In my opinion, he only may be truly said to live and enjoy his being who is engaged in some laudable pursuit, and acquires a name by some illustrious action, or useful art.
SallustRead
The glory that goes with wealth is fleeting and fragile; virtue is a possession glorious and eternal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Wealth is temporary and uncertain, while virtue is enduring and of true value.
In this quote, Sallust contrasts wealth and virtue, suggesting that while material riches may bring momentary fame and glory, they are ultimately unstable and can easily be lost. In contrast, virtue, which refers to moral excellence and righteousness, is portrayed as a lasting treasure that offers genuine honor and fulfillment, transcending the superficial allure of wealth.
Themes
WealthVirtueGloryEternalPossession
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the importance of character over material possessions.
More from Sallust
All quotes →A good man would prefer to be defeated than to defeat injustice by evil means.
SallustRead
Prosperity tries the souls even of the wise.
SallustRead
He that will be angry for anything will be angry for nothing.
SallustRead
Most honorable are services rendered to the State; even if they do not go beyond words, they are not to be despised.
SallustRead
Small communities grow great through harmony, great ones fall to pieces through discord.
SallustRead
Similar quotes
We've got a generation now who were born with semiequality. They don't know how it was before, so they think, this isn't too bad. We're working. We have our attache' cases and our three piece suits. I get very disgusted with the younger generation of women. We had a torch to pass, and they are just sitting there. They don't realize it can be taken away. Things are going to have to get worse before they join in fighting the battle.
Erma BombeckRead
I've learned that every human being, with or without disabilities, needs to strive to do their best, and by striving for happiness you will arrive at happiness. For us, you see, having autism is normal-so we can't know for sure what your 'normal' is even like. But so long as we can learn to love ourselves, I'm not sure how much it matters whether we're normal or autistic.
Naoki HigashidaRead
Faith in the gospel restructures our motivations, our self-understanding, our identity, and our view of the world. Behavioral compliance to rules without heart-change will be superficial and fleeting… We can only change permanently as we take the gospel more deeply into our understanding and into our hearts. We must feed on the gospel, as it were, digesting it and making it part of ourselves. That is how we grow.
Timothy KellerRead
"I can see nothing," said I, handing it back to my friend. "On the contrary, Watson, you can see everything. You fail, however, to reason from what you see. You are too timid in drawing your inferences."
Arthur Conan DoyleRead
On being asked by someone how he could become famous, Diogenes responded: 'By worrying as little as possible about fame
DiogenesRead
You don't need people’s opinion on a fact. You might as well have a poll asking: ‘Which number is bigger, 15 or 5?’ or ‘Do owls exist?’ or ‘Are there hats?'
John OliverRead