gratia gratiam parit

[ˈɡräːt̪iä ˈɡräːt̪iä̃ˑ ˈpärɪt̪]

[ˈɡrät̪ː͡s̪iä ˈɡrät̪ː͡s̪iäm ˈpäːrit̪]

Calque of Ancient Greek ἡ χάρις χάριν φέρει (hē kháris khárin phérei), from Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 779.

calque

ἡ χάρις χάριν φέρει

Gratificatio provocat benefactorem ad plura & majora beneficia: gratia gratiam parit.

1726, Adriaan van Cattenburgh, S. S. Theologiæ inter Remonstrantes Professoris, Spicilegium Theologiæ Christianæ Philippi a Limborch […], page 901:

Showing kindness provokes a benefactor to further and greater favours: kindness begets kindness.


vox audita perit, litera scripta manet

vōx audīta perit (canonical)
lītera scrīpta manet (canonical)

/u̯oːks au̯ˈdiː.ta ˈpe.rit ˈliː.te.ra ˈskriːp.ta ˈma.net/

[u̯oːks̠ äu̯ˈd̪iːt̪ä ˈpɛrɪt̪ ˈlʲiːt̪ɛrä ˈs̠kriːpt̪ä ˈmänɛt̪]

/voks au̯ˈdi.ta ˈpe.rit ˈli.te.ra ˈskrip.ta ˈma.net/

[vɔks äu̯ˈd̪iːt̪ä ˈpɛːrit̪ ˈliːt̪erä ˈskript̪ä ˈmäːnet̪]

A heard voice perishes, but the written letter remains.

litera scripta manet: A thing heard perishes

verbum ut inane perit: The written letter remains

volat irrevocabile verbum: The written letter remains

litera scripta manet: While words spoken may fly away


qui docet, discit

quī docet (canonical)
discit (canonical)

[kʷiː ˈd̪ɔkɛt̪ ˈd̪ɪs̠kɪt̪]

[kwiː ˈd̪ɔːt͡ʃet̪ ˈd̪iʃːit̪]


humanum est errare

[huːˈmäːnʊ̃ˑ ɛs̠t̪ ɛrˈräːrɛ]


culpam poena premit comes

[ˈkʊɫ̪pä̃ˑ ˈpoe̯nä ˈprɛmɪt̪ ˈkɔmɛs̠]

Literally "Punishment pursues fault as a comrade."

Punishment follows closely behind crime's heels; crime doesn't pay.


falsum in uno, falsum in omnibus

falsum in ūnō (canonical)
falsum in omnibus (canonical)

/ˈfal.sum in ˈuː.noː ˈfal.sum in ˈom.ni.bus/

[ˈfäɫ̪s̠ʊ̃ˑ ɪn ˈuːnoː ˈfäɫ̪s̠ʊ̃ˑ ɪn ˈɔmnɪbʊs̠]

/ˈfal.sum in ˈu.no ˈfal.sum in ˈom.ni.bus/


fideli certa merces

“To the faithful there is certain reward”


mens sana in corpore sano

desc

→ French: un esprit sain dans un corps sain (calque)

→ Italian: mente sana in corpo sano (calque)

[mẽːs̠ ˈs̠äːnä ɪn ˈkɔrpɔrɛ ˈs̠äːnoː]

From the Roman poet Juvenal (Satire X, line 356).

1st–2nd c. — Juvenal, Saturae, Book IV, X, line 356.
ōrandum est ut sit mēns sāna in corpore sānō

You should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body


head

aequam mementō rēbus in arduīs servāre mentem

/ˈae̯.kʷam meˈmen.toː ˈreː.bus in ˈar.du.iːs serˈu̯aː.re ˈmen.tem/

[ˈäe̯kʷä̃ˑ mɛˈmɛn̪t̪oː ˈreːbʊs̠ ɪn ˈärd̪uiːs̠ s̠ɛrˈu̯äːrɛ ˈmɛn̪t̪ɛ̃ˑ]

