Pliny the Elder Quotes

Hope is the pillar that holds up the world. Hope is the dream of a waking man.

The feasant hens of Colchis, which have two ears as it were consisting of feathers, which they will set up and lay down as they list.

It has become quite a common proverb that in wine there is truth (In Vino Veritas).

The depth of darkness to which you can descend and still live is an exact measure of the height to which you can aspire to reach.

Why do we believe that in all matters the odd numbers are more powerful?

An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.

In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain.

From the end spring new beginnings.

Nature is to be found in her entirety nowhere more than in her smallest creatures.

Home is where the heart is.

In wine, there's truth.

Better do nothing than do ill.

Accustom yourself to master and overcome things of difficulty; for if you observe, the left hand for want of practice is insignificant, and not adapted to general business; yet it holds the bridle better than the right, from constant use.

There is, to be sure, no evil without something good.

There is in them a softer fire than the ruby, there is the brilliant purple of the amethyst, and the sea green of the emerald - all shining together in incredible union. Some by their splendor rival the colors of the painters, others the flame of burning sulphur or of fire quickened by oil.

But with man, — by Hercules! most of his misfortunes are occasioned by man.

Indeed, what is there that does not appear marvelous when it comes to our knowledge for the first time? How many things, too, are looked up on as quite impossible until they have been actually effected?

Such is the audacity of man, that he hath learned to counterfeit Nature, yea, and is so bold as to challenge her in her work.

Contact with [menstrual blood] turns new wine sour, crops touched by it become barren, grafts die, seed in gardens are dried up, the fruit of trees fall off, the edge of steel and the gleam of ivory are dulled, hives of bees die, even bronze and iron are at once seized by rust, and a horrible smell fills the air; to taste it drives dogs mad and infects their bites with an incurable poison.

Grief has limits, whereas apprehension has none. For we grieve only for what we know has happened, but we fear all that possibly may happen.

It is generally much more shameful to lose a good reputation than never to have acquired it.

Nothing is so unequal as equality.

As for the garden of mint, the very smell of it alone recovers and refreshes our spirits, as the taste stirs up our appetite for meat.

As touching peaches in general, the very name in Latine whereby they are called Persica, doth evidently show that they were brought out of Persia first.

How many things... are looked upon as quite impossible until they have been actually effected?

When a building is about to fall down, all the mice desert it.

There is always something new out of Africa.

The perverted ingenuity of man has given to water the power of intoxicating where wine is not procured. Western nations intoxicate themselves by moistened grain.

Made up of the glories of the most precious gems, to describe them is a matter of inexpressible difficulty. For there is amongst them the gentler fire of the ruby, there is the rich purple of the amethyst, there is the sea-green of the emerald, and all shining together in an indescribable union. Others, by an excessive heightening of their hues equal all the colours of the painter, others the flame of burning brimstone, or of a fire quickened by oil.

Always act in such a way as to secure the love of your neighbour.

Nothing is more useful than wine for strengthening the body and also more detrimental to our pleasure if moderation be lacking.

Truth comes out in wine.

There is no book so bad that some good can not be got out of it.

No man's abilities are so remarkably shining as not to stand in need of a proper opportunity.

Lust is an enemy to the purse, a foe to the person, a canker to the mind, a corrosive to the conscience, a weakness of the wit, a besotter of the senses, and finally, a mortal bane to all the body.

His only fault is that he has no fault.

Nature has given man no better thing than shortness of life.

Among these things, one thing seems certain - that nothing certain exists and that there is nothing more pitiful or more presumptuous than man.

As land is improved by sowing it with various seeds, so is the mind by exercising it with different studies.

It is a maxim universally agreed upon in agriculture, that nothing must be done too late; and again, that everything must be done at its proper season; while there is a third precept which reminds us that opportunities lost can never be regained.

Simple diet is best: for many dishes bring many diseases, and rich sauces are worse than even heaping several meats upon each other.

....shellfish are the prime cause of the decline of morals and the adaptation of an extravagant lifestyle.

The javelin-snake amphiptere hurls itself from the branches of trees.

Wine refreshes the stomach, sharpens the appetite, blunts care and sadness, and conduces to slumber.

The agricultural population produces the bravest men, the most valiant soldiers,46 and a class of citizens the least given of all to evil designs.

On a farm the best fertilizer is the master's eye.

The great business of man is to improve his mind, and govern his manners; all other projects and pursuits, whether in our power to compass or not, are only amusements.

The most disgraceful cause of the scarcity [of remedies] is that even those who know them do not want to point them out, as if they were going to lose what they pass on to others.

There is alas no law against incompetency; no striking example is made. They learn by our bodily jeopardy and make experiments until the death of the patients, and the doctor is the only person not punished for murder.

The largest land animal is the elephant, and it is the nearest to man in intelligence: it understands the language of its country and obeys orders, remembers duties that it has been taught, is pleased by affection and by marks of honour, nay more it possesses virtues rare even in man, honesty, wisdom, justice, also respect for the stars and reverence for the sun and moon.