Artists are of three classes: those who perceive and pursue the good, and leave the evil; those who perceive and pursue the good and evil together, the whole thing as it verily is; and those who perceive and pursue the evil, and leave the good. Ruskin.
Artium magister—Master of arts.
Art may err, but Nature cannot miss. Dryden.
Art may make a suit of clothes, but Nature 45 must produce a man. Hume.
Art must anchor in nature, or it is the sport of every breath of folly. Hazlitt.
Art must not be a superficial talent, but must begin further back in man. Emerson.
Art, not less eloquently than literature, teaches her children to venerate the single eye. Willmott.
Art not thou a man? Bible.
Art rests on a kind of religious sense, on a 50 deep, steadfast earnestness; and on this account it unites so readily with religion. Goethe.
Art thou afraid of death, and dost thou wish to live for ever? Live in the whole that remains when thou hast long been gone (wenn du lange dahin bist). Schiller.
A rude âne rude ânier—A stubborn driver to a stubborn ass. Fr. Pr.
A rusty nail, placed near the faithful compass, / Will sway it from the truth, and wreck the argosy. Scott.
A sage is the instructor of a hundred ages. Emerson.
A saint abroad, a devil at home. Pr. 55
A saint in crape is twice a saint in lawn. Pope.
As all men have some access to primary truth, so all have some art or power of communication in the head, but only in the artist does it descend into the hand. Emerson.
As a man makes his bed, so must he lie. Gael. Pr.
As a priest, or interpreter of the holy, is the noblest and highest of all men; so is a sham priest the falsest and basest. Carlyle.
A satirical poet is the check of the layman on 60 bad priests. Dryden.
As a tree falls, so shall it lie. Pr.
[Greek: asbestos gelôs]—Unquenchable, or Homeric, laughter. Hom.
A scalded cat dreads cauld water. Sc. Pr.
As dear to me as are the ruddy drops / That visit my sad heart. Jul. Cæs., ii. 1.
A second Daniel. Mer. of Ven., iv. 1.
A secret is in my custody if I keep it; but if 5 I blab it, it is I that am prisoner. Arab Pr.
A self-denial no less austere than the saint's is demanded of the scholar. Emerson.
As ever in my great taskmaster's eye. Milton.
As every great evil, so every excessive power wears itself out at last. Herder.
As falls the dew on quenchless sands, / Blood only serves to wash ambition's hands. Byron.
As for discontentments, they are in the politic 10 body like humours in the natural, which are apt to gather a preternatural heat and inflame. Bacon.
As formerly we suffered from wickedness, so now we suffer from the laws. Tac.
As for murmurs, mother, we grumble a little now and then, to be sure. But there's no love lost between us. Goldsmith.
As for talkers and futile persons, they are commonly vain and credulous withal. Bacon.
As from the wing no scar the sky retains, / The parted wave no furrow from the keel; So dies in human hearts the thought of death. Young.
As good be out of the world as out of the 15 fashion. Pr.
As good almost kill a man as kill a good book; who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image; but he who destroys a good book kills reason itself. Milton.
As guid fish i' the sea as e'er came oot o't. Sc. Pr.
As guid may haud (hold) the stirrup as he that loups on. Sc. Pr.
A's guid that God sends. Sc. Pr.
As he alone is a good father who at table serves 20 his children first, so is he alone a good citizen who, before all other outlays, discharges what he owes to the state. Goethe.
As he who has health is young, so he who owes nothing is rich. Pr.
A short cut is often a wrong cut. Dan. Pr.
A sicht (sight) o' you is guid for sair een. Sc. Pr.
A sick man's sacrifice is but a lame oblation. Sir Thomas Browne.
As idle as a painted ship / Upon a painted 25 ocean. Coleridge.
A sight to dream of, not to tell. Coleridge.
A silent man's words are not brought into court. Dan. Pr.
A sillerless (moneyless) man gangs fast through the market. Sc. Pr.
A silver key can open an iron lock. Pr.
A simple child, / That lightly draws its breath, / 30 And feels its life in every limb, / What should it know of death? Wordsworth.
