Latin Via Proverbs: Home - Previous - Next

Group 103: Latin

1342. Mortui non mordent.

1343. Mortui non dolent.

1344. Audent cuncta mali.

1345. Parvum parva decent.

1346. Fabulae decent pueros.

1347. Cari deo nihilo carent.

1348. Exempla docent.

1349. Magis movent exempla quam verba.

1350. Verba non implent marsupium.

1351. Habent sua fata libelli.

1352. Nec semper lilia florent.

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Study Guide

1342. The dead do not bite. (This is something like the English saying "dead men tell no tales." This saying made its way into Erasmus's Adagia 3.6.41.)

1343. The dead do not grieve. (In other words, the dead no longer suffer the pains of this life. This saying made its way into Erasmus's Adagia, 5.2.35.)

1344. Wicked people dare all things. (In your Latin textbook, you probably learned the word omnis, meaning "all, every." The Latin word cuncta, seen here in this proverb, is also commonly used to express the same idea.)

1345. Small things befit a small person. (In other words, you should not attempt something that is utterly beyond your powers. This phrase can be found in the Roman poet Horace.)

1346. Stories are suitable for young boys. (In other words, grown-up folks need to face facts, instead of believing in fairy tales.)

1347. Those who are dear to God lack in nothing. (Notice the cases here: The adjective cari takes the dative, "dear to God," while the verb carent takes the ablative case, nihilo.)

1348. Examples teach. (Learning by example was an important part of the classical tradition, where there were many famous collections of stories and anecdotes about famous people, philosophers, etc.)

1349. Examples inspire more than words do. (The word magis here is an adverb.)

1350. Words do not fill the purse. (Yes, marsupials like kangaroos get their name from the "purse" in which they carry their new-born babies.)

1351. Books have their own fates. (The word libelli is a diminutive of the word liber. This famous saying is found in the Latin grammarian Teretianus Maurus. The full form of the saying is Pro captu lectoris habent sua fata libelli, "Based on the reader's perception, Books have their fate.")

1352. The lilies are not always in bloom. (This is adapted from a line in the Roman poet Ovid: Nec violae semper nec hiantia lilia florent, "Neither the violets nor the open lilies are always in bloom.")