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A sword by itself does not slay; it is merely the weapon used by the slayer.

— Seneca the Younger

quemadmodum gladius neminem occidit: occidentis telum est.

Original text (Latin)

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Notes from Wikiquote

Line 30

Variants

A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. (translator unknown).

Topics

War

More quotes by Seneca the Younger

It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing.

It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.

Prosperous and successful crime goes by the name of virtue; good men obey the bad, might is right and fear oppresses law.

Fortune is less severe against those of lesser degree, and God strikes what is weak with less power.

Nature has given us the seeds of knowledge, not knowledge itself.

All Seneca the Younger quotes →

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Attribution

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