A simple maiden in her flower, / Is worth a hundred coats of arms. Tennyson.
A simple, manly character need never make an apology. Emerson.
As in a theatre, the eyes of men, / After a well-graced actor leaves the stage, / Are idly bent on him that enters next, / Thinking his prattle to be tedious. Rich. II., v. 2.
A single grateful thought turned heavenwards is the most perfect prayer. Lessing.
A single moment may transform everything. 35 Wieland.
A single word is often a concentrated poem, a little grain of pure gold, capable of being beaten out into a broad extent of gold-leaf. Trench.
Asinum sub fræno currere docere—To teach an ass to obey the rein, i.e., to labour in vain. Pr.
Asinus ad lyram—An ass at the lyre, i.e., one unsusceptible of music.
Asinus asino, et sus sui pulcher—An ass is beautiful to an ass, and a pig to a pig. Pr.
Asinus in tegulis—An ass on the house-tiles. 40
Asinus inter simias—An ass among apes, i.e., a fool among people who make a fool of him. Pr.
Asinus in unguento—An ass among perfumes, i.e., things he cannot appreciate.
As is the garden, such is the gardener. Heb. Pr.
As is the man, so is his God. Rückert, Goethe.
A sip is the most that mortals are permitted 45 from any goblet of delight. A. B. Alcott.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. Jesus.
Ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein. Bible.
Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no fibs. Goldsmith.
Ask why God made the gem so small, / And why so huge the granite? / Because God meant mankind should set / The higher value on it. Burns.
As long as any man exists, there is some need 50 of him. Emerson.
As long lives a merry heart as a sad. Pr.
As love without esteem is capricious and volatile, esteem without love is languid and cold. Swift.
A slow fire makes sweet malt. Pr.
A small man, if he stands too near a great, may see single portions well, and, if he will survey the whole, must stand too far off, where his eyes do not reach the details. Goethe.
A small sorrow distracts us, a great one makes 55 us collected. Jean Paul.
A small unkindness is a great offence. Hannah More.
As man, perhaps, the moment of his breath, / Receives the lurking principle of death; / The young disease, that must subdue at length, / Grows with his growth, and strengthens with his strength. Pope.
As many suffer from too much as too little. Bovee.
A smart coat is a good letter of introduction. Dut. Pr.
As merry as the day is long. Much Ado, ii. 1. 60
A smile abroad is oft a scowl at home. Tennyson.
A smile re-cures the wounding of a frown. Shakespeare.
As much love, so much mind, or heart. Lat. Pr.
As much virtue as there is, so much appears; as much goodness as there is, so much reverence it commands. Emerson.
A snapper up of unconsidered trifles. Winter's Tale, iv. 2.
A society of people will cursorily represent a certain culture, though there is not a gentleman or a lady in the group. Emerson.
A soldier, / Seeking the bubble reputation / Even in the cannon's mouth. As You Like It, ii. 7.
A solis ortu usque ad occasum—From where the sun rises to where it sets.
A song will outlive all sermons in the memory. 5 Henry Giles.
A sorrow's crown of sorrow is remembering happier things. Tennyson.
A sorrow shared is but half a trouble, / But a joy that's shared is a joy made double. Pr.
A' sottili cascano le brache—The cloak sometimes falls off a cunning man. It. Pr.
A soul without reflection, like a pile / Without inhabitant, to ruin runs. Young.
A spark neglected makes a mighty fire. Herrick. 10
A species is a succession of individuals which perpetuates itself. Cuvier.
Asperæ facetiæ ubi multum ex vero traxere, acrem sui memoriam relinquunt—Satire, when it comes near the truth, leaves a sharp sting behind it. Tac.
Asperius nihil est humili, cum surgit in altum—Nothing is more offensive than a low-bred man in a high station. Claud.
Aspettare e non venire, / Stare in letto e non dormire, / Ben servire e non gradire, / Son tre cose da morire—To wait for what never comes, to lie abed and not sleep, to serve and not be advanced, are three things to die of. It. Pr.
