Nil mortalibus ardui est
“Nothing is too steep for mortals.”
Horace, Odes 1.3.37
What does “Nil mortalibus ardui est” mean?
Nil mortalibus ardui est translates as “Nothing is too steep for mortals.”
Human ambition knows no limits. Horace meant it as a warning about recklessness, but it is often read as encouragement.
“Nil mortalibus ardui est” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Nil | nothing | a short form of nihil, “nothing”; the subject of the sentence |
| mortalibus | for mortals | dative plural of mortalis, “mortal, a human being”; the dative of reference: “as far as mortals are concerned” |
| ardui | of steep, of difficult | genitive singular neuter of arduus, “steep, hard”; a partitive genitive depending on nil, literally “nothing of steepness” |
| est | is | third person singular present indicative of sum, “I am” |
How to pronounce “Nil mortalibus ardui est”
The two systems differ only in the vowel of the stressed syllable of mortalibus: classical short i (LIH, as in “bit”), church a long ee. Stress falls on the first syllable of arduus-type words, so AR-doo-ee. Some readers say Nil as “neel”; the i is short in classical Latin.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “nothing of steepness is to mortals”, which is natural English as “nothing is too steep for mortals”. Arduus means steep or hard to climb, and it came to mean difficult in general.
It comes from Horace, Odes 1.3, an ode addressed to the ship carrying his friend Virgil to Greece. Horace wishes the traveller a safe crossing, then turns against the first sailor who dared to trust a fragile boat to the wild sea.
From there the poem lists human audacity: Prometheus stealing fire, Daedalus flying, Hercules entering the underworld. Our line sums up the list, and the poem goes on to say that people even try to climb to heaven itself, and so draw down Jupiter’s thunderbolts.
Horace meant it as a criticism of reckless daring. Over the centuries it has been quoted as a motto of ambition and achievement, which is nearly the opposite of his tone.
How to use “Nil mortalibus ardui est”
Works well as a motto for a challenge, a graduation or a climbing, sailing or engineering project, or as a tattoo about ambition. If you want the encouraging reading, say so in the caption, since Horace’s own context is a warning.
- Latin
- Nil mortalibus ardui est
- English
- Nothing is too steep for mortals.
- Source
- Horace, Odes 1.3.37
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Courage
Common mistakes
- Horace’s original is a warning about overreaching, not a pep talk, and quoting it as pure encouragement ignores the lines that follow.
- Ardui is a genitive (“of steepness”) tied to nil, not a plural noun; do not change its ending to match mortalibus.
- Mortalibus is dative plural, so “for mortals”; mortales would be the subject form and break the sentence.
- It is not a proverb from the Bible or from a Roman general; the source is Horace, Odes 1.3.37.
Questions about “Nil mortalibus ardui est”
What does “Nil mortalibus ardui est” mean literally?
Literally “nothing of steepness is for mortals”, meaning nothing is too steep or too hard for human beings.
Who said “Nil mortalibus ardui est”?
The Roman poet Horace, in Odes 1.3, line 37, written in the first century BC.
How do you pronounce “Nil mortalibus ardui est”?
In classical Latin: nil mor-tah-LIH-boos AR-doo-ee est. In church pronunciation only the stressed vowel of mortalibus changes, to LEE.
Is “Nil mortalibus ardui est” good Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, it is a correct, unaltered line of Horace. Know that in context it warns against reckless ambition, though many people use it as a motto of determination.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
Related Latin quotes
One Latin line. Every Monday.
A quote, its translation and the story behind it, free in your inbox.