Experientia est optima magistra

About ten years ago, or even more (because this year my macbook and I celebrated just ten years of graduation; everyone had their own), when I timidly dreamed of becoming if not the Nadezhdina of domestic cultural studies, then at least the Still On Something Nadezhdina in approximately the same field, Roman poetry made an indelible impression on me. So indelibly impressed that without it, I have a feeling a lot of things in my life would have turned out differently.

In class we were given prose to read. About treacherous Gauls who lived primitive lives, about the successful advance of troops on roads that all led to Rome, but the troops went in the opposite direction because they had to go to Britain. And the eagle that pecked Prometheus' liver, of course. As we began to read all these timeless classics aloud, it became immediately apparent just how dead the language was. Even though at times there was a sense that the audience was clearly trying to summon someone (like in a bad and cheap movie with crookedly drawn pentagrams), the overall atmosphere did not get any livelier. But the joke about the medical students was no longer just a joke. To show how close we were to French culture (that is, that we were not too far removed from the Gauls), from time to time our instructor took up poetry, which we were not allowed to touch, because nothing good came out of it even with an eagle. And that's when Latin began to sound. In every sense of the word. It came to life. And it was beautiful. It was logical: our teacher was more experienced, he had read more than that in his life. But the other experienced ones didn't read like that. And I wanted it to last as long as possible. I wanted it to last as long as possible. For one thing, such a performance had never been given anywhere else. After that, Horace began to seem like a living man, perhaps, he even experienced emotions. And different ones at that. And secondly, because every Lorem Ipsum was necessarily followed by a detailed story about what anapiste would be waiting for everyone in the exam. The one that none of us would pass, of course. But first the pain and humiliation. Because there's no way to do it without it. No, of course our teacher loved his subject. And he obviously wanted to pass on some of that feeling to us. But he was better at scaring.

I learned French voluntarily and precisely because of the sound of it (I already knew that our translations were of dubious quality, and therefore it was better to look up the original source; but it was not so much for Foucault as for Joe Dassin). It was about the same with Baudelaire as it was with Latin. But then it became beautiful, too, and I stopped asking my loved ones to say something in French, because I could do it myself. I started to learn Czech for the Czech Republic. Because after the acquaintance with the French culture and history (and the better you know them, the worse it is), I realized that without knowing the language there is nothing to do. You can get a superficial idea, you can not really understand (at least come close, let's be realistic). This rule applies to any other culture. And if you like hermelin, you must also like to read its composition on the package. In its original language. Respect the culture that created the cheese for you, which is not camembert.

I used to like Czech because it was Czech. Now that I've figured out the phonetics, I like it because it's beautiful. It's soft and gentle. It's soothing and lulling. It envelops and caresses. And you stumble in the consonants exactly where you need to, because Czech is the language of love. Of course, at first it all sounded pretty creepy, too. Like a fork on Bohemian glass. And the material was kind of like that, not really. For not all authors of speech development manuals set out to not just sculpt a text out of a certain set of words, but to give it meaning. Therefore, the reader is confronted with the difficulties of life as a sociopathic student, who is clearly burdened by communication with his classmate, and so instead of phrases that normal people might exchange, he lists her items in the classroom, dwelling separately on the color of chalk, walls, and benches. In order to make it all burdensome for the reader, he is encouraged to rote it as well. Speech does not develop. All the charm of the language, too, does not show. Why learn about chalk, when the word láska will arouse much more feelings? Pronounced correctly and softly? Or, for example, "kroužek" (kroužek). That's my favorite word now. I think everything about it is beautiful. And you don't even have to go far to get it: it's found immediately, the first time you turn to the alphabet.

And well, if in the life of the student was Kato Lomb to explain to him that it is not necessary to cram, and you need to read and love. And read everything he wants. It's even better if he figured it out for himself. It will save him a lot of time: he won't be distracted by texts whose connection to reality has yet to be proven, nor by Kato Lomb. And in general, it is great if the guesses also touched the strange circumstance that the Czech language is not so close to the Russian one. This, of course, is unbelievable, but it is a fact nonetheless. Yes, Czech is similar to Russian. But no more than any other language I know. That is, there are similarities, but don't go overboard. And sometimes knowledge of French helps when encountering the Unknown much better than being used to Russian. And there is enough of the Unknown in Czech.

