The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.
TacitusRead
Noble character is best appreciated in those ages in which it can most readily develop.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Noble character flourishes in the right environment, particularly during formative years.
Tacitus suggests that the development of noble character is closely tied to one's environment and the time period they live in. In ages that foster growth and virtue, individuals are more likely to cultivate admirable traits, underlining the importance of context in shaping character. This highlights the interplay between personal qualities and social conditions.
Themes
NobleCharacterDevelopmentEnvironmentValues
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech emphasizing personal growth.
More from Tacitus
All quotes βIn private enterprises men may advance or recede, whereas they who aim at empire have no alternative between the highest success and utter downfall.
TacitusRead
Great empires are not maintained by timidity.
TacitusRead
Things are not to be judged good or bad merely because the public think so.
TacitusRead
So obscure are the greatest events, as some take for granted any hearsay, whatever its source, others turn truth into falsehood, and both errors find encouragement with posterity.
TacitusRead
The brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid and cowardly rush to despair though fear alone.
TacitusRead
Similar quotes
I know who I am. And after all these years, there's a victory in that.
Matthew McconaugheyRead
The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools.
Herbert SpencerRead
I've always found a cure for the blues is wandering into something unknown, and resting there, before coming back to whatever weight you were carrying.
Diane SawyerRead
You must realise now, more clearly than ever, that God is calling you to serve Him in and from the ordinary, secular and civil activities of human life. He waits for us everyday, in the laboratory, in the operating theatre, in the army barracks, in the university chair, in the factory, in the workshop, in the fileds, in the home and in all the immense panorama of work.
Josemaria EscrivaRead
I see the cure is not worth the pain.
PlutarchRead
The search for truth takes you where the evidence leads you, even if, at first, you don't want to go there.
Bart D. EhrmanRead