Latin Phrases Flashcards
Vincit qui se vincit
He conquers who conquers himself.
Used as a motto by many schools, this phrase speaks to the importance of first getting yourself under control, mastering your urges and temptations, before trying to control the outside world. Also, fun fact, it can be seen on a stained glass window at the beginning of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Gladiator in arena consilium capit.
The gladiator is formulating his plan in the arena.
This one comes to us from the philosopher, statesman and dramatist Seneca the Younger. It refers to the time just prior to a gladiator’s battle, when the warrior is already in the arena preparing to fight. Basically, it’s a more badass way to say “We’re already pregnant,” or, in other words: You’re too damn late.
Sic semper tyrannis.
Thus always to tyrants.
This phrase is mostly known as what John Wilkes Booth may or may not have shouted out while assassinating President Abraham Lincoln. It’s a much older phrase, with a far less problematic, but equally murderous history.
The phrase was placed on the official seal of the commonwealth of Virginia, which also featured a female warrior, representing virtue, standing upon a defeated king, representing tyranny. The phrase is all about how tyrants tend to meet brutal ends, which is why the phrase is closely connected with the assassination of Julius Caesar.
Astra inclinant, sed non obligant
The stars incline us, they do not bind us.
The phrase means that while fate — whether determined by the stars, the gods or something else entirely — might nudge us in a certain direction, we are never forced in it. Free will exists, and the decision of what to do in any circumstance is ultimately our own.
Aut cum scuto aut in scuto
Either with shield or on shield.
This is actually a Latin version of an earlier Greek phrase. In Sparta, mothers were said to tell their war-bred children to either come back carrying their shield or on it. Acknowledging the size and weight of a Spartan shield, the tendency of deserters to leave it behind and the tradition of carrying dead soldiers back home upon their shield, the meaning becomes clear: Don’t surrender, never give up.
Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo
If I can not bend the will of Heaven, I shall move Hell.
Originally spoken by Juno in Virgil’s Aeneid, this phrase is perhaps best-known today for appearing as a dedication in Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams.
Oderint dum metuant.
Let them hate so long as they fear.
A line from one of Rome’s most brutal dictators, Caligula.
Carpe Diem
“enjoy the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future” (literally, “pluck the day”)
During the 1st century BC, the Roman poet Horace wrote, “Seize the day; put no trust in the morrow.” The notion of living for the moment crops up over centuries of poetry, including in the writings of Shakespeare, Milton and Byron. Carpe diem, in Latin form, may be found inserted into English prose as far back as the early 18th century.
Semper Fidelis
“always faithful”
These words have long served as motto for families, schools, organizations, and, since 1883, for the United States Marine Corps.
Caveat Emptor
“let the buyer beware”
In early Roman law, sales of goods were governed by caveat emptor: buyers were advised to scrutinize the goods before purchase, because sellers had few obligations.
Per Angusta Ad Augusta
“through difficulties to honors”
These four words have inspired students and soldiers for centuries. Alternative translations include “through trial to triumph” and “through difficulties to great things.”
Si Monumentum Requiris, Circumspice
“if you seek his monument, look around”
It took 35 years to complete London’s magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral. When its architect, Sir Christopher Wren, died twelve years later in 1723, he was entombed inside, under a simple slab of black marble. Wren’s son placed a dedication nearby, which contains the words “Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice” (“Reader, if you seek a monument, look around you”). The phrase is generally used to describe a person’s legacy - and can be taken to mean that what we leave behind (including intangible things like relationships) best represents our life.
Aere Perennius
“more lasting than bronze”
In the final poem in his third book of Odes, Horace boasts that his poetry will outlive any manmade monument: “Exegi monumentum aere perennius.” (“I have made a monument more lasting than bronze.”)
Veni, Vidi, Vici
“I came, I saw, I conquered”
One of the best known and most frequently quoted Latin expression, veni, vidi, vici may be found hundreds of times throughout the centuries used as an expression of triumph. The words are said to have been used by Caesar as he was enjoying a triumph.
Memento Mori
“Remember that you must die”
It serves to remind us of our own mortality, of our mistakes and failures, of the inevitable transformation of life into death.