/ˈe.kwam meˈmen.to ˈre.bus in ˈar.du.is serˈva.re ˈmen.tem/

[ˈɛːkwäm meˈmɛn̪t̪o ˈrɛːbus in ˈärd̪uis serˈväːre ˈmɛn̪t̪em]

aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem

(please add an English translation of this quotation)

23 BCE, Horace, Odes, book II, poem III, lines 1–2, Aequam memento rebus in arduis / servare mentem, […]

Remember to keep a clear head in difficult times.


divide et impera

[ˈd̪iːu̯ɪd̪ɛ ɛt̪ ˈɪmpɛräː]


festina lente

[fɛs̠ˈt̪iːnäː ˈɫ̪ɛn̪t̪eː]

Calque of Ancient Greek σπεῦδε βραδέως (speûde bradéōs).

calque

σπεῦδε βραδέως

more haste, less speed
more haste, less speed

make haste slowly; hasten slowly: an oxymoron equivalent to more haste, less speed


head

parēs cum paribus facillimē congregantur

/ˈpa.reːs kum ˈpa.ri.bus faˈkil.li.meː kon.ɡreˈɡan.tur/

[ˈpäreːs̠ kʊ̃ˑ ˈpärɪbʊs̠ fäˈkɪlːʲɪmeː kɔŋɡrɛˈɡän̪t̪ʊr]

/ˈpa.res kum ˈpa.ri.bus faˈt͡ʃil.li.me kon.ɡreˈɡan.tur/

[ˈpäːres kum ˈpäːribus fäˈt͡ʃilːime koŋɡreˈɡän̪t̪ur]

Literally "equals with equals very easily associate (themselves)"

pares cum paribus facillime congregantur

birds of a feather flock together
birds of a feather flock together


sexagenarios de ponte

[s̠ɛks̠äːɡeːˈnäːrioːs̠ d̪eː ˈpɔn̪t̪ɛ]

When the men of Rome reached the age of sixty, they could no longer vote in the ovile and later the Saepta Iulia (the places where the citizens cast vote) and if they tried to enter they would be pushed back from the bridge leading to them. The phrase literally means "sixty-year-olds over the bridge".


tantum religio potuit suadere malorum

tantum rēligiō potuit suādēre malōrum (canonical)

/ˈtan.tum reːˈli.ɡi.oː ˈpo.tu.it su̯aːˈdeː.re maˈloː.rum/

[ˈt̪än̪t̪ʊ̃ˑ reːˈlʲɪɡioː ˈpɔt̪uɪt̪ s̠u̯äːˈd̪eːrɛ mäˈɫ̪oːrʊ̃ˑ]

/ˈtan.tum reˈli.d͡ʒi.o ˈpo.tu.it swaˈde.re maˈlo.rum/

[ˈt̪än̪t̪um reˈliːd͡ʒio ˈpɔːt̪uit̪ swäˈd̪ɛːre mäˈlɔːrum]

Literally "To such heights of evil has religion been able to drive men". From Lucretius' De Rerum Natura, Book I, 101.

Tantum rēligiō potuit suādēre malōrum.

c. 99 BCE – 55 BCE, Lucretius, De rerum natura 1.101

So potent was religion in persuading to evil deeds.

The practice of religion leads people to practise evil.


proximus egomet mihi

[ˈprɔks̠ɪmʊs̠ ˈɛɡɔmɛt̪ ˈmi(ɦ)ɪ]

From proximus (“closest, nearest”) and egomet (“myself, I”) and mihi (“to me”) the dative of ego (“I”). Literally meaning "the closest one to me is me myself", "I am the one who is closest to myself" or "I myself am closest to myself".

every man for himself
every man for himself

charity begins at home
charity begins at home

(idiomatic) every man for himself; charity begins at home


lupus in fabula

[ɫ̪ʊpʊs̠ĩːˈfäːbʊɫ̪äː]

Puta dē nescioquō loquēbāris et subitō venit is, dīcis tū, "lupus in fābulā!"

Pompeius, Commentum in Artis Donati partem tertiam in Heinrich Keil, Grammatici Latini 5.311.31K

Say, you were talking about somebody or other, and all of a sudden that person comes, then you say: "talk of the devil!"

