For every nation that lives peaceably, there will be many others to grow hard and push their arrogance to extremes; the gods attend to these things slowly. But they attend to those who put off God and turn to madness.
For this I see, that we, all we that live, Are but vain shadows, unsubstantial dreams.
Many are the things that man seeing must understand. Not seeing, how shall he know what lies in the hand of time to come?
Surely there never was so evil a thing as money, which maketh cities into ruinous heaps, and banisheth men from their houses, and turneth their thoughts from good unto evil.
But whoever gives birth to useless children, what would you say of him except that he has bred sorrows for himself, and furnishes laughter for his enemies.
A day lays low and lifts up again all human things.
All is disgust when one leaves his own nature and does things that misfit it.
One must obey the man whom the city sets up in power in small things and in justice and in its opposite.
Many things are formidable, and none more formidable than man.
Hope has often caused the love of gain to ruin men.
They are not wise, then, who stand forth to buffet against Love; for Love rules the gods as he will, and me.
A prudent mind can see room for misgiving, lest he who prospers should one day suffer reverse.
Henceforth ye may thieve with better knowledge whence lucre should be won, and learn that it is not well to love gain from every source. For thou wilt find that ill-gotten pelf brings more men to ruin than to weal.
No oath can be too binding for a lover.
Time alone reveals the just man; but you might discern a bad man in a single day.
Whoever grows angry amid troubles applies a drug worse than the disease and is a physician unskilled about misfortunes.
Wise thinkers prevail everywhere.
When trouble ends even troubles please.
To live without evil belongs only to the gods.
Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.