A spirit may be known from only a single 15 thought. Swedenborg.
As poor as Job. Merry Wives, v. 5.
A spot is most seen on the finest cloth. Pr.
As proud go behind as before. Pr.
A spur in the head is worth two in the heels. Pr.
As reason is a rebel unto faith, so is passion 20 unto reason. Sir T. Browne.
Assai acqua passa per il molino, che il molinaio non se n'accorge—A good deal of water passes by the mill which the miller takes no note of. It. Pr.
Assai basta, e troppo guasta—Enough is enough, and too much spoils. It. Pr.
Assai ben balla, à chi fortuna suona—He dances well to whom fortune pipes. It. Pr.
Assai è ricco à chi non manca—He is rich enough who has no wants. It. Pr.
Assai guadagna chi vano sperar perde—He 25 gains a great deal who loses a vain hope. It. Pr.
Assai sa, chi non sa, se tacer sa—He who knows not, knows a good deal if he knows how to hold his tongue. It. Pr.
Assez a qui se contente—He has enough who is content. Fr. Pr.
Assez dort qui rien ne fait—He sleeps enough who does nothing. Fr. Pr.
Assez gagne qui malheur perd—He gains enough who gets rid of a sorrow. Fr. Pr.
Assez sait qui sait vivre et se taire—He knows 30 enough who knows how to live and how to keep his own counsel. Fr. Pr.
Assez tôt si assez bien—Soon enough if well enough. Fr. Pr.
Assez y a, si trop n'y a—There is enough where there is not too much. Fr. Pr.
Associate with the good, and you will be esteemed one of them. Sp. Pr.
As some tall cliff, that lifts its awful form, / Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm, / Though round its breast the rolling clouds are spread, / Eternal sunshine settles on its head. Goldsmith.
As soon as a man is born he begins to die. 35 Ger. Pr.
As soon as beauty is sought, not from religion and love, but for pleasure, it degrades the seeker. Emerson.
As soon as the soul sees any object, it stops before that object. Emerson.
Assume a virtue, if you have it not. Ham., iii. 4.
Assumpsit—An action on a verbal promise. L.
Assurance is two-thirds of success. Gael. Pr. 40
A state is never greater than when all its superfluous hands are employed in the service of the public. Hume.
A state of violence cannot be perpetual, or disaster and ruin would be universal. Bp. Burnet.
A statesman requires rather a large converse with men, and much intercourse in life, than deep study of books. Burke.
A stern discipline pervades all Nature, which is a little cruel that it may be very kind. Spenser.
As the births of living creatures at first are 45 ill-shapen, so are all innovations, which are the births of time. Bacon.
As the first order of wisdom is to know thyself, so the first order of charity is to be sufficient for thyself. Ruskin.
As the fool thinks, the bell clinks. Pr.
As the good man saith, so say we: / As the good woman saith, so it must be. Pr.
As the husband is, the wife is: / Thou art mated with a clown, / And the grossness of his nature / Will have weight to drag thee down. Tennyson.
As the man is, so is his strength. Bible. 50
As the old cock crows, the young one learns. Pr.
As there is no worldly gain without some loss, so there is no worldly loss without some gain. Quarles.
As the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, / So honour peereth in the meanest habit. Tam. of Shrew, iv. 3.
As the youth lives in the future, so the man lives with the past; no one knows rightly how to live in the present. Grillparzer.
As thy days, so shall thy strength be. Bible. 55
A still, small voice. Bible.
A stitch in time saves nine. Pr.
As to the value of conversions, God alone can judge. Goethe.
Astra castra, numen lumen—The stars my camp, the deity my light. M.
Astræa redux—Return of the goddess of justice. 60
A straight line is the shortest in morals as well as in geometry. Rahel.
A strange fish. Tempest, ii. 2.
Astra regunt homines, sed regit astra Deus—The stars govern men, but God governs the stars.
A strenuous soul hates cheap success. Emerson.
A strong memory is generally joined to a weak judgment. Montaigne.
