Skip to content

Is it not better to die in a glorious attempt, than, after having been the sport of other men's insolence, to resign a wretched and degraded existence with ignominy?

— Sallust Bellum Catilinae (-44)

Nonne emori per virtutem praestat quam vitam miseram atque inhonestam, ubi alienae superbiae ludibrio fueris, per dedecus amittere?

Original text (Latin)

Another quote →

Notes from Wikiquote

Chapter XX, section 9; quoting Catiline

More quotes by Sallust

The man who is roused neither by glory nor by danger it is in vain to exhort; terror closes the ears of the mind.

Only a few prefer liberty, the majority seek nothing more than fair masters.

For the fame of riches and beauty is fickle and frail, while virtue is eternally excellent.

Bellum Catilinae (-44)

The glory of ancestors sheds a light around posterity; it allows neither their good nor bad qualities to remain in obscurity.

Get good counsel before you begin: and when you have decided, act promptly.

All Sallust quotes →

Attribution

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