Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil
“He who can hope for nothing should despair of nothing.”
Seneca, Medea 163
What does “Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil” mean?
Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil translates as “He who can hope for nothing should despair of nothing.”
When there is nothing left to lose, there is nothing left to fear.
“Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Qui | he who | nominative singular masculine of the relative pronoun qui, quae, quod; subject of potest |
| nil | nothing | contracted form of nihil; object of sperare (accusative) |
| potest | is able, can | 3rd person singular present indicative active of possum, posse, “to be able” |
| sperare | to hope for | present infinitive active of spero, “I hope”; completes potest |
| desperet | let him despair of | 3rd person singular present subjunctive active of despero, “I despair”; a command (jussive subjunctive) |
| nihil | nothing | accusative singular neuter; object of desperet |
How to pronounce “Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil”
The main difference is nihil: Classical gives the h its sound (NIH-hil), while Church Latin pronounces it as nikil (NEE-keel). Everything else sounds the same; nil has one syllable and no stress mark.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “who can hope for nothing, let him despair of nothing”. The speaker is Medea, the heroine of Seneca’s tragedy Medea, and the line stands at line 163 of the play.
Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher and a tragedian under the emperor Nero. His Medea retells the Greek myth of the woman abandoned by her husband Jason, and here she resolves to act once everything else is lost.
Outside the play the line is usually quoted for its blunt comfort: someone with nothing left to lose has no reason to fear. Because it is spoken by Medea, it carries a darker edge than its modern use on cards and captions suggests.
How to use “Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil”
It suits a tattoo, a motto or a caption about finding courage after a setback, or a quote in an essay on fear, loss or tragedy. If you use it, remember that in context it is a desperate resolve, not gentle encouragement.
- Latin
- Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil
- English
- He who can hope for nothing should despair of nothing.
- Source
- Seneca, Medea 163
- Era
- Antiquity
- Theme
- Resilience
Common mistakes
- The two verbs differ: sperare is an infinitive (“to hope for”), while desperet is a subjunctive used as a command (“let him despair”). Do not translate it as “he who hopes for nothing despairs of nothing”.
- Nil is simply a short form of nihil, so the line has “nothing” twice by design; do not swap one for the other in a tattoo, since the rhythm depends on it.
- It is not a general promise that hope always wins. In the play it is Medea’s grim logic, and the context is bleaker than the quote sounds alone.
Questions about “Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil”
What does “Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil” mean literally?
“He who can hope for nothing, let him despair of nothing.” In plain terms: if you have nothing left to hope for, you have nothing left to fear.
Who said “Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil”?
It is spoken by the character Medea in Seneca’s tragedy Medea, line 163. Seneca the Younger was the Roman Stoic philosopher and playwright who wrote the play.
How do you pronounce “Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil”?
Classical: kwee nil POH-test speh-RAH-reh deh-SPEH-ret NIH-hil. In Church Latin the last word becomes NEE-keel.
Is “Qui nil potest sperare, desperet nihil” good for a tattoo?
The Latin is correct and short enough for a tattoo. Be aware that it comes from a tragedy where it expresses desperate resolve, so check that the darker context suits you.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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