Valor is the soldier's adornment.
LivyRead
It is easy at any moment to surrender a large fortune; to build one up is a difficult and an arduous task.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Building wealth takes hard work, while losing it can happen easily.
This quote by Livy highlights the contrast between the difficulty of accumulating wealth and the ease with which it can be lost. It suggests that while financial stability requires effort, discipline, and perseverance, it can be quickly undermined by poor choices or circumstances, underscoring the importance of financial prudence and the value of hard work.
Themes
WealthFortuneHard WorkSurrenderFinancial Discipline
In practice
Example use cases
In a financial literacy workshop discussing the importance of saving and investment.
More from Livy
All quotes βThe army from Asia introduced a foreign luxury to Rome; it was then the meals began to require more dishes and more expenditure . . . the cook, who had up to that time been employed as a slave of low price, become dear: what had been nothing but a metier was elevated to an art.
LivyRead
The study of history is the best medicine for a sick mind; for in history you have a record of the infinite variety of human experience plainly set out for all to see; and in that record you can find yourself and your country both examples and warnings; fine things to take as models, base things rotten through and through, to avoid.
LivyRead
Under the influence of fear, which always leads men to take a pessimistic view of things, they magnified their enemies' resources, and minimized their own.
LivyRead
The troubles which have come upon us always seem more serious than those which are only threatening.
LivyRead
No crime can ever be defended on rational grounds.
LivyRead
Similar quotes
Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.
Bill RussellRead
There's a lot of research behind the scenes that you don't get to see, but I have an instinct that my dad nurtured from when I was born. I was very lucky then.
Steve IrwinRead
Here's what I can tell the American people: 95 percent of you will get a tax cut. And if you make less than $250,000, less than a quarter-million dollars a year, then you will not see one dime's worth of tax increase.
Barack ObamaRead
The winners at the Olympics step up, bursting with pride, because everything that they have worked for and all their dedication is rewarded in a climax that I, and most golfers, will never experience.
Arnold PalmerRead
I have often marveled at the thin line which separates success from failure.
Ernest ShackletonRead
A good reputation for yourself and your company is an invaluable asset not reflected in the balance sheets.
Li Ka-ShingRead