Only a stomach that rarely feels hungry scorns common things.
HoraceRead
Be modest in speech, but excel in action.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Speak humbly but strive to achieve great things through your actions.
The quote by Horace emphasizes the importance of humility in communication while encouraging individuals to focus on their actions as the true measure of their capabilities. It suggests that rather than boasting or speaking excessively about one's abilities, one should let their achievements and conduct speak for themselves, thereby promoting a more effective and respected demeanor.
Themes
ModestyActionHumilitySpeechExcellence
In practice
Example use cases
During a leadership seminar, you may say this quote to inspire participants to focus on their contributions rather than boasting about their past achievements.
More from Horace
All quotes βNow is the time for drinking; now the time to beat the earth with unfettered foot.
HoraceRead
Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.
HoraceRead
It is of no consequence of what parents a man is born, as long as he be a man of merit.
HoraceRead
It is not the rich man you should properly call happy, _x000D_ but him who knows how to use with wisdom the blessings of the gods, _x000D_ to endure hard poverty, and who fears dishonor worse than death, _x000D_ and is not afraid to die for cherished friends or fatherland.
HoraceRead
Few cross the river of time and are able to reach non-being. Most of them run up and down only on this side of the river. But those who when they know the law follow the path of the law, they shall reach the other shore and go beyond the realm of death.
HoraceRead
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My soul, never laugh at sin's fooleries, lest thou come to smile at sin itself. It is thine enemy, and thy Lord's enemy.
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Strange, that some of us, with quick alternate vision, see beyond our infatuations, and even while we rave on the heights, behold the wide plain where our persistent self pauses and awaits us.
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Let nobody bribe you away from being yourself.
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No greater thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.
EpictetusRead
Shun no toil to make yourself remarkable by some talent or other; yet do not devote yourself to one branch exclusively. Strive to get clear notions about all. Give up no science entirely; for science is but one.
Seneca The YoungerRead