A strong soil that has produced weeds may be made to produce wheat with far less difficulty than it would cost to make it produce nothing. Colton.
Astronomy has revealed the great truth that 5 the whole universe is bound together by one all-pervading influence. Leitch.
A' Stuarts are no sib (related) to the king (the family name of the Scotch kings being Stuart). Sc. Pr.
Astutior coccyge—More crafty than the cuckoo (who deposits her eggs in another bird's nest). Pr.
A subject's faults a subject may proclaim, / A monarch's errors are forbidden game. Cowper.
A substitute shines brightly as a king, until a king be by. Mer. of Ven., v. 1.
A sudden thought strikes me, / Let us swear 10 an eternal friendship. Canning.
A sunbeam passes through pollution unpolluted. Eusebius.
A surfeit of sweetest things. Mid. N.'s Dream, ii. 3.
As water spilt upon the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Bible.
As we advance in life, we learn the limits of our abilities. Froude.
As we are born to work, so others are born to 15 watch over us while working. Goldsmith.
As weel be oot o' the world as oot o' the fashion. Sc. Pr.
As wholesome meat corrupteth to little worms, so good forms and orders corrupt into a number of petty observances. Bacon.
As yet a child, not yet a fool to fame, / I lisp'd in numbers, for the numbers came. Pope.
As you do to others, expect others to do to you. Pr.
As you make your bed you must lie on it. Pr. 20
As you sow you shall reap. Pr.
A tale never loses in the telling. Pr.
A talisman that shall turn base metal into precious, Nature acknowledges not; but a talisman to turn base souls into noble, Nature has given us; and that is a "philosopher's stone," but it is a stone which the builders refuse. Ruskin.
A tâtons—Groping. Fr.
A tattler is worse than a thief. Pr. 25
A (man of) teachable mind will hang about a wise man's neck. Bp. Patrick.
At every trifle scorn to take offence; / That always shows great pride or little sense. Pope.
At first one omits writing for a little while; and then one stays a little while to consider of excuses; and at last it grows desperate, and one does not write at all. Swift.
[Greek: Athanatous men prôta theous, nomô hôs diakeitai Tima]—Reverence, first of all, the immortal gods, as prescribed by law. Pythagoras.
At the gates of the forest the surprised man 30 of the world is forced to leave his city estimates of great and small, wise and foolish. Emerson.
Atheism is rather in the life than in the heart of man. Bacon.
Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation, all which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, though religion were not; but superstition dismounts all these, and erecteth an absolute monarchy in the minds of men. Bacon.
A thief knows a thief, as a wolf knows a wolf. Pr.
A thing is the bigger of being shared. Gael. Pr.
A thing is what it is, only in and by means of 35 its limit. Hegel.
A thing is worth what it can do for you, not what you choose to pay for it. Ruskin.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever; / Its loveliness increases; it will never / Pass into nothingness. Keats.
A thing you don't want is dear at any price. Pr.
A thinking man is the worst enemy the Prince of Darkness can have. Carlyle.
A third interprets motion, looks, and eyes, / 40 At every word a reputation dies. Pope.
A thorn is a changed bud. T. Lynch.
A thorough-paced antiquary not only remembers what others have thought proper to forget, but he also forgets what others think proper to remember. Colton.
A thousand years scarce serve to form a state; / An hour may lay it in the dust. Byron.
A thread will tie an honest man better than a rope will do a rogue. Sc. Pr.
A threatened blow is seldom given. Pr. 45
A threefold cord is not quickly broken. Bible.
A thrill passes through all men at the reception of a new truth, or at the performance of a great action, which comes out of the heart of nature.... By the necessity of our constitution, a certain enthusiasm attends the individual's consciousness of that Divine presence. Emerson.
At ingenium ingens / Inculto latet hoc sub corpore—Yet under this rude exterior lies concealed a mighty genius. Hor.
At no age should a woman be allowed to govern herself as she pleases. H. Mann.
A tocherless dame sits lang at hame. Sc. Pr. 50
A toom (empty) pantry maks a thriftless guid-wife. Sc. Pr.
