Quintilian Quotes
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Though ambition in itself is a vice, yet it is often the parent of virtues.
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It is worth while too to warn the teacher that undue severity in correcting faults is liable at times to discourage a boy's mind from effort.
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It is fitting that a liar should be a man of good memory.
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Verse satire indeed is entirely our own.
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It is much easier to try one's hand at many things than to concentrate one's powers on one thing.
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The pretended admission of a fault on our part creates an excellent impression.
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Nihil enim rerum ipsa natura voluit magnum effici cito, praeposuitque pulcherrimo cuique operi difficultatem: quae nascendi quoque hanc fecerit legem, ut maiora animalia diutius visceribus parentis continerentur.
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It seldom happens that a premature shoot of genius ever arrives at maturity.
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A man who tries to surpass another may perhaps succeed in equaling inot actually surpassing him, but one who merely follows can never quite come up with him: a follower, necessarily, is always behind.
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A mediocre speech supported by all the power of delivery will be more impressive than the best speech unaccompanied by such power.
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Atque eam natura ipsa videtur ad tolerandos facilius labores velut muneri nobis dedisse, si quidem et remigem cantus hortatur; nec solum in iis operibus in quibus plurium conatus praeeunte aliqua iucunda voce conspirat, sed etiam singulorum fatigatio quamlibet se rudi modulatione solatur.
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A great part of art consists in imitation. For the whole conduct of life is based on this: that what we admire in others we want to do ourselves.
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Give me the boy who rouses when he is praised, who profits when he is encouraged and who cries when he is defeated. Such a boy will be fired by ambition; he will be stung by reproach, and animated by preference; never shall I apprehend any bad consequences from idleness in such a boy.
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Primum est igitur ut apud nos valeant ea quae valere apud iudicem volumus, adficiamurque antequam adficere conemur.
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Men of quality are in the wrong to undervalue, as they often do, the practise of a fair and quick hand in writing; for it is no immaterial accomplishment.
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If you direct your whole thought to work itself, none of the things which invade eyes or ears will reach the mind.
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To my mind the boy who gives least promise is one in whom the critical faculty develops in advance of the imagination.
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From writing rapidly it does not result that one writes well, but from writing well it results that one writes rapidly.
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H. E. Butler's translation:
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We should not speak so that it is possible for the audience to understand us, but so that it is impossible for them to misunderstand us.
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Sayings designed to raise a laugh are generally untrue and never complimentary. Laughter is never far removed from derision.
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By writing quickly we are not brought to write well, but by writing well we are brought to write quickly.
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One thing, however, I must premise, that without the assistance of natural capacity, rules and precepts are of no efficacy.
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For all the best teachers pride themselves on having a large number of pupils and think themselves worthy of a bigger audience.