Dē Varrōne loquēbāmur. Lupus in fābulā: vēnit enim ad mē …

68 BCE – 44 BCE, Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum 13.33.1

We were talking about Varro the other day. Speak of the devil: he arrived at my place …

speak of the devil and he shall appear
speak of the devil and he shall appear

(idiomatic) talk of the devil, speak of the devil and he shall appear


asinus in tegulis

[ˈäs̠ɪnʊs̠ ɪn ˈt̪eːɡʊlʲiːs̠]

Literally meaning "a donkey on roof tiles".


homo nullius coloris

[ˈhɔmoː nuːlˈlʲiːʊs̠ kɔˈɫ̪oːrɪs̠]

Literally meaning "a man of no color". Compare albus an āter sit (“he may be white or black”).

neither fish nor fowl
neither fish nor fowl


albus an ater sit

[ˈäɫ̪bʊs̠ än ˈäːt̪ɛr s̠ɪt̪]

From albus (“white”) + an (“whether”) + āter (“black”) + sit (“he may be”) the present subjunctive third person singular of sum (“I am”). Literally meaning "he may be white or black". Compare homō nūllīus colōris (“a man of no color”).
Originally from the longer:
: Albus an ater sit, nescio.
:: I don't know whether he is white or black.
or
: Albus an ater sit, non curo.
:: I care not whether he is white or black.


res, non verba

From rēs (“things, facts”) the plural of rēs (“a thing, a fact”) + nōn (“not”) + verba (“words”) the plural of verbum (“a word”). Literally meaning "deeds, not words" or "facts instead of words" but referring to that "actions be used instead of words".

Venientibus iis Syracusas Scipio res, non verba ad purgandum sese paravit.

59 BC–AD 17, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita libri 29.22

Whilst they were on their way to Syracuse Scipio prepared to justify himself, not by words but by acts.

Actions speak louder than words
actions speak louder than words


facilis descensus Averno

[ˈfäkɪlʲɪs̠ d̪eːs̠ˈkẽːs̠ʊs̠ äˈu̯ɛrnoː]

Literally "The descent to Avernus is easy." From Virgil's Aeneid, with reference to Avernus, a metonym for the underworld and to Lake Avernus in Italy, a volcanic crater lake reputed to emit deadly vapors.

Talibus orabat dictis, arasque tenebat,
cum sic orsa loqui vates: "Sate sanguine divom,
Tros Anchisiade, facilis descensus Averno;

29-19 B.C.E. — Virgil, Aeneis, Book VI, lines 124-127

Then thus replied the prophetess divine:
"O goddess-born of great Anchises' line,
The gates of hell are open night and day;
Smooth the descent, and easy is the way:
(loose translation by John Dryden, 1697)

noctes atque dies patet atri ianua Ditis;"


caldum meiere et frigidum potare

caldum mēiere et frīgidum pōtāre (canonical)

/ˈkal.dum ˈmeː.i̯e.re et ˈfriː.ɡi.dum poːˈtaː.re/

[ˈkäɫ̪d̪ʊ̃ˑ ˈmeːi̯ɛrɛ ɛt̪ ˈfriːɡɪd̪ʊ̃ˑ poːˈt̪äːrɛ]

/ˈkal.dum ˈme.je.re et ˈfri.d͡ʒi.dum poˈta.re/

[ˈkäl̪d̪um ˈmɛːjere ɛt̪ ˈfriːd͡ʒid̪um poˈt̪äːre]

From the Satyricon of Petronius. Literally: "To piss it hot and drink it cold."

nunc hoc est caldum meiere et frigidum potare

c. 27 CE – 66 CE, Petronius, Satyricon 67

now so far it is to drink it cold and piss it hot

one gives more than one receives; one gives back generously what one has received.


obsta principiis

[ˈɔps̠t̪äː priːŋˈkɪpiːs̠]


fortis Fortuna adiuvat

English: fortune favors the bold (calque)

[ˈfɔrt̪iːs̠ fɔrˈt̪uːnä ˈäd̪i̯uː̯ät̪]

Literally "(the) strong (ones), Fortune helps." From Terence's comedy play Phormio, line 203. Cited by Cicero in the 1st century BCE as a vetus prōverbium (“old proverb”).

