Nature made the fields and man the cities.
Marcus Terentius VarroRead
Divine Nature gave the fields, human art built the cities.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that nature provides the resources while human creativity shapes civilization.
In this quote, Marcus Terentius Varro reflects on the relationship between the natural world and human ingenuity. He emphasizes how the bounty of nature, symbolized by the fields, serves as the foundation for human development, represented by the cities. This duality highlights the dependence of civilization on both the natural environment and the artistic capabilities of humanity, suggesting a harmonious coalescence of nature and human effort in the progression of society.
Themes
NatureHumanityCreativityCivilizationArtFieldsCities
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on urban development, one could cite this quote to illustrate the importance of natural resources in building cities.
More from Marcus Terentius Varro
All quotes βThe number of guests at dinner should not be less than the number of the Graces nor exceed that of the Muses, i.e., it should begin with three and stop at nine.
Marcus Terentius VarroRead
Similar quotes
The best stories don't come from "good vs. bad" but "good vs. good.
Leo TolstoyRead
We have triumphed in the effort to implant hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. We enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity β a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.
Nelson MandelaRead
So, is there an afterlife, and if so, what will it be like? I don't have a clue. But I am confident that the one who has buoyed us up in life will also buoy us up through death. We die into God. What more that means, I do not know. But that is all I need to know.
Marcus BorgRead
To arrive where you are, to get from where you are not / You must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy.
T. S. EliotRead
Since 1945, no one in the U.S. military has liked the end result of the military conflicts we've been in: Vietnam, Korea, certainly Iraq, and probably Afghanistan. But in a democracy, you salute.
John F. KellyRead
We do not quite say that the new is more valuable because it fits in; but its fitting in is a test of its value - a test, it is true, which can only be slowly and cautiously applied, for we are none of us infallible judges of conformity.
T. S. EliotRead