xy

„Az ember, szelleme miatt majdnem angyal, alantassága miatt majdnem állat.”

Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) francia matematikus, fizikus, vallásfilozófus, teológus és moralista

„Meg kell ismernünk a határainkat. Mindannyian vagyunk valamik, de egyikünk sem minden.”

Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) francia matematikus, fizikus, vallásfilozófus, teológus és moralista

„A természet egy végtelen szféra, amelynek középpontja mindenhol van, és amelynek kerülete sehol sincs.”

Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) francia matematikus, fizikus, vallásfilozófus, teológus és moralista

„A kedves szavak nem kerülnek sokba. Mégis sokat érnek el.”

Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) francia matematikus, fizikus, vallásfilozófus, teológus és moralista

„Megérteni annyit tesz, mint megbocsátani.”

Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) francia matematikus, fizikus, vallásfilozófus, teológus és moralista

„Az ember egyformán képtelen látni azt a semmit, amelyből kiemelkedik, és a végtelent, amelybe belemerül.”

Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) francia matematikus, fizikus, vallásfilozófus, teológus és moralista

„Az emberiség minden problémája abból fakad, hogy az ember képtelen egyedül békésen ülni egy szobában.”

Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) francia matematikus, fizikus, vallásfilozófus, teológus és moralista

“However many things we may have done, we are yet to a certain degree fresh for that which we are going to begin. Who, on the contrary, would not be stupified if he were to listen to the same teacher of any art, whatever it might be, through the whole day? But by change a person will be recruited, as is the case with respect to food, by varieties of which the stomach is re-invigorated and is fed with several sorts less unsatisfactorily than with one.”

Quintilian (35–96) ancient Roman rhetor

“Nature herself, indeed, seems to have given music to us as a benefit, to enable us to endure labors with greater facility, for musical sounds cheer even the rower; and it is not only in those works in which the efforts of many, while some pleasing voice leads them, conspire together that music is of avail, but the toil even of people at work by themselves finds itself soothed by song, however rude.”

Quintilian (35–96) ancient Roman rhetor

“To say the truth, whatever improvement private study may produce, there is still a peculiar advantage attendant on our appearance in the forum, where the light is different and there is an appearance of real responsibility quite different from the fictitious cases of the schools. If we estimate the two separately, practice without learning will be of more avail than learning without practice.”
Et hercule quantumlibet secreta studia contulerint, est tamen proprius quidam fori profectus, alia lux, alia veri discriminis facies, plusque, si separes, usus sine doctrina quam citra usum doctrina valeat.

Quintilian (35–96) ancient Roman rhetor

“For it is an ordinance of nature that nothing great can be achieved in a moment, and that all the fairest tasks are attended with difficulty, while on births as well she has imposed this law, that the larger the animal, the longer should be the period of gestation.”
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.

Quintilian (35–96) ancient Roman rhetor

“History is written for the purpose of narration and not in order to give proof.”
Historia et scribitur ad narrandum non ad probandum.

Quintilian (35–96) ancient Roman rhetor

“I do not merely assert that the ideal orator should be a good man, but I affirm that no man can be an orator unless he is a good man. For it is impossible to regard those men as gifted with intelligence who on being offered the choice between the two paths of virtue and of vice choose the latter, nor can we allow them prudence, when by the unforeseen issue of their own actions they render themselves liable not merely to the heaviest penalties of the laws, but to the inevitable torment of an evil conscience.”
Neque enim tantum id dico, eum qui sit orator virum bonum esse oportere, sed ne futurum quidem oratorem nisi virum bonum. Nam certe neque intellegentiam concesseris iis qui proposita honestorum ac turpium via peiorem sequi malent, neque prudentiam, cum in gravissimas frequenter legum, semper vero malae conscientiae poenas a semet ipsis inproviso rerum exitu induantur.

Quintilian (35–96) ancient Roman rhetor

“Let the orator whom I propose to form, then, be such a one as is characterized by the definition of Marcus Cato, a good man skilled in speaking. But the requisite which Cato has placed first in this definition—that an orator should be a good man—is naturally of more estimation and importance than the other.”
Sit ergo nobis orator quem constituimus is qui a M. Catone finitur vir bonus dicendi peritus, verum, id quod et ille posuit prius et ipsa natura potius ac maius est, utique vir bonus.

Quintilian (35–96) ancient Roman rhetor

“It is a complaint without foundation that "to very few people is granted the faculty of comprehending what is imparted to them, and that most, through dullness of understanding, lose their labor and their time." On the contrary, you will find the greater number of men both ready in conceiving and quick in learning, since such quickness is natural to man. As birds are born to fly, horses to run, and wild beasts to show fierceness, so to us peculiarly belong activity and sagacity of understanding.”
Falsa enim est querela, paucissimis hominibus vim percipiendi quae tradantur esse concessam, plerosque vero laborem ac tempora tarditate ingenii perdere. Nam contra plures reperias et faciles in excogitando et ad discendum promptos. Quippe id est homini naturale, ac sicut aves ad volatum, equi ad cursum, ad saevitiam ferae gignuntur, ita nobis propria est mentis agitatio atque sollertia.

Quintilian (35–96) ancient Roman rhetor

“We give to necessity the praise of virtue.”
Laudem virtutis necessitati damus.

Quintilian (35–96) ancient Roman rhetor

“In either case the orator should bear clearly in mind throughout his whole speech what the fiction is to which he has committed himself, since we are apt to forget our falsehoods, and there is no doubt about the truth of the proverb that a liar should have a good memory.”
Vtrubique autem orator meminisse debebit actione tota quid finxerit, quoniam solent excidere quae falsa sunt: verumque est illud quod vulgo dicitur, mendacem memorem esse oportere.

Quintilian (35–96) ancient Roman rhetor

“For it had been better for men to be born dumb and devoid of reason than to turn the gifts of providence to their mutual destruction.”
Mutos enim nasci et egere omni ratione satius fuisset quam providentiae munera in mutuam perniciem convertere.

Quintilian (35–96) ancient Roman rhetor

“Those who wish to appear wise among fools, among the wise seem foolish.”
Qui stultis videri eruditi volunt stulti eruditis videntur.

Quintilian (35–96) ancient Roman rhetor