A tort et à travers—Without consideration; at random. Fr.
A toute force—With all one's force. Fr.
A toute seigneur tout honneur—Let every one have his due honour. Fr. Pr.
At pulchrum est digito monstrari et dicier hic 55 est—Yet it is a fine thing to be pointed at with the finger and have it said, This is he! Persius.
Atque in rege tamen pater est—And yet in the king there is the father. Ovid.
Atqui vultus erat multa et præclara minantis—And yet you had the look of one that promised (lit. threatened) many fine things. Hor.
A trade of barbarians. Napoleon on war.
A tragic farce. Lille.
A travelled man has leave to lie. Pr. 60
A traveller of taste at once perceives that the wise are polite all the world over, but that fools are only polite at home. Goldsmith.
A tree is known by its fruit. Pr.
Atria regum hominibus plena sunt, amicis vacua—The courts of kings are full of men, empty of friends. Sen.
Atrocitatis mansuetudo est remedium—Gentleness is the antidote for cruelty. Phædr.
A true-bred merchant is the best gentleman in the nation. Defoe.
A true genius may be known by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him. Swift.
A true man hates no one. Napoleon. 5
A truly great genius will be the first to prescribe limits for its own exertions. Brougham.
A truth / Looks freshest in the fashion of the day. Tennyson.
A truth to an age that has rejected and trampled on it, is not a word of peace, but a sword. Henry George.
At spes non fracta—Yet hope is not broken. M.
Attempts at reform, when they fail, strengthen 10 despotism; as he that struggles tightens those cords he does not succeed in breaking. Colton.
Attempt the end, and never stand to doubt; / Nothing's so hard, but search will find it out. Herrick.
Attendez à la nuit pour dire que le jour a été beau—Wait till night before saying that the day has been fine. Fr. Pr.
Attention makes the genius; all learning, fancy, and science depend on it. Willmott.
At the sight of a man we too say to ourselves, Let us be men. Amiel.
At thirty, man suspects himself a fool, / Knows 15 it at forty, and reforms his plan. / At fifty, chides his infamous delay. / Pushes his prudent purpose to resolve. / Resolves—and re-resolves; then dies the same. Young.
At twenty years of age, the will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judgment. Grattan.
A tu hijo, buen nombre y oficio—To your son a good name and a trade. Sp. Pr.
A tutti non si adatta una sola scarpa—One shoe does not fit every foot. It. Pr.
At vindictum bonum vita jucundius ipsa. Nempe hoc indocti—But revenge is a blessing sweeter than life itself; so rude men feel. Juv.
At whose sight all the stars / Hide their diminished 20 heads. Milton.
Au bon droit—By good right. Fr.
Au bout de son Latin—At his wit's end (lit. at the end of his Latin). Fr.
Au bout du compte—After the close of the account; after all. Fr.
Auch aus entwölkter Höhe / Kann der zündende Donner schlagen; / Darum in deinen fröhlichen Tagen / Fürchte des Unglücks tückische Nähe—Even out of a cloudless heaven the flaming thunderbolt may strike; therefore in thy days of joy have a fear of the spiteful neighbourhood of misfortune. Schiller.
Auch Bücher haben ihr Erlebtes, das ihnen 25 nicht entzogen werden kann—Even books have their lifetime, of which no one can deprive them. Goethe.
Auch das Schöne muss sterben—Even what is beautiful must die. Schiller.
Auch der Löwe muss sich vor der Mücke wehren—Even the lion has to defend itself against flies. Ger. Pr.
Auch die Gerechtigkeit trägt eine Binde, / Und schliesst die Augen jedem Blendwerk zu—Even Justice wears a bandage, and shuts her eyes on everything deceptive. Goethe.
Auch die Kultur, die alle Welt beleckt, / Hat auf den Teufel sich erstreckt—Culture, which has licked all the world into shape, has reached even the devil. Goethe.
Auch die Kunst ist Himmelsgabe, / Borgt sie 30 gleich von ird'scher Glut—Art is a gift of Heaven, yet does it borrow its fire from earthly passion. Schiller.
