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The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus - Part 2

Regis Nisengwe

Nov 10, 2023 • 2 min read

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Part 2 of The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus:

Powerful indeed is the empire of habit.
Circumstances will oft force a good man to swerve from the right.
Poverty compels men to many untried expedients.
Men made Fortune a goddess, that misfortune might be certain.
Man's life is a loan, not a gift.
An honorable death is better than a disgraceful life.
To submit to necessity involves no disgrace.
Honors adorn the worthy; they are a stigma to the undeserving.
Would you have a great empire? Rule over yourself.
A truly noble nature cannot be insulted.
The bow too tensely strung is easily broken.
No pleasure endures unseasoned by variety.
The judge is condemned, when the criminal is acquitted.
Unless a man adds to his glory, he loses what he has.
Fortune is fickle, and speedily asks back her favors.
Dignities heaped on the undeserving, are a badge of disgrace.
Practice is the best of all instructors.
A miserable death is an insult from destiny.
When you merely wish for what is disgraceful, you violate decorum.
Never find your delight in another's misfortune.
The prompter the refusal, the less the disappointment.
To depend on another's nod for a livelihood is a sad destiny.
Delay is always vexatious, but it is wisdom's opportunity.
Seek to please many, and you seek a failure.
A rolIing stone gathers no moss.
Let not your benevolence extend beyond your means.
Never promise more than you can perform.
Nothing can be done at once hastily and prudently.
There is nothing which the lapse of time will not either extinguish or improve.
Do not despise the lowest steps in the ascent to greatness.
No scar is dishonorable which is a mark of our courage.
It is never too late to take the road to rectitude.
He is a despicable sage whose wisdom does not profit himself.
Every day should be passed as if it were to be our last.
A good reputation is a good man's noblest inheritance.
We should provide in peace what we need in war.
What it is right to do, should be done at the right time.
He whom public opinion has once degraded, rarely recovers his former standing.
He gets through too late who goes too fast.
It takes a long time to bring excellence to maturity.
Who has the greatest possessions? He who wants least