The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.
TacitusRead
In seasons of tumult and discord bad men have most power; mental and moral excellence require peace and quietness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
In times of chaos, negative individuals can dominate, while true virtue thrives in calmness.
This quote by Tacitus highlights the notion that during periods of turmoil and conflict, it is often the morally corrupt or 'bad men' who gain influence and control. In contrast, genuine mental and moral excellence demands a serene environment, where rational thought and virtuous behavior can flourish, suggesting that peace is essential for the development of character and integrity.
Themes
ChaosVirtuePeaceExcellencePower
In practice
Example use cases
During a team meeting about conflict resolution, this quote can illustrate the need for a calm environment to promote understanding.
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
In Gethsemane the holiest of all petitioners prayed three times that a certain cup might pass from Him. It did not.
C. S. LewisRead
Society's preservation against the unlimited violence of scandals lies in the mimetic coalition against the single victim and its ensuing limited violence. The violent death of Jesus is, humanly speaking, an example of this strange process.
Rene GirardRead
The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.
Alexis De TocquevilleRead
Our submission to general principles is necessary because we cannot be guided in our practical action by full knowledge and evaluation of the consequences. So long as men are not omniscient, the only way in which freedom can be given to the individual is by such general rules to delimit the sphere in which the decision is his. There can be no freedom if the government is not limited to particular kinds of action but can use its powers in any ways which serve particular ends.
Friedrich August Von HayekRead
The moon of Mahomet Arose, and it shall set; While, blazoned as on heaven's immortal noon, The cross leads generations on.
Percy Bysshe ShelleyRead
No experimental result can ever kill a theory: any theory can be saved from counterinstances either by some auxiliary hypothesis or by a suitable reinterpretation of its terms.
Imre LakatosRead