At school there was no choice. If you were supposed to know by Monday how John and Jane had gone to a friend's house for the weekend, there were only two choices: to learn it or not to learn it. University Latin left about as much room for creativity. It was only French classes that broke this familiar but frustratingly dysfunctional model. So there you have it. From Czech dialogues I almost immediately switched to monologues. It was difficult, but I did it. And now I have not only kroužek, but also my favorite translation of the Danish prince's monologue. It was done by Erik Adolf Sadek. Who had long trained on Goethe, and from 1936 to 1963 (that is, until his death) translated Shakespeare. It's just as much fun with translations in Bohemia as it is with us. And they say there are better ones. But this one seems more euphonious to me. And there's less Pasternak in it. Because there has to be a difference if it's not the original in front of us anyway. Also, from the photograph, Eric Adolph looks at the coming generations almost as our teacher looked at us. And I believe this is a childhood trauma, not just some coincidence there.

Related publications:

The Simulacra Museum.
Urban Decay Dictionary. Part Two Difficulties of Translation
My Life in Art. Part One The Formation of Creative Individuality. The origins and influence
Urban Decay Dictionary. Part One Dictionnaire français-russe de l'argot, de la langue populaire et familière

Latin Proverbs and Expressions

A priori. From the beginning.

Ab incunabulis, from the cradle. From the cradle.

Acta est fabula - the performance is over.

Ad bestias, to execute. To the beasts.

* i.e. to be torn to the beasts of prey in the circus - about the cruel punishment of guilty slaves, especially grave criminals, and also of prisoners of war, which was practiced in ancient Rome and became widespread in the imperial era.

Ad calendas graecas - never, after the rain of Thursday. To the Greek calendas.

. * The Romans called the calends the first day of each month, when debts were paid. In Greece, however, there were no calends, so this expression meant - until a time that will never come.

Alea jacta est - the lot is cast. * The words of Julius Caesar about an irrevocable decision, a step that allows no retreat, no return to the past. In 44 BC Julius Caesar, who commanded Roman legions in the province of Cisalpine Gaul, decided to seize sole power and crossed the Rubicon River with his troops, which served as the natural border of the province. In doing so, he broke the law that the proconsul had the right to lead an army only outside Italy, and started a war with the Roman Senate.

Aliena vitia in oculis habemus, a tergo nostra sunt - Other people's vices are before our eyes, but their own behind their backs.

Amat victoria curam - victory requires work.

Ambitiosa non est fames - a hungry man does not remember his pride. Hunger is not vain.

Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur - a true friend is known in trouble. A faithful friend is known by an unfaithful deed.

Amicus Plato, sed magis amica veritas - Plato is my friend, but truth is dearer.

Aqua et panis - vita canis - water and bread - the life of a dog. * The phrase is attributed to Pope Sixtus V (16th century), who changed an earlier well-known expression: "bread and water - blessed life.

Amicus verus - rara avis - a faithful friend - a rare bird.

Aquila non captatat muscas - An eagle does not catch flies.

Aquilam volare doces - To teach a scholar is only to spoil him. You teach an eagle to fly.

Arbor e fructu cognoscitur - a tree is known by its fruit.

Ars longa, vita brevis - life is short, art is lasting.

Astra inclinant, non necessinant - The stars incline, they do not force.

Audacia pro muro habetur - Courage replaces walls.

Audentes fortuna juvat - Fortune helps the bold.

Audiatur et altera pars - Let the other side be heard. * An expression for the impartial handling of disputes, going back to the Athenian oath of office, which included the words: "I will hear the accused and the accuser alike.

Aurora musis amica - Aurora the muses friend, i.e., the morning time is most favorable for practicing the sciences and arts.

