Quintilian Quotes

Powerful Quintilian for Daily Growth

When defeat is inevitable, it is wisest to yield.

- Quintilian

Wisdom, Defeat, Inevitable, Yield

When we cannot hope to win, it is an advantage to yield.

- Quintilian

Cannot, We Cannot, Advantage, Yield

Forbidden pleasures alone are loved immoderately; when lawful, they do not excite desire.

- Quintilian

Alone, Pleasures, Lawful, Excite

The mind is exercised by the variety and multiplicity of the subject matter, while the character is moulded by the contemplation of virtue and vice.

- Quintilian

Mind, Vice, Multiplicity, Contemplation

A liar should have a good memory.

- Quintilian

Memory, Good Memory, Should, Liar

It is fitting that a liar should be a man of good memory.

- Quintilian

Memory, Should, Be A Man, Good Memory

Whilst we deliberate how to begin a thing, it grows too late to begin it.

- Quintilian

Too Late, How, Grows, Whilst

A laugh, if purchased at the expense of propriety, costs too much.

- Quintilian

Costs, Purchased, Too, Propriety

Consequently the student who is devoid of talent will derive no more profit from this work than barren soil from a treatise on agriculture.

- Quintilian

Student, Will, More, Profit

It is the nurse that the child first hears, and her words that he will first attempt to imitate.

- Quintilian

Words, Her, Will, Nurse

It seldom happens that a premature shoot of genius ever arrives at maturity.

- Quintilian

Genius, Maturity, Ever, Premature

To swear, except when necessary, is becoming to an honorable man.

- Quintilian

Necessary, Becoming, Except, Honorable

The perfection of art is to conceal art.

- Quintilian

Art, Conceal, Perfection

That which prematurely arrives at perfection soon perishes.

- Quintilian

Soon, Which, Prematurely, Perfection

While we are making up our minds as to when we shall begin, the opportunity is lost.

- Quintilian

Lost, Minds, Making, Making Up

It is worth while too to warn the teacher that undue severity in correcting faults is liable at times to discourage a boy's mind from effort.

- Quintilian

Mind, Discourage, Severity, Liable

Verse satire indeed is entirely our own.

- Quintilian

Own, Satire, Indeed, Verse

As regards parents, I should like to see them as highly educated as possible, and I do not restrict this remark to fathers alone.

- Quintilian

Like, Them, Fathers, Highly

Those who wish to appear wise among fools, among the wise seem foolish.

- Quintilian

Wise, Wish, Appear, Fools

Our minds are like our stomaches; they are whetted by the change of their food, and variety supplies both with fresh appetite.

- Quintilian

Change, Food, Like, Fresh

It is much easier to try one's hand at many things than to concentrate one's powers on one thing.

- Quintilian

Than, Things, One Thing, Powers

Men, even when alone, lighten their labors by song, however rude it may be.

- Quintilian

Men, Song, However, Labors

Nature herself has never attempted to effect great changes rapidly.

- Quintilian

Nature, Never, Effect, Attempted

We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty.

- Quintilian

Difficulty, Excuse, Pretext, Sloth

For it would have been better that man should have been born dumb, nay, void of all reason, rather than that he should employ the gifts of Providence to the destruction of his neighbor.

- Quintilian

Reason, Been, Employ, Providence

He who speaks evil only differs from his who does evil in that he lacks opportunity.

- Quintilian

His, Does, Speaks, Differs

The gifts of nature are infinite in their variety, and mind differs from mind almost as much as body from body.

- Quintilian

Nature, Mind, Variety, Differs

Without natural gifts technical rules are useless.

- Quintilian

Rules, Natural, Technical, Useless

The prosperous can not easily form a right idea of misery.

- Quintilian

Idea, Misery, Form, Prosperous

For the mind is all the easier to teach before it is set.

- Quintilian

Mind, Before, Set, Easier

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