A laugh, if purchased at the expense of propriety, costs too much. Quintilian More Quotes by Quintilian More Quotes From Quintilian Everything that has a beginning comes to an end. Quintilian ends Vain hopes are like certain dreams of those who wake. Quintilian vainhopedream 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. Quintilian life-iswantart To my mind the boy who gives least promise is one in whom the critical faculty develops in advance of the imagination. Quintilian imaginationgivingboys We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty. Quintilian excuseslothlife A liar should have a good memory. Quintilian honestymotivationalmemories The gifts of nature are infinite in their variety, and mind differs from mind almost as much as body from body. Quintilian infinitebodymind Fear of the future is worse than one's present fortune. Quintilian fear-of-the-futurefortunelife Prune what is turgid, elevate what is commonplace, arrange what is disorderly, introduce rhythm where the language is harsh, modify where it is too absolute. Quintilian introducinglanguagewriting When defeat is inevitable, it is wisest to yield. Quintilian yielddefeathard-work The obscurity of a writer is generally in proportion to his incapacity. Quintilian obscurityproportionincapacity Let us never adopt the maxim, Rather lose our friend than our jest. Quintilian jestmaximsfriendship 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. Quintilian effortteacherboys For all the best teachers pride themselves on having a large number of pupils and think themselves worthy of a bigger audience. Quintilian learningprideteacher Nature herself has never attempted to effect great changes rapidly. Quintilian great-changeeffects The prosperous can not easily form a right idea of misery. Quintilian miseryformideas Give bread to a stranger, in the name of the universal brotherhood which binds together all men under the common father of nature. Quintilian namesmenfather 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. Quintilian vicesmindcharacter It is easier to do many things than to do one thing continuously for a long time. Quintilian varietyeasierlong Though ambition may be a fault in itself, it is often the mother of virtues. Quintilian vicesambitionmother
