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The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.

nisi impunitatis cupido retinuisset, magnis semper conatibus adversa.

Original text (Latin)

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Notes from Wikiquote

Book XV, 50, in his account of Subrius Flavus’ passing thought of assassinating Nero while the emperor sang on stage.

Variants

"but desire of escape, foe to all great enterprises, held him back."

More quotes by Tacitus

It is the rare fortune of these days that one may think what one likes and say what one thinks.

Great empires are not maintained by timidity.

Our magistrates discharge their duties best at the beginning; and fall off toward the end.

Every great example of punishment has in it some injustice, but the suffering individual is compensated by the public good.

A woman after having parted with her virtue will hesitate at nothing.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Tacitus (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.