Sextus Quotes & Sayings

Or, as Sextus, the ancient Pythagorian philosopher, said, "The wise man is always similar to himself." - — Elizabeth Gilbert

Even a faithful mistress can be bent by constant threats. — Sextus Propertius

One common abbreviation used in Roman letters was SPD, which was short for salutem plurimam dicit, or "sends many greetings." This served as a greeting at the beginning of a letter, to indicate the sender and the receiver, as in "Marcus Sexto SPD" ("Marcus sends many greetings to Sextus"). Another popular acronym was SVBEEV, which was short for si vales, bene est, ego valeo ("if you are well, that is good, I am well"). Such abbreviations saved space and time, just as acronyms (BTW, AFAIK, IANAL) do today in Internet posts and text messages. — Tom Standage

No more light answers. Let our officers
Have note what we purpose. I shall break
The cause of our expedience to the Queen
And get her leave to part. For not alone
The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches,
Do strongly speak to us, but the letters too
Of many our contriving friends in Rome
Petition us at home. Sextus Pompeius
Hath given the dare to Caesar and commands
The empire of the sea. Our slippery people,
Whose love is never linked to the deserver
Till his deserts are past, begin to throw
Pompey the Great and all his dignities
Upon his son, who - high in name and power,
Higher than both in blood and life - stands up
For the main soldier; whose quality, going on,
The sides o' th' world may danger. Much is breeding
Which, like the courser's hair, hath yet but life
And not a serpent's poison. — William Shakespeare

To every argument an equal argument is opposed, — Sextus Empiricus

I shall sit down,' replied the cat, sitting down, 'but I shall enter an objection with regard to your last. My speeches in no way resemble verbal muck, as you have been pleased to put it in the presence of a lady, but rather a sequence of tightly packed syllogisms, the merit of which would be appreciated by such connoisseurs as Sextus Empiricus, Martianus Capella, and, for all I know, Aristotle himself.'
Your king is in check,' said Woland.
Very well, very well,' responded the cat, and he began studying the chessboard through his opera glasses.
And so, donna,' Woland addressed Margarita, 'I present to you my retinue. This one who is playing the fool is the cat Behemoth ... — Mikhail Bulgakov

Scepticism is an ability, or mental attitude, which opposes appearances to judgments in any way whatsoever, with the result that,owing to the equipollence of the objects and reasons thus opposed we are brought firstly to a state of mental suspense and next to a state of "unperturbedness" or quietude. — Sextus Empiricus

From Sextus, a benevolent disposition, and the example of a family governed in a fatherly manner, and the idea of living conformably to nature; and gravity without affectation, and to look carefully after the interests of friends, and to tolerate ignorant persons, and those who form opinions without consideration: — Marcus Aurelius

Skepticism relieved two terrible diseases that afflicted mankind: anxiety and dogmatism. — Sextus Empiricus

Love can be put off, never abandoned. — Sextus Propertius

Let each man pass his days in that wherein his skill is greatest. — Sextus Propertius

The skeptic, being a lover of his kind, desires to cure by speech, as best he can, the self-conceit and rashness of the dogmatists. — Sextus Empiricus

Those who claim for themselves to judge the truth are bound to possess a criterion of truth. This criterion, then, either is without a judge's approval or has been approved. But if it is without approval, whence comes it that it is truthworthy? For no matter of dispute is to be trusted without judging. And, if it has been approved, that which approves it, in turn, either has been approved or has not been approved, and so on ad infinitum. — Sextus Empiricus

Anyone who is an enemy of mine, let him love women, but let he who is my friend rejoice in men. — Sextus Propertius

Love never offers to anyone wings so easy that he does not hold him back with his other hand. — Sextus Propertius

Democritus sometimes does away with what appears to the senses, and says that none of these appears according to truth but only according to opinion: the truth in real things is that there are atoms and void. 'By convention sweet', he says, 'by convention bitter, by convention hot, by convention cold, by convention colour: but in reality atoms and void.' — Sextus Empiricus

By gold all good faith has been banished; by gold our rights are abused; the law itself is influenced by gold, and soon there will be an end of every modest restraint. — Sextus Propertius

Although strength should fail, the effort will deserve praise. In great enterprises the attempt is enough. — Sextus Propertius

Every man now worships gold, all other reverence being done away. — Sextus Propertius

Age makes all things greater after their death; a name comes to the tongue easier from the grave. — Sextus Propertius

By skepticism ... we arrive first at suspension of judgment, and second at freedom from disturbance. — Sextus Empiricus

Plato, quite decadently, wore an earring while young. — Sextus Empiricus

If the gods chose Sextus as King of Rome, the worst possible evil will befall it — Aziz Hamza

Among absent lovers, ardor always fares better. — Sextus Propertius

Afflicted by love's madness all are blind. — Sextus Propertius

Let no one be willing to speak ill of the absent. — Sextus Propertius

Not only the bull attacks his enemies with curved horn, but also the sheep, when harmed fights back. — Sextus Propertius

When Marcus Crassus had constructed a ditch around the forces of Spartacus, the latter at night filled it with the boddies of prisoners and cattle that he had slain, and thus marched across it. — Sextus Julius Frontinus

Thus spake brave Horatius, the captain of the gate. To all men upon this Earth, death cometh soon or late. And what better way to die, than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of ones' fathers, and the temples of ones' G/Ds. For the tender mother, who dandled him to rest. And for the wife, who nurses his baby at her breast. And for the holy maidens, who feed the eternal flame. To save them from false sextus, that wrought the deed of shame. Lay down the bridge, Sir Consul, with all the speed ye may. I, with two more at either side, shall hold the foe in play. In Yon straight path a thousand may well be stop by three. Now who will stand on either hand and hold the bridge with me? — Thomas Babington Macaulay

No rival will steal away my sure love; that glory will be my gray hair. — Sextus Propertius

The Mode of circular reasoning is the form used when the proof itself which ought to establish the matter of inquiry requires confirmation derived from the matter; in this case, being unable to assume either in order to establish the other, we suspend judgement about both. — Sextus Empiricus

Tell me who is able to keep his bed chaste, or which goddess is able to live with one god alone? — Sextus Propertius

Guard yourself from lying; there is he who deceives and there is he who is deceived. — Sextus Empiricus