I say, Libanus, what a poor devil a chap in love is!
Original text (Latin)
Original text (Latin)
Nothing is more wretched than the mind of a man conscious of guilt.
One eyewitness weighs more than ten hearsays. Seeing is believing, all the world over.
Oh, are not the pleasures in life, in this daily round, trifling compared with the pains!
He whom the gods love dies young, whilst he is full of health, perception, and judgment.
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.
To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead.
Not for the body, but for the heart; companion and company are needed.
Love seldom haunts the breast where learning lies,
And Venus sets ere Mercury can rise.
Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Plautus (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.