Ergo istaec quom ita sint, Antipho,

161 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Phormio 203

Tanto magis te advigilare aequomst: fortis fortuna adiuvat

fortune favors the bold
fortune favors the bold


dura lex, sed lex

dūra lēx (canonical)
sed lēx (canonical)

[ˈd̪uːrä ɫ̪eːks̠ s̠ɛd̪ ɫ̪eːks̠]


dē gustibus et colōribus nōn est disputandum

desc

→ French: des goûts et des couleurs, on ne discute pas (calque)

de gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum

/deː ˈɡus.ti.bus et koˈloː.ri.bus noːn est dis.puˈtan.dum/

[d̪eː ˈɡʊs̠t̪ɪbʊs̠ ɛt̪ kɔˈɫ̪oːrɪbʊs̠ noːn ɛs̠t̪ d̪ɪs̠pʊˈt̪än̪d̪ʊ̃ˑ]

/de ˈɡus.ti.bus et koˈlo.ri.bus non est dis.puˈtan.dum/

[d̪ɛː ˈɡust̪ibus ɛt̪ koˈlɔːribus nɔn ɛst̪ d̪ispuˈt̪än̪d̪um]

De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum—certainly not with a lady. We shall be glad to know, however, if the opinion of our fair and candid correspondent is generally shared.—Ed.

1883, Monthly Notes Of The Library Association of the United Kingdom, volume 4, number 2 (in English), page 40:

dē gustibus nōn est disputandum
de gustibus non est disputandum#Latin

there's no accounting for taste
there's no accounting for taste

Alternative form of dē gustibus nōn est disputandum (“there's no accounting for taste”)


in hoc signo vinces

[ɪn hoːk ˈs̠ɪŋnoː ˈu̯ɪŋkeːs̠]

Calque of Ancient Greek ἐν τούτῳ νίκα (en toútōi níka, “in this, victory”).

calque

ἐν τούτῳ νίκα

Tunc beatus Bernardus admota propius manu crucem sanctam quae collo Regis pendebat, accepit, et benedicens ei trino signaculo sanctae crucis, consolabatur eum dicens: Confide, Rex, in hoc signo vinces, et in periculo timoris magni, quale nunquam hactenus expertus es, sine laesione tui hostes evades.

c. 12th century, Geoffrey of Clairvaux, S. Bernardi Vita Prima 5.3.26

Then blessed Bernard, his hand moving nearer, took the holy cross that hung about the king's neck, and blessing him with the triple sign of the holy cross he consoled him, saying, “Trust, O king, that in this sign you shall conquer, and in the most fearful peril, such as you have never experienced until now, you shall escape your enemies without injury.”

“in this sign thou wilt win”; “in this sign you will conquer”, said mainly of the cross


errare humanum est

[ɛrˈräːrɛ huːˈmäːnʊ̃ˑ ɛs̠t̪]

The beginning of a longer Latin saying: "Errare humanum est, perseverare autem diabolicum." It translates to: "To err is human, but to persist [in error] is diabolical." The saying is often attributed to Seneca but not attested in his works.

errāre hūmānum est, persevērāre diabolicum


cucullus non facit monachum

[kʊˈkʊlːʲʊs̠ noːn ˈfäkɪt̪ ˈmɔnäkʰʊ̃ˑ]

Literally, "the cowl does not make the monk". Compare l'abito non fa il monaco

clothes don't make the man
clothes don't make the man


qui tacet consentire videtur

quī tacet cōnsentīre vidētur (canonical)

/kʷiː ˈta.ket kon.senˈtiː.re u̯iˈdeː.tur/

[kʷiː ˈt̪äkɛt̪ kõːs̠ɛn̪ˈt̪iːrɛ u̯ɪˈd̪eːt̪ʊr]

[kwiː ˈt̪äːt͡ʃet̪ konsen̪ˈt̪iːre viˈd̪ɛːt̪ur]

he who is silent is understood to consent


nullius in verba

Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri, Quo me cunque rapit tempestas, deferor hospes. Not being bound to swear or speak according to the dictates of any master; wherever the tempest drives, I become a guest.

