The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.
TacitusRead
All bodies are slow in growth but rapid in decay.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the inevitability of aging and decline in physical bodies, suggesting the slow process of development contrasted with the swift nature of decline.
Tacitus's quote emphasizes the natural cycle of life, pointing out that while physical growth and development is a gradual process, the deterioration that follows occurs swiftly. This observation can serve as a reminder of the transience of life and the importance of cherishing youth and vitality while it lasts, encouraging reflection on the impermanence inherent to the human experience.
Themes
GrowthDecayLifeTransienceImpermanence
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of living in the moment.
More from Tacitus
All quotes βIn private enterprises men may advance or recede, whereas they who aim at empire have no alternative between the highest success and utter downfall.
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Great empires are not maintained by timidity.
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Things are not to be judged good or bad merely because the public think so.
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So obscure are the greatest events, as some take for granted any hearsay, whatever its source, others turn truth into falsehood, and both errors find encouragement with posterity.
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The brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid and cowardly rush to despair though fear alone.
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