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Many heroes lived before Agamemnon, but they are all unmourned, and consigned to oblivion, because they had no bard to sing their praises.

Vixere fortes ante Agamemnona
Multi: sed omnes illacrimabiles
Urgentur, ignotique longa
Nocte, carent quia vate sacro.

Original text (Latin)

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Heroes

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To flee vice is the beginning of virtue, and to have got rid of folly is the beginning of wisdom.

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He who has begun has half done. Dare to be wise; begin!

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Attribution

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