Aut Caesar, aut nihil - either Caesar or nothing.

Aut vincere, aut mori - win or die.

Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant - hello, Caesar, those who go to death salute you. * The greeting of the Roman gladiators, addressed to the emperor.

Barba crescit, caput nescit - with age memory fades. The beard grows, the head does not know.

Barba non facit philosophum - a beard does not make a philosopher.

Bis ad eundem lapidem offendere - to stumble twice over the same stone.

Bis dat, qui cito dat - twice he who gives quickly.

Bona fides non patitur, ut bis idem exigatur - conscientiousness does not allow one to demand the same thing twice.

Caecus non judicat de colore - a blind man does not judge a color.

Cantilenam eandem canis - sing the same song.

Carpe diem - seize the moment. Catch the day.

(The motto of epicureanism.)

Carthaginem delendam esse - Carthage must be destroyed (an insistent reminder, a relentless call for something). *The expression is the words of M. Porchius Cato, censor of 184 B.C. It is said that Cato, whenever he had to express his opinion in the Senate, added: "And, besides, I believe that Carthage should not exist.

Cedant arma togae, concedat laurea laudi - Let arms give way to toga, military laureas to civil merit. *A verse from Cicero's lost poem On His Consulship, quoted by him in his treatise On Duties. In this poem Cicero extolled his great victories (over Catilina who rebelled) and his civil merit.

Circulus vitiosus, a stalemate, a vicious circle.

Citius, altius, fortius - faster, higher, stronger!

Clavus clavo pellitur - to drive out the wedge.

Cogito, ergo sum - I think, therefore I exist. (René Descartes, "Beginnings of Philosophy.")

Cognosce te ipsum - know thyself.

Consensu gentium - by common consent. By the consent of nations.

Consuetudo est altera natura - habit is second nature. (Cicero, "Of the highest good and the highest evil.")

Contra fatum non datur argumentum - you can't argue with fate. There is no argument against fate.

Contra jus - against the law.

Contra rationem - against reason.

Cornu copiae - horn of plenty. * The origin of the expression is linked to the myth of the nymph Amalthea, who nursed the infant Zeus with goat's milk. The goat broke its horn on a tree, and Amalthea filled it and brought it to Zeus. Zeus turned the goat that fed him into a constellation, and its horn into a wonderful horn of plenty, a source of good things.

Credo, quia absurdum est - I believe because it is absurd.

Cum tacent, clamant - eloquent silence. When they are silent, they shout.

(Cicero, "First Speech Against Catilina.") *In this speech, delivered at an emergency meeting of the Senate, Cicero, exceeding his consular powers, orders Catilina, who is present in the Senate, to go into exile. The senators are silent, and Cicero concludes that by this silence they authorize the violation of the legal procedure which required a court order to banish a Roman citizen.

De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum - Tastes and colors are not in dispute.

De lingua stulta veniunt incommoda multa - A foolish tongue causes much misery.

Deliberandum est saepe, statuendum semel - discuss often, decide once.

De minibus non curat praetor - A great chief does not deal with trifles.

De mortuis aut bene, aut nihil - It's either good or nothing about the dead.

De te fabula narratur (mutato nomine) - The fable is told about you, (only the name is changed). (Horace, "Satires.")

Deus ex machina - intervention from above. God out of the machine

. * In ancient tragedies: the device of the sudden salutary intervention of a deity (an actor descending to the stage by means of a mechanical device, a machine), who resolves by his appearance the complicated relations of the protagonists. This expression has since been used to refer to any unexpected resolution of a difficult situation, which does not follow from the course of events, but is as if triggered by the intervention of higher forces.

De visu - externally, by sight; on the basis of a direct acquaintance with a material object; through the eyes of an eyewitness. * In bibliographies, museum catalogs, etc., it means that the objects described have been personally examined by the compiler.

Dictum factum - said is done.

Dictum sapienti sat est - enough said for the clever.

Dies diem docet - the day teaches the day, the morning is wiser.

