Skip to content

As it is far better to excel in any single art, than to arrive only at a mediocrity in several; so on the other hand, a moderate skill in several is to be preferred, where one cannot attain to excellency in any.

— Pliny the Younger

Ut satius unum aliquid insigniter facere quam plura mediocriter, ita plurima mediocriter, si non possis unum aliquid insigniter.

Original text (Latin)

Another quote →

More quotes by Pliny the Younger

An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.

Never do a thing concerning the rectitude of which you are in doubt.

Oblige people never so often, and, if you deny them on a single point, they remember nothing but that refusal.

A certain large collective wisdom resides in a crowd, as such; and men whose individual judgement is defective are excellent judges when grouped together.

There is certainly no truth in the popular belief, that a man's will is the mirror of his character.

All Pliny the Younger quotes →

Attribution

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