1892 Charles Tomlinson. "On the Royal Society's Mace" In journal: "The Antiquary" vol 25 Jan-Jun, p 96 ff. The motto of the society, Nullius in verba ("Relying on the words of no man"), was suggested by Evelyn. It is derived from Horace, Epistola I.

Or, as paraphrased by Pope :
Sworn to no master, of no sect am I ;
As drives the storm, at any door I knock,
And house with Montaigne now, or now with Locke.
(please add an English translation of this quotation)

take nobody's word for anything (literally: "in no one's word"): the motto of the Royal Society.


non semper Saturnalia erunt

/noːn ˈsem.per saː.turˈnaː.li.a ˈe.runt/

[noːn ˈs̠ɛmpɛr s̠äːt̪ʊrˈnäːlʲiä ˈɛrʊn̪t̪]

Literally, “it will not always be the Saturnalia”.

lit

dicebam vobis: non semper Saturnalia erunt.

c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca the Younger, Apocolocyntosis

I told you: the Saturnalia will not last forever.

all good things come to an end
all good things come to an end


non omne quod nitet aurum est

nōn omne quod nitet aurum est (canonical)

[noːn ˈɔmnɛ kʷɔd̪ ˈnɪt̪ɛt̪ ˈäu̯rʊ̃ˑ ɛs̠t̪]

[nɔn ˈɔmne kwɔd̪ ˈniːt̪et̪ ˈäːu̯rum ɛst̪]

all that glitters is not gold
all that glitters is not gold


nomen est omen

→ Finnish: nimi on enne (calque) (name is a sign)

→ Polish: nomen omen

The origin of this saying is attributed to the Roman playwright Plautus. In his play “Persa” the slave Toxilus lures his owner, Dordalus, to buy an expensive slave-girl named Lucris (“profits”), saying, “Nōmen atque ōmen quantīvīs iam est pretī” (“The name and the omen are worth any price”).

The name is a sign, the name speaks for itself.


nosce te ipsum

[ˈnoːs̠kɛ t̪eː ˈɪps̠ʊ̃ˑ]

Calque of Ancient Greek γνῶθι σεαυτόν (gnôthi seautón), one of the Delphic maxims.

calque

γνῶθι σεαυτόν

know thyself (be aware of both your strengths and limitations)


finis coronat opus

[ˈfiːnɪs̠ kɔˈroːnät̪ ˈɔpʊs̠]

Literally "the end crowns the work". Traditionally attributed to Ovid.

the true value of an undertaking or a work of art cannot be fully discerned until it is finished


servitus in faciendo consistere nequit

servitūs in faciendō cōnsistere nequit (canonical)

/ˈser.u̯i.tuːs in fa.kiˈen.doː konˈsis.te.re ˈne.kʷit/

[ˈs̠ɛru̯ɪt̪uːs̠ ɪn fäkiˈɛn̪d̪oː kõːˈs̠ɪs̠t̪ɛrɛ ˈnɛkʷɪt̪]

/ˈser.vi.tus in fa.t͡ʃiˈen.do konˈsis.te.re ˈne.kwit/

[ˈsɛrvit̪us in fät͡ʃiˈɛn̪d̪o konˈsist̪ere ˈnɛːkwit̪]

(Medieval Latin, New Latin, law) Literally “an easement cannot continue in obliging (an action).” The owner of a property to which an easement was attached could not be forced to perform any actions by that easement.


vox populi, vox Dei

vōx populī (canonical)
vōx Deī (canonical)

the voice of the people, the voice of God

vox populi vox Dei

the voice of the people [is] the voice of God


nemo judex in sua causa

nemo debet esse judex in propria causa#Latin

Alternative form of nēmō dēbet esse jūdex in propriā causā


nemo debet esse judex in propria causa

nēmō dēbet esse jūdex in propriā causā (canonical)

Ultimately from variations on the Code of Justinian, 3.5.0: “Ne quis in sua causa iudicet vel sibi ius dicat” (“Let no one pass judgement in his own cause, nor speak the law unto himself”). Current as nemo debet esse judex in propria causa and similar forms as a maxim by the 16th–17th centuries in Continental Europe with reference to vigilantism. Applied literally to interested judges in later common law.

lang

Ad tertium, cum dicunt, quòd illi, à quibus abstulerunt, fortè habent plus de suo, dicitur, quòd nemo debet esse iudex in propria causa.

