Quam non est facilis virtus! Quam vero difficilis eius diuturna simulatio!
“How hard virtue is! And how much harder it is to fake it for long!”
Cicero, Letters to Atticus 7.1.6
What does “Quam non est facilis virtus! Quam vero difficilis eius diuturna simulatio!” mean?
Quam non est facilis virtus! Quam vero difficilis eius diuturna simulatio! translates as “How hard virtue is! And how much harder it is to fake it for long!”
Real goodness takes effort, but pretending to be good is even harder over time.
“Quam non est facilis virtus! Quam …” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Quam | how | adverb, introducing an exclamation: “how” or “how much” |
| non | not | negating adverb |
| est | is | 3rd person singular present indicative of sum, “I am” |
| facilis | easy | nominative singular feminine adjective (facilis, facile), agreeing with virtus |
| virtus | virtue | nominative singular feminine noun, the subject; from virtus, virtutis, “virtue, courage, excellence” |
| Quam | how | adverb, introducing a second exclamation |
| vero | indeed, truly | adverb, adding emphasis and contrast |
| difficilis | difficult | nominative singular feminine adjective (difficilis, difficile), agreeing with simulatio |
| eius | of it, its | genitive singular of the pronoun is, ea, id; here it points back to virtus |
| diuturna | long-lasting, sustained | nominative singular feminine of the adjective diuturnus, “lasting a long time”; agrees with simulatio |
| simulatio | pretending, faking | nominative singular feminine noun, the subject of the second clause; from simulatio, simulationis, “pretence, imitation” |
How to pronounce “Quam non est facilis virtus! Quam …”
The styles differ in the c of facilis and difficilis (k or ch), the v of virtus and vero (w or v) and the ti of simulatio (tee or tsee). The stress is the same in both: VIR-tus, dif-FI-ci-lis, di-u-TUR-na, si-mu-LA-ti-o.
The story behind it
The Latin is two parallel exclamations. Word for word it reads “how not easy virtue is, how truly difficult its long-sustained pretence”. In Latin virtus means goodness, courage and moral excellence, not only the English “virtue”.
The sentence comes from a letter Cicero wrote to his friend Atticus in late 50 BC, on his way home from governing the province of Cilicia (Letters to Atticus 7.1.6). He had kept honest accounts there and handed back unspent public funds, and he found that keeping up that standard cost him goodwill among his own staff.
Out of its setting the line works as a comment on honesty and character: pretending to be good for a long time is harder than being good.
How to use “Quam non est facilis virtus! Quam …”
It suits a desk motto, a card for someone working on their character, a classroom or essay quote on honesty and integrity, or a tattoo for anyone who values authenticity. The full two-part form is long, so for a tattoo some people keep only the first half.
- Latin
- Quam non est facilis virtus! Quam vero difficilis eius diuturna simulatio!
- English
- How hard virtue is! And how much harder it is to fake it for long!
- Source
- Cicero, Letters to Atticus 7.1.6
- Era
- Traditional
- Theme
- Virtue
Common mistakes
- Do not read virtus as modern English “virtue” in the narrow sense of purity. In Latin it covers courage, strength and excellence of character.
- Popular versions often shorten diuturna to diu. Cicero wrote diuturna simulatio, “a long-sustained pretence”, and diu does not fit grammatically with a noun.
- Shortening the line to “Quam non est facilis virtus” keeps only the first half and loses the contrast with pretence.
- Do not credit it to Seneca or call it anonymous. It comes from Cicero’s letters to Atticus.
Questions about “Quam non est facilis virtus! Quam …”
What does “Quam non est facilis virtus” mean literally?
Literally “how not easy virtue is”, in natural English “how hard virtue is”. The second half adds that keeping up a pretence of it for long is harder still.
Who said “Quam non est facilis virtus”?
Cicero, in a letter to his friend Atticus written in 50 BC (Letters to Atticus 7.1.6).
How do you pronounce “Quam non est facilis virtus”?
In classical Latin it is roughly “kwahm nohn est FAH-kih-lis WIR-toos”. In church Latin it is “kwahm nohn est FAH-chee-lees VEER-toos”.
Is “Quam non est facilis virtus” good for a tattoo?
The Latin is correct and reads well. The full sentence is long, so decide whether to use the whole line or only the first half, and copy diuturna exactly if you use the second half.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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