Only a stomach that rarely feels hungry scorns common things.
HoraceRead
A word once let out of the cage cannot be whistled back again.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Once something is said, it cannot be taken back.
This quote by Horace emphasizes the permanence of our words and the importance of being mindful about what we say. It serves as a reminder that once a statement is made, it can have lasting effects and cannot be retracted, thus highlighting the need for careful communication and consideration of the impact our words can have on others.
Themes
WordsCommunicationPermanenceImpactCaution
In practice
Example use cases
During a team meeting when discussing the importance of constructive feedback.
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
Similar quotes
I don't want them to read what I'm writing and say, 'I think that's right,' and agree with me. I want them to read something and then walk away and be haunted by it.
Ta-Nehisi CoatesRead
The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none.
Thomas CarlyleRead
If each day falls _x000D_ inside each night, _x000D_ there exists a well _x000D_ where clarity is imprisoned. _x000D_ _x000D_ We need to sit on the rim _x000D_ of the well of darkness _x000D_ and fish for fallen light _x000D_ with patience.
Pablo NerudaRead
So in this case, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering' - then you should abandon them.
Gautama BuddhaRead
There was madness in any direction, at any hour. You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning.
Hunter S. ThompsonRead
Long for what is real. You will then have no time for worrying over what may never happen.
Meher BabaRead