Saepe ne utile quidem est scire quid futurum sit
“Often it is not even useful to know what will happen.”
Cicero, De divinatione 2.22
What does “Saepe ne utile quidem est scire quid futurum sit” mean?
Saepe ne utile quidem est scire quid futurum sit translates as “Often it is not even useful to know what will happen.”
Not knowing the future can be a blessing: it lets us hope and act freely.
“Saepe ne utile quidem est scire …” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Saepe | often | adverb |
| ne | not | negative particle; here it makes the following word negative (ne … quidem, “not even”) |
| utile | useful | neuter nominative singular of the adjective utilis, agreeing with the unstated subject “to know” |
| quidem | even | emphatic adverb; ne utile quidem means “not even useful”, with the emphasised word placed between ne and quidem |
| est | is | third person singular present indicative of sum, esse, “to be” |
| scire | to know | present infinitive of scio, “I know”; here it acts as the subject of est |
| quid | what | interrogative pronoun (neuter accusative singular), introducing an indirect question |
| futurum | going to happen | neuter accusative singular of the future participle of sum; read with sit as the future-tense form “will be” |
| sit | will be | third person singular present subjunctive of sum, esse; the subjunctive is required in an indirect question |
How to pronounce “Saepe ne utile quidem est scire …”
Classical ae sounds like English “eye”, church Latin like “eh”; church Latin also softens the c in scire to “sh”, and the q-sounds and the stresses are the same in both. Notice how the stress falls on the second-to-last syllable in utile, quidem, scire and futurum.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “often not even useful it is to know what will be”. Futurum sit is a roundabout way of saying “will happen”.
It comes from Cicero’s De divinatione (“On Divination”), a two-book dialogue about whether the future can be foreseen by omens, oracles, dreams and the stars. In the second book Cicero speaks for the sceptical side, and this line belongs to that argument: even if prediction worked, knowing what is coming would often do us no good.
Behind it lies a practical point. A person who knew every coming sorrow would suffer it in advance, and one who knew every success might stop trying. Cicero’s remark is still quoted today when people talk about fate, foresight and the limits of what we want to know.
How to use “Saepe ne utile quidem est scire …”
It suits a reflective caption, a note to someone anxious about what lies ahead, or an essay on fate, free will or prediction. As a tattoo or motto it is a quiet reminder to act now instead of worrying about what comes next.
- Latin
- Saepe ne utile quidem est scire quid futurum sit
- English
- Often it is not even useful to know what will happen.
- Source
- Cicero, De divinatione 2.22
- Era
- Antiquity
- Theme
- Wisdom
Common mistakes
- It does not say that the future is unknowable, only that knowing it is often not even useful.
- Saepe means “often”, not “always”. Dropping it makes the claim far stronger than Cicero’s.
- The structure ne … quidem wraps around the word it stresses; do not move quidem to the end of the sentence or the emphasis is lost.
- Quid futurum sit is an indirect question, so sit must stay subjunctive; est there would be a grammar error.
Questions about “Saepe ne utile quidem est scire …”
What does “Saepe ne utile quidem est scire quid futurum sit” mean literally?
“Often not even useful is it to know what will be.” In natural English: it is often not even useful to know what will happen.
Who said “Saepe ne utile quidem est scire quid futurum sit”?
The Roman statesman and writer Cicero, in De divinatione 2.22, a work that questions whether foretelling the future is possible or desirable.
How do you pronounce “Saepe ne utile quidem est scire quid futurum sit”?
In classical Latin: SY-peh neh OO-tih-leh KWIH-dem EST SKEE-reh kwid foo-TOO-room sit. Church Latin differs mainly in saepe (SEH-peh), quidem (KWEE-dem) and scire (SHEE-reh).
Why is it “quid futurum sit” and not “quid futurum est”?
Because it is an indirect question after scire, and Latin puts the verb of an indirect question in the subjunctive, so sit is used.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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