Sallust famous quotes

03-24-2025

Harmony makes small things grow; lack of it makes great things decay.
-- Sallust

#Decay #Harmony #Grows
All persons who are enthusiastic that they should transcend the other animals ought to strive with the utmost effort not to pass through a life of silence, like cattle, which nature has fashioned to be prone and obedient to their stomachs.
-- Sallust

#Animal #Effort #Silence
All those who offer an opinion on any doubtful point should first clear their minds of every sentiment of dislike, friendship, anger or pity.
-- Sallust

#Anger #Mind #Firsts
By union the smallest states thrive. By discord the greatest are destroyed.
-- Sallust

#Unity #Unions #States
Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master.
-- Sallust

#Men #Desire #Liberty
They envy the distinction I have won; let them therefore, envy my toils, my honesty, and the methods by which I gained it.
-- Sallust

#Honesty #Envy #Toil
To like and dislike the same things that is indeed true friendship.
-- Sallust

#Friendship #True Friend #True Friendship
In battle it is the cowards who run the most risk; bravery is a rampart of defense.
-- Sallust

#Running #Bravery #Risk
Neither soldiers nor money can defend a king but only friends won by good deeds, merit, and honesty.
-- Sallust

#Kings #Honesty #Soldier
The firmest friendship is based on an identity of likes and dislikes.
-- Sallust

#Identity #Likes #Dislike
Ambition breaks the ties of blood, and forgets the obligations of gratitude.
-- Sallust

#Gratitude #Ambition #Ties
Do as much as possible, and talk of yourself as little as possible
-- Sallust

#Littles
Necessity makes even the timid brave.
-- Sallust

#Courage #Brave
It is always easy enough to take up arms, but very difficult to lay them down; the commencement and the termination of war are notnecessarily in the same hands; even a coward may begin, but the end comes only when the victors are willing.
-- Sallust

#War #Easy #Enough
One may call the world a myth , in which bodies and things are visible, but souls and minds hidden. Besides, to wish to teach the whole truth about the Gods to all produces contempt in the foolish, because they cannot understand, and lack of zeal in the good, whereas to conceal the truth by myths prevents the contempt of the foolish, and compels the good to practice philosophy.
-- Sallust

#Philosophy #Soul #Mind
If the transmigration of a soul takes place into a rational being, it simply becomes the soul of that body. But if the soul migrates into a brute beast, it follows the body outside, as a guardian spirit follows a man. For there could never be a rational soul in an irrational being.
-- Sallust

#Men #Soul #Spirit
Of the cosmic Gods some make the world be, others animate it, others harmonize it, consisting as it does of different elements; the fourth class keep it when harmonized.
-- Sallust

#Different #World #Cosmic
Souls are punished when they have gone forth from the body, some wandering among us, some going to hot or cold places of the earth, some harassed by spirits. Under all circumstances they suffer with the irrational part of their nature, with which they also sinned. For its sake there subsists that shadowy body which is seen about graves, especially the graves of evil livers.
-- Sallust

#Evil #Soul #Suffering
It is not only spirits who punish the evil, the soul brings itself to judgment: and also it is not right for those who endure for ever to attain everything in a short time: and also, there is need of human virtue. If punishment followed instantly upon sin, men would act justly from fear and have no virtue.
-- Sallust

#Men #Evil #Soul
Souls that have lived in virtue are in general happy, and when separated from the irrational part of their nature, and made clean from all matter, have communion with the gods and join them in the governing of the whole world. Yet even if none of this happiness fell to their lot, virtue itself, and the joy and glory of virtue, and the life that is subject to no grief and no master are enough to make happy those who have set themselves to live according to virtue and have achieved it.
-- Sallust

#Grief #Joy #Soul
Neither the army nor the treasury, but friends, are the true supports of the throne; for friends cannot be collected by force of arms, nor purchased with money; they are the offspring of kindness and sincerity.
-- Sallust

#Friendship #Loyalty #Kindness
In my own case, who have spent my whole life in the practice of virtue, right conduct from habitual has become natural.
-- Sallust

#Virtue #Natural #Whole Life
It is not unlikely, too, that the rejection of God is a kind of punishment: we may well believe that those who knew the Gods and neglected them in one life may in another life be deprived of the knowledge of them altogether. Also those who have worshipped their own kings as gods have deserved as their punishment to lose all knowledge of God.
-- Sallust

#Believe #Rejection #Kind
When the prizes fall to the lot of the wicked, you will not find many who are virtuous for virtue's sake.
-- Sallust

#Fall #Evil #Wicked
The fame which is based on wealth or beauty is a frail and fleeting thing; but virtue shines for ages with undiminished lustre.
-- Sallust

#Beauty #Shining #Age
Not by vows nor by womanish prayers is the help of the gods obtained; success comes through vigilance, energy, wise counsel.
-- Sallust

#Success #Wise #Prayer
There were few who preferred honor to money.
-- Sallust

#Money #Honor

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