Dies dolorem minuit - time heals. Day makes sorrow less.

Digitus dei est hic - this is the finger of God. * The story in the Bible (Exodus 8:19) is that in order to convince the Pharaoh of Egypt to let the Jewish people go to their homeland, God sent ten plagues on Egypt. The fourth was flies. The Egyptian priests tried to drive out the destructive flies, but they could do nothing with them. And the priests said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God.

Dixi et animam levavi - said and relieved the soul. * Source - Bible, book of Ezekiel 33:9: "If you have admonished the wicked, and he has not turned from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have made his soul free (liberasti).

Docendo discimus - by teaching we teach ourselves. (Seneca, "Letters.")

Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt - To him who wishes (to go) fate leads, to him who does not wish - drags. * The Greek stoic philosopher Cleanthos (6th century B.C.), translated into Latin by Seneca.

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - It is pleasant and honorable to die for one's country.

Dum spiro, spero - while I breathe, I hope.

Duobus litigantibus, tertius gaudet - when two quarrel, the third rejoices.

Dura lex, sed lex - the law is hard, but it is the law.

Edite, bibite, post mortem NULLa voluptas - eat, drink, there is no pleasure after death. * A common motif of ancient inscriptions on tombstones and tableware.

Elephantum ex musca facis, to make an elephant out of a fly.

Epistula non erubescit - a letter does not blush. (Cicero, "Letters to Relatives.")

Equi donati dentes non sunt inspiciendi, never look a gift horse in the mouth.

Errare humanum est - It is inherent in man to err.

Est modus in rebus - Everything has its measure. There is a measure for things.

Et fabula partem veri habet - Even a fairy tale has its share of truth.

Ex fontibus - first hand. From sources.

Exercitium est mater studiorum - exercise is the mother of learning.

Experientia est optima magistra - practice is the best teacher.

Fames - atrium magistra - hunger - teacher of the arts.

Feci, quod potui, faciant meliora potentes - I have done all I can, whoever can, let him do better. * A poetic paraphrase of the formula used by Roman consuls to conclude their reporting speech when passing on authority to a successor.

Felix, qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas - happy is he who could know the causes of things.

Festina lente - Do everything slowly. Hurry slowly.

Fiat lux - let there be light! (Bible, Book of Genesis 1:3.)

Finis coronat opus - The end is the crowning of the deed.

Fortuna caeca est - fate is blind. * Fortuna, the Roman goddess of fortune, happiness, luck and prosperity, was depicted with a horn of plenty and a steering oar in her hands, standing on a balloon floating in the air, or with wings and a blindfold over her eyes.

Fortuna favet fatuis - fate favors the foolish.

Gaudia principium nostri sunt doloris - joys are often the beginning of our sorrow.

Gutta cavat lapidem non vi, sed saepe cadendo - A drop chisels a stone not by force, but by its frequent fall.

Habent sua fata libelli - books have their destiny.

Haud semper erat fama - rumor is not always wrong.

Haurit aquam cribro, qui discere vult sine libro - draws water with a sieve, who wants to learn without books.

Historia est magistra vitae - history is the teacher of life. (Cicero, "On the Orator.")

Hoc erat in fatis - so it was fated.

Homo homini lupus est - man to man is a wolf. (Plautus, "Donkeys.")

Homo proponit, sed deus disponit - Man supposes, but God disposes.

Homo sine religione, sicut equus sine freno - A man without religion is like a horse without a bridle.

Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto - I am human and think that nothing human is alien to me.

Honor habet onus - words are heavy.

Honores mutant mores, sed raro in meliores - Honors change characters, but rarely for the better.

Ibi victoria, ubi concordia - there is victory where there is agreement.

Ignorantia non est argumentum - ignorance is no argument.

Ignoscas aliis multa, nihil tibi - forgive others much, yourself nothing.

Ignoti NULLa curatio morbi - You cannot cure an unknown disease.

Ille dolet vere, qui sine teste dolet - one who grieves sincerely without witnesses.

In aqua scribere - to write on water.

