hard to swallow.
“Nihil aegrius quam disciplinam accipimus” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Nihil | nothing | neuter indefinite pronoun, accusative singular (direct object of accipimus); the nominative looks the same |
| aegrius | more reluctantly | comparative adverb, from aegre, “with difficulty, reluctantly”; the comparative ends in -ius |
| quam | than | conjunction used after a comparative to introduce the thing compared |
| disciplinam | instruction, teaching | accusative singular of disciplina, “instruction, training”; direct object of accipimus |
| accipimus | we accept, we receive | first person plural present active indicative of accipio, “to receive, accept” |
How to pronounce “Nihil aegrius quam disciplinam accipimus”
The main differences are the c in disciplinam (hard k in Classical, sh in Church), the c in accipimus (kk versus ch), the ae in aegrius (eye versus eh) and the h in nihil (pronounced in Classical, often dropped to “nik-il” in Church).
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “nothing more reluctantly than instruction we accept”. The comparison is the point: of all the things people take on, teaching goes down the hardest.
It is handed down as an anonymous Latin proverb, and no author or work can be named with confidence. That fits its character as a piece of general folk observation about human nature.
The thought will be familiar to anyone who has taught, coached or managed people. Advice is easy to give and hard to receive, because accepting instruction means admitting that you do not yet know.
How to use “Nihil aegrius quam disciplinam accipimus”
Suits a teacher’s staff room, a coaching or training workshop, or a speech about mentoring and feedback. It also works as a wry note in an essay on why people resist correction.
- Latin
- Nihil aegrius quam disciplinam accipimus
- English
- We accept nothing more reluctantly than instruction.
- Source
- Latin proverb
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Learning
Common mistakes
- Do not read nihil as the subject. It is the object of accipimus, and the subject “we” is built into the verb ending -mus.
- Disciplina here means instruction or teaching, not “discipline” in the sense of punishment, though the English word grew from it.
- The proverb has no secure author, so avoid pinning it on Seneca, Cicero or anyone else.
- Aegrius is an adverb, not the adjective aeger (“sick”); the meaning is “more reluctantly”, not “more sickly”.
Questions about “Nihil aegrius quam disciplinam accipimus”
What does “Nihil aegrius quam disciplinam accipimus” mean literally?
“We accept nothing more reluctantly than instruction.” Aegrius is the comparative of an adverb meaning “with difficulty, reluctantly”.
Who said “Nihil aegrius quam disciplinam accipimus”?
It is a Latin proverb of uncertain origin, so there is no reliable named author. Treat any specific attribution with caution.
How do you pronounce “Nihil aegrius quam disciplinam accipimus”?
Classical: NIH-hil EYE-gree-oos kwahm dis-kih-PLEE-nahm ak-KIH-pih-moos. Church Latin softens the c and ae sounds, giving ahch-CHEE-pee-moos and EH-gree-oos.
Does disciplina mean “discipline” here?
Not in the modern sense of punishment. In this line it means instruction or teaching, which is what the English translation “instruction” reflects.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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