1588, Guillaume Pepin, Elucidatio in Confiteor […] , page 350:

To the third [point], when they say that those from whom they have stolen perhaps have more than themselves, it is said that no one ought to be the judge in his own trial.

Deberet autem occisio fieri in continenti, seu flagranti: nam ex intervallo, si fur jam coepisset quietè possidere, non liceret; quia tunc non haberet rationem justae defensionis; sed tunc sunt adhibenda Iuris remedia, & auctoritas publica, quia nemo debet esse Iudex in propria causa.

1671, Christoph Haunold, Controversiarum de Justitia et Jure Privatorum Universo […] , volume 1, page 193:

The killing would have to have been done in a restrained manner, or in passion: for, from a distance, if the thief had at that point begun to take possession quietly, it would not be lawful; for there would then be no reason of just defence; but there should then be recourse to the remedies of the Law, and to the public authority, for no one ought to be the judge in his own trial.

[…] quoniam nemo debet esse judex in propria causa, sed injuriam passus contra injuriantem actionem injuriarum coram judice competente legitimè instituere debet, ad conservandam famam […]

1678, Nicolaus Beckmann, Jus Novissimum Romano-Germanicum facili methodo ac modo elaboratum […] , page 198:

[…] since no one ought to be the judge in his own trial, but the one who has suffered an injury should legitimately undertake an action for delict against the injurer before a competent judge, so as to preserve his reputation […]

take the law into one’s own hands
take the law into one's own hands

(New Latin, law) “No one ought to be the judge in his own trial”: one should not take the law into one’s own hands.


temet nosce

[ˈt̪ɛːmet̪ ˈnɔʃːe]


testis unus, testis nullus

head

testis unus, testis nullus (lit. one witness, no witness)

(law) A single witness or other evidence to an event is insufficient to establish that the event truly happened.


qui bene amat, bene castigat

quī bene amat (canonical)
bene castīgat (canonical)

[kʷiː ˈbɛnɛ ˈämät̪ ˈbɛnɛ käs̠ˈt̪iːɡät̪]

[kwiː ˈbɛːne ˈäːmät̪ ˈbɛːne käsˈt̪iːɡät̪]

Literally, “he who loves well, castigates well”.
This form of the phrase is likely a calque from French qui aime bien châtie bien. Similar phrases are found in Latin texts:
*
c. 325 CE, Lactantius, Divinae institutiones 5.23:
Bonos autem quos diligit castigat saepius
The good people whom he likes, he punishes more often
*
Early 16th century, Vives, De Subventione pauperum 1.6:
Quem diligit, castigat
Whom he likes, he punishes

Q

spare the rod and spoil the child
spare the rod and spoil the child


nemo est heres viventis

Of uncertain specific origin; current as a maxim across Western Europe by the 16th–17th centuries, in both England and the Continent. Later treated as a precept of common law, though its occasional ascription to the 13th-century English jurist Bracton is spurious.

Suum enim nasci dicimus, qui post mortem nascitur: quoniam sicut viuentis nemo est haeres, ita nemo testatori viuo suus haeres nascitur.

1595, Joachim Mynsinger von Frundeck (citing Mario Salamoni degli Alberteschi), Apotelesma, sive Corpus Perfectum Scoliorum, ad Quatuor Libros Institutionum Iuris Ciuilis, page 285:

Indeed, we say that his [heir] is born, when [the heir] is born after his death: for just as no one is heir of a living person, so no one is born heir to a living testator.