Incidis in Scyllam cupiens vitare Charybdam - you meet Scylla, wanting to avoid Charybdis.

Innocens credit omni verbo - the honest believes every word.

In saecula saeculorum - forever and ever.

Inter arma tacent musae - In the midst of weapons the muses are silent.

Inter caecos luscus rex - among the blind a one-eyed king.

In vino veritas - the truth is in the wine.

Ira odium generat, concordia nutrit amorem - anger breeds hatred, concordia feeds love.

Judex est lex loquens - a judge is a speaking law.

Jus est ars boni et aequi - Law is the art of goodness and justice.

Justitia regnorum fundamentum - justice is the foundation of the state.

Labor et patientia omnia vincunt - patience and work conquer all things.

Lapsus calami - an oversight. Lapsus calami - a slip of the pen.

Lapsus linguae - slip of the tongue.A slip of the tongue.

Legem brevem esse oportet - The law must be brief.

Littera scripta manet - the written letter remains.

Lupus in fabula - easy as a wake. Wolf in fable.

* The saying reflects the ancient belief that the wolf appears as soon as it is mentioned.

Lupus non mordet lupum - the wolf does not bite the wolf.

Lupus pilum mutat, non mentem - the wolf changes his fur, not his temper.

Magna pars sanitatis - velle sanari - a great part of health is wanting to be healed.

Mala herba cito crescit - bad grass grows quickly.

Manus manum lavat - a hand washes a hand.

Margaritas ante porcos - (to cast) pearls before swine. (Matthew 7:6).

Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa - my fault, my greatest fault. * A formula for penance and confession in the eleventh-century religious rite of Catholics.

Medice, cura te ipsum - Physician, heal thyself.

Melius sero, quam nunquam - Better late than never.

Mendacem memorem esse oportet - A liar needs a good memory.

Mendaci etiam vera dicendi nemo credit - No one believes a liar, even one who tells the truth.

Mendax in uno, mendax in omnibus - He who lies in one thing lies in everything.

Multum in parvo - much in small things.

Nascuntur poetae, fiunt oratores - poets are born, orators become.

Natura abhorret vacuum - nature abhors emptiness.

Nemo judex in propria causa - No one is a judge in his own affairs.

Nemo omnia potest scire - no one can know everything.

Nihil agenti dies est longus - To him who does nothing the day is long.

Nil sub sole novum - There is nothing new under the sun. (Bible, Ecclesiastes 1:9.)

Noli tangere circulos meos - do not touch my circles. (Archimedes.)

Non est fumus absque igne - no smoke without fire.

Non olet - (money) does not smell. * The Roman historian Suetonius tells us that when Emperor Vespasian imposed a tax on public latrines in Rome, his son Titus expressed his displeasure. Vespasian presented Titus with the money from the new tax and asked if it smelled. Titus admitted, "Non olet.

Non progredi est regredi - not to go forward is to go backward.

Non rex est lex, sed lex est rex - the law is above the king. Not the king is the law, but the law is the king.

Non scholae, sed vitae discimus - we do not study for school, but for life.

Novus rex, nova lex - new king, new law; a new broom sweeps in a new way.

NULLa calamitas sola - trouble never comes alone.

NULLa dies sine linea - not a day without a line. * Pliny the Elder reports that the famous ancient Greek painter Apelles (4th century B.C.) "was in the habit of not letting a single day pass without practicing his art by drawing at least one line; this was the basis for the proverb.

NULLa regula sine exceptione - no rules without exceptions.

NULLum malum sine aliquo bono - nothing is bad without something good.

Oderint, dum metuant - let them hate as long as they are afraid. *(A favorite saying of the emperor Caligula.)

Oleum addere camino - to add oil to the furnace. (Horace, The Satires.)

Omne initium difficile est - every beginning is difficult.

Omnia mea mecum porto, I carry all mine with me. * Cicero's Paradoxes attributes these words to the Greek philosopher Biantus. During a Persian attack on his city, all the inhabitants, fleeing from the enemy, left the city, taking their possessions with them. Biant, leaving the city, took nothing, and when asked why, he replied: "I carry all my belongings with me.

