Quotes from book
De vita solitaria

De vita solitaria is a philosophical treatise composed in Latin and written between 1346 and 1356 by Italian Renaissance humanist Petrarch. It constitutes an apology of solitude dedicated to his friend Philippe de Cabassoles.


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“Five enemies of peace inhabit with us — avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace.”

Francesco Petrarca book De vita solitaria

De vita solitaria (1346) as quoted in Wisdom for the Soul: Five Millennia of Prescriptions for Spiritual Healing‎ (2006) by Larry Chang, p. 144

Francesco Petrarca photo

“It is more honorable to be raised to a throne than to be born to one. Fortune bestows the one, merit obtains the other.”

Francesco Petrarca book De vita solitaria

De vita solitaria (1346) as quoted in Madalyn Aslan's Jupiter Signs: How to Improve Your Luck, Career, Health, Finances, Appearance, and Relationships Through the New Astrology (2003) by Madalyn Aslan

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