Quintilian Quotes

On this page you can find the TOP of Quintilian's best quotes! We hope you will find some sayings from Quintilian's in our collection, which will inspire you to new achievements! There are currently 91 quotes on this page collected since 35! Share our collection of quotes with your friends on social media so that they can find something to inspire them!
  • (Slaughter) means blood and iron. [Lat., Coedes videtur significare sanguinem et ferrum.]

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

  • The pretended admission of a fault on our part creates an excellent impression.

    Quintilian (2015). “Delphi Complete Works of Quintilian (Illustrated)”, p.1829, Delphi Classics
  • Everything that has a beginning comes to an end.

    "De Institutione Oratoria". V. 10,
  • Where evil habits are once settled, they are more easily broken than mended.

    "Institutio Oratoria". Textbook by Marcus Fabius Quintilianus, I, 3, 3,
  • One thing, however, I must premise, that without the assistance of natural capacity, rules and precepts are of no efficacy.

    Quintilian (1805). “Quintilian's institutes of eloquence ...”, p.7
  • If you direct your whole thought to work itself, none of the things which invade eyes or ears will reach the mind.

  • A Woman who is generous with her money is to be praised; not so, if she is generous with her person

    Quintilian (2001). “The Orator's Education: Books 3-5”
  • A liar should have a good memory.

    Quintilian (2015). “Delphi Complete Works of Quintilian (Illustrated)”, p.1471, Delphi Classics
  • Though ambition may be a fault in itself, it is often the mother of virtues.

    Mother   Ambition   Vices  
    Quintilian (2015). “Delphi Complete Works of Quintilian (Illustrated)”, p.26, Delphi Classics
  • A great part of art consists in imitation. For the whole conduct of life is based on this: that what we admire in others we want to do ourselves.

  • One should aim not at being possible to understand, but at being impossible to misunderstand.

  • In a crowd, on a journey, at a banquet even, a line of thought can itself provide its own seclusion.

  • A laugh costs too much when bought at the expense of virtue.

    "Institutio Oratoria". Textbook by Marcus Fabius Quintilianus, VI. 3. 5,
  • Fear of the future is worse than one's present fortune.

    "De Institutione Oratoria", XII. 5, as quoted in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations, p. 289-93, 1922.
  • To swear, except when necessary, is becoming to an honorable man. [Lat., In totum jurare, nisi ubi necesse est, gravi viro parum convenit.]

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

    Father   Parent  
    Quintilian (2015). “Delphi Complete Works of Quintilian (Illustrated)”, p.18, Delphi Classics
  • It is the nurse that the child first hears, and her words that he will first attempt to imitate.

    Quintilian (2015). “Delphi Complete Works of Quintilian (Illustrated)”, p.17, Delphi Classics
  • When defeat is inevitable, it is wisest to yield.

    Quintilian (2015). “Delphi Complete Works of Quintilian (Illustrated)”, p.319, Delphi Classics
  • While we are making up our minds as to when we shall begin. the opportunity is lost.

  • 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.

    Boys  
    Quintilian (2015). “Delphi Complete Works of Quintilian (Illustrated)”, p.78, Delphi Classics
  • A man who tries to surpass another may perhaps succeed in equaling inot actually surpassing him, but one who merely follows can never quite come up with him: a follower, necessarily, is always behind.

  • 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.

    Vices  
    Quintilian (1953). “The Instituto Oratoria of Quintilian”
  • That which offends the ear will not easily gain admission to the mind.

  • Give bread to a stranger, in the name of the universal brotherhood which binds together all men under the common father of nature.

    Father  
  • Suffering itself does less afflict the senses than the apprehension of suffering.

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

    "De Institutione Oratoria" by Marcus Fabius Quintilianus as reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations, p. 244-45., 1922.
  • Without natural gifts technical rules are useless.

    Quintilian (2015). “Delphi Complete Works of Quintilian (Illustrated)”, p.17, Delphi Classics
  • Those who wish to appear wise among fools, among the wise seem foolish.

    "Institutes of Oratory (Volume X)". Book by Quintilian, 95 CE.
  • The soul languishing in obscurity contracts a kind of rust, or abandons itself to the chimera of presumption; for it is natural for it to acquire something, even when separated from any one.

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  • We hope you have found the saying you were looking for in our collection! At the moment, we have collected 91 quotes from the Quintilian, starting from 35! We periodically replenish our collection so that visitors of our website can always find inspirational quotes by authors from all over the world! Come back to us again!