“No one is heir of a living person”: the inheritance of an estate is decided only upon the death of its owner, and nobody is “heir” while that person is alive (only heir apparent or heir presumptive).


ex ungue leonem

From a part or sample, one can form an idea of the whole.


in medio stat virtus

Literally, “virtue lies in between (extremes)”.

lit

The best option lies somewhere between two extremes; it is best to find a middle ground.


acta, non verba

An individual's deeds present something of more importance in the contrary to their statements.


cuius regio, eius religio

cuius regiō (canonical)
eius religiō (canonical)

Idem est, 4. quoad curam Religionis, ut pote quae ad Dominos territoriales pertinet, & sequela est superioritatis territorialis indubitata, ita ut cuius regio, eius religio; is autem, qui merum Imperium, sive jurisdictionem criminalem tantùm habet, modum in religione praescribere vel eandem mutare nequit, infra lib. 3. cap. 1. n. 76.

1693, Philipp Knipschildt, Tractatus politico-historico-juridicus de juribus et privilegiis nobilitatis […] , page 235:

The same goes for 4., with respect to the care of Religion, since it pertains to the territorial Lords, and is undoubtedly a consequence of territorial sovereignty, thus whose the region, his the religion; he, however, who holds only merum imperium or criminal jurisdiction, cannot prescribe religious custom or alter the same, below, book 3, chapter 1, n. 76.

(New Latin, Germany, law) “Whose the region, his the religion”: The sovereign of a state or territory has the right to determine its official religion.

Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman emperor
Peace of Augsburg
cuius regio, eius religio


gutta cavat lapidem

desc

→ German: steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein (calque)

→ Polish: kropla drąży skałę (calque)

ка́пля ка́мень то́чит

→ Russian: ка́пля ка́мень то́чит (káplja kámenʹ tóčit) (calque)

Literally, “the water drop bores through the rock”. Perhaps a loose calque of Ancient Greek πέτρην κοιλαίνει ῥανὶς ὕδατος ἐνδελεχείῃ (pétrēn koilaínei rhanìs húdatos endelekheíēi), a verse by fifth-century BCE poet Choerilus of Samos.
Though the exact quoted words are first found in Ovid, the idea appears twice in Lucretius already:
c. 99 BCE – 55 BCE, Lucretius, De rerum natura 4.1286–1287:
nonne vides etiam guttas in saxa cadentis / umoris longo in spatio pertundere saxa?
Don't you see, besides, how drops of water falling down against the stones at last bore through the stones?

Q

gutta cavat lapidem, consumitur anulus usu

12–13 BCE, Ovid, Letters from the Black Sea 4.10.5

the drop bores the rock, the ring is worn out by use

little strokes fell great oaks
little strokes fell great oaks

slow and steady wins the race
slow and steady wins the race

(idiomatic) little strokes fell great oaks, slow and steady wins the race


est modus in rebus

Coined by Horace 35 BC in "Satires," (I, 1, 106-107):
:Est modus in rebus sunt certi denique fines, quos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum.
:(There is a limit to things, there are definite boundaries, beyond which and before which there cannot be justice).


potius sero quam numquam

[ˈpɔt̪iʊs̠ ˈs̠eːroː kʷä̃ˑ ˈnʊŋkʷä̃ˑ]

potius (“better, rather”) + sērō (“late”) + quam (“than”) + numquam (“never”). This proverb is attested in the fourth book of Livy's Ab Urbe condita with an enclitic -que (“and”) attached to potius, which however should not be considered to be an actual part of the proverb.

better late than never
better late than never


si vis pacem, para bellum

sī vīs pācem (canonical)
parā bellum (canonical)

→ English: parabellum

→ French: parabellum

[s̠iː u̯iːs̠ ˈpäːkɛ̃ˑ ˈpäräː ˈbɛlːʲʊ̃ˑ]

Literally, “if you want peace, prepare for war” or “let him who desires peace, prepare for war.”

lit

if you want peace, prepare for war
if you want peace, prepare for war


facile est inventis addere

It is easy to improve what has been already invented


verba volant, scripta manent

Spoken words fly away, written ones remain