Omnia vincit amor, et nos cedamus amori - love conquers all, and we submit to love. (Virgil, "Eclogues.")

Omnis ars imitatio naturae est - all art is the imitation of nature.

Opus laudat artificem - the work praises the master.

Oh, sancta simplicitas! - O sancta simplicitas! * The phrase is attributed to the Czech reformer Jan Hus. Legend has it that Hus, being burned at the stake, uttered these words when an old woman in pious motives threw a bundle of brushwood into the fire.

O tempora! O mores! - O tempora! O morals! (Cicero, "Speech against Catilina.")

Otium cum dignitate - leisure with dignity. * Cicero used this expression ("On Orator.") By this leisure he meant leisure devoted to science, literature and art.

Otium post negotium - rest after business.

Pacta sunt servanda - Treaties must be observed.

Panem et circenses! - Bread and circuses! * A cry that expressed the basic demands of the Roman crowd during the Imperial period. The Roman urban plebs accepted the loss of their political rights, satisfied with free bread distributions, cash distributions and free circus entertainment.

Paupertas non est vitium - poverty is not a vice.

Per aspera ad astra - through thorns to the stars.

Per fas et nefas - through law and lawlessness.

Periculum est in mora - danger in procrastination.

Per risum multum poteris cognoscere stultum - by frequent laughter you may recognize a fool.

Persona non grata: an undesirable person, a person not to be trusted. * In diplomacy: an official who has lost the confidence of the leadership of the country where he is accredited, and must be recalled.

Piscator piscatorem procul videt - a fisherman sees fish from afar.

Plenus venter non studet libenter - a full stomach is deaf to learning. A full stomach does not learn willingly.

Pollice verso - a death sentence. With thumb turned down.

* In the Roman circus a hand with a thumb turned down was a conditional gesture, which meant the demand to finish a defeated gladiator.

Post factum - after the deed.

Post scriptum - After what is written (abbreviated P.S.).

Primus inter pares - First among equals.

Procul ab oculis - procul ex mente - out of sight - out of mind; out of sight, out of heart.

Pro et contra - for and against.

Pro forma - for form. * in Russian is used with one word pro forma - to do something only to comply with a formality.

Qualis dominus, talis servi.

Qualis rex, talis grex - As a king, so is society.

Qualis vir, talis oratio - As man, so is speech.

Qui fuit rana, nunc est rex - from filth to riches. He who was a frog is now a king.

Qui quaerit, reperit - he who seeks, finds.

Qui seminat mala, metet mala - he who sows evil, reaps evil.

Quisque fortunae suae faber - Everyone is the author of his own happiness.

Quod erat demonstrandum - What had to be proved (abbreviated Q.E.D.).

Quod in corde sobrii, id in lingua ebrii - What the sober man has in his mind, the drunkard has in his tongue.

Quod licet Jovi, non licet bovi - What is allowed to Jupiter is not allowed to bull.

Quot homines, tot sententiae - as many people, so many opinions.

Quot servi, tot hostes - as many slaves, so many enemies.

Rem tene, verba sequentur - master the matter, and the words will follow.

Repetitio est mater studiorum - Repetition is the mother of learning.

Res publica est res populi - The republic is the work of the people.

Risus sardonicus - sardonic laughter. * According to the ancients, laughter with a grimace reminiscent of a convulsed facial expression, caused by poisoning with a poisonous herb, sardonica herba, which grows on the island of Sardinia.

Saepe stilum vertas - correct what you have written more often, work carefully on your work. Turn your pen more often.

* (Horace, "Satires.") The style (stilus) is the name of the stick used by the Greeks and Romans for writing on waxed boards. It was pointed at one end: it was used for writing by scratching on wax. On the other side it was shaped like a spatula: it was used to smoothen the wax. To correct the text, one had to erase what was written and flatten the wax by turning the style.

