Consequently the student who is devoid of talent will derive no more profit from this work than barren soil from a treatise on agriculture.
QuintilianRead
An evil-speaker differs from an evil-doer only in the want of opportunity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that those who speak evil are like those who do evil; the difference lies in their opportunity to act.
Quintilian's quote illustrates a profound observation about human nature, emphasizing that the intent to harm or speak ill of others exists in many individuals, but only some possess the opportunity to act on these darker impulses. It serves as a reminder that evil thoughts can reside within, and the absence of action does not absolve one from their moral implications.
Themes
EvilOpportunityHuman NatureSpeechMorality
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a debate about free speech versus hate speech.
More from Quintilian
All quotes βAs regards parents, I should like to see them as highly educated as possible, and I do not restrict this remark to fathers alone.
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Whilst we deliberate how to begin a thing, it grows too late to begin it.
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A laugh costs too much when bought at the expense of virtue.
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It is the nurse that the child first hears, and her words that he will first attempt to imitate.
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To my mind the boy who gives least promise is one in whom the critical faculty develops in advance of the imagination.
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