Quotes and anectdotes from the wise to the foolish, and the courageous to the drunk

Quintilian Author

  • Gender: Male
  • Born: Jan 1, 0035
  • Died: Jan 1, 0100

Marcus Fabius Quintilianus was a Roman rhetorician from Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing. In English translation, he is usually referred to as Quintilian, although the alternate spellings of Quintillian and Quinctilian are occasionally seen, the latter in older texts.

Fear of the future is worse than one's present fortune. fear & future

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

To my mind the boy who gives least promise is one in whom the critical faculty develops in advance of the imagination. imagination

Vain hopes are like certain dreams of those who wake. dreams

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

The perfection of art is to conceal art. art

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

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

In almost everything, experience is more valuable than precept. experience

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. teacher

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

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