Salus populi summa lex est - the good of the people is the highest law.

Scio me nihil scire - I know that I know nothing.

Sero venientibus ossa - late comers (get) the dice.

Sic transit gloria mundi - so passes worldly glory. * A phrase spoken to a future pope at the time of his ordination, burning a piece of cloth in front of him as a sign of the ghostliness of earthly power.

Sine ira et studio - without anger or partiality. * The Roman writer Cornelius Tacitus wrote of the historian's obligation to tell his story without anger or partiality.

Si tacuisses, philosophum mansisses - If you were silent, you would remain a philosopher.

Sit mens sana in corpore sano - A healthy body has a healthy spirit.

Si vis amari, ama - if you want to be loved, love.

Si vis pacem, para bellum - if you want peace, prepare for war.

Si vox est, canta - if you have a voice, sing.

Sub rosa - secretly, secretly. Sub rosa.

* In the ancient Romans, the rose was an emblem of secrecy. When the master of the house hung a rose above the banquet table, the guests knew that everything said at the table must remain secret. The rose became a symbol of silence because it was considered a flower of Venus and Harpocrates, the god of silence, who took care to keep love's pleasures a secret.

Suum cuique - to each his own.

Tabula rasa - a clean place. A scrubbed board.

Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis - times change and we change with them.

Terra incognita - unknown land. * In ancient geographic maps, these words were used to designate unexplored areas of the earth. Figuratively, it means something completely unknown.

Tertium non datur, a third is not given.

Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes - Afraid of the Greeks and those who bring gifts. (Virgil, Aeneid.)

Tres faciunt collegium - Three make up a society.

Ubi societas, ibi jus - where there is society, there is law.

Ultima ratio - the last argument, the last resort.

Una hirundo non facit ver - One swallow does not make a spring.

Urbi et orbi - To the city and the world. * The words included in the 13th-14th century formula for blessing the newly elected pope as head of the Catholic Church in the city of Rome and the whole world, and became a formula for blessing the pope to the whole world.

Ut salutas, ita salutaberis - as you greet, so they greet you.

Vade in pace - go in peace. * A phrase uttered by a Catholic priest at absolution after confession.

Vademecum - The common name for guidebooks and reference books. Come with me.

Vae victis - woe to the vanquished. * In the war with the Gauls in 390, Rome was defeated and had to pay a thousand pounds of gold. Added to the shameful bargain was the humiliation: the scales brought by the Gauls were wrong, and when the Romans began to object to this, one Gaul put his sword more on the scales, saying: "Woe to the vanquished!" And the Romans had to accept it.

Vale et plaudite - farewell and clap. * The final phrase in Roman theater, spoken from the stage by an actor at the end of a performance.

Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas - vanity of vanities and all vanity. (Bible, Ecclesiastes 1:2.)

Veni, vidi, vici - came, saw, conquered. * According to Plutarch, Julius Caesar reported his swift and glorious victory with this phrase.

Verbum manet, exemplum trahit - word excites, example captivates.

Veritas odium parit - truth breeds hatred, truth pricks the eye.

Videant consules, (ne quid res publica detrimenti capiat) - Let the consuls see to it, (that the republic suffer no harm). *Formula of a senate emergency decree, meaning the declaration of a state of emergency with dictatorial powers for consuls.

Vim vi repellere licet - violence is allowed to be repelled by force.

Vis inertiae - force of inertia, conservatism.

Vita sine libertate nihil est - life without freedom is nothing.

Vivere est cogitare - to live is to think. (Voltaire's motto.)

Vivos voco, mortius plango, fulgura frango - I call the living, I mourn the dead, I shatter lightning. * The inscription on the bell of one of Europe's oldest monasteries was used by Schiller as an epigraph to his poem Song of the Bell.

Volens nolens - willy-nilly. Willing, unwilling.

Vox clamantis in deserto - the voice of one crying in the wilderness. (John 1:23; Matthew 3:3; Luke 3:4; Mark 1:3.)

Vox populi - vox dei - the voice of the people is the voice of God.