Auch ein Haar hat seinen Schatten—Even a hair casts its shadow. Ger. Pr.
Auch für die rauhe Brust giebt's Augenblicke / Wo dunkle Mächte Melodien wecken—Even the rude breast has moments in which dark powers awaken melodies. Körner.
Auch ich war ein Jüngling mit lockigem Haar, / An Mut und an Hoffnungen reich—I too was once a youth with curly locks, rich in courage and in hopes. Lortzing.
Auch ich war in Arkadien geboren, / Und ward daraus entführt vom neidischen Glücke. / Ist hier der Rückweg? fragt' ich jede Brücke, / Der Eingang hier? fragt' ich an allen Thoren—I too was born in Arcadia, and was lured away by envious Fortune. "Is this the way back?" asked I at every bridge-way; "This the entrance?" asked I at every portal. Rückert.
Auch in der That ist Raum für Ueberlegung—Even 35 in the moment of action there is room for consideration. Goethe.
Auch was Geschriebenes forderst du, Pedant? / Hast du noch keinen Mann, nicht Mannes-Wort gekannt?—Dost thou, O pedant, require something written too? Hast thou never yet known a man, not word of man? Faust.
Au courant—Perfectly acquainted with. Fr.
Auctor pretiosa facit—The giver makes the gift valuable. M.
Aucto splendore resurgo—I rise again with access of splendour. M.
Aucun chemin de fleurs ne conduit à la gloire—No 40 path of flowers conducts to glory. La Font.
Audacia pro muro habetur—Daring is regarded as a wall. Sallust.
Audacter calumniare, semper aliquid hæret—Calumniate boldly, always some of it sticks. Bacon.
Audacter et sincere—Boldly and heartily. M.
Audax ad omnia fœmina, quæ vel amat vel odit—A woman, when she either loves or hates, will dare anything. Pr.
Audax omnia perpeti / Gens humana ruit per 45 vetitum et nefas—Daring to face all hardships, the human race dashes through every human and divine restraint. Hor.
Aude aliquid brevibus Gyaris et carcere dignum, / Si vis esse aliquis—Dare to do something worthy of transportation and imprisonment, if you wish to be somebody. Juv.
Audendo magnus tegitur timor—Great fear is concealed under daring. Lucan.
Audentes Fortuna juvat—Fortune favours the brave. Virg.
Au dernier les os—For the last the bones. Fr. Pr.
Aude sapere—Dare to be wise. 50
Audi alteram partem—Hear the other party; hear both sides. L. Max.
Audiatur et altera pars—Let the other side also have a hearing. Sen.
Audio sed taceo—I hear, but say nothing. M.
Audita querela—The complaint having been investigated. L.
Auditque vocatus Apollo—And Apollo hears 5 when invoked. Virg.
Audi, vide, tace, si vis vivere in pace—Use your ears and eyes, but hold your tongue, if you would live in peace.
Au fait—Expert; skilful. Fr.
Auf dem Grund des Glaubenmeeres / Liegt die Perle der Erkenntniss; Heil dem Taucher, der sie findet—At the bottom of the faith-sea lies the pearl of knowledge; happy the diver that finds it. Bodenstedt.
Auf den Bergen ist Freiheit—On the mountains is freedom. Schiller.
Auf die warnenden Symptome sieht kein 10 Mensch, auf die Schmeichelnden und Versprechenden allein ist die Aufmerksamkeit gerichtet—To the warning word no man has respect, only to the flattering and promising is his attention directed. Goethe.
Auf Dinge, die nicht mehr zu ändern sind, / Muss auch kein Blick zurück mehr fallen! Was / Gethan ist, ist gethan und bleiht's—On things which are no more to be changed a backward glance must be no longer cast! What is done is done, and so remains. Schiller.
Auf ebnem Boden straucheln ist ein Scherz, / Ein Fehltritt stürzt vom Gipfel dich herab—To stumble on a level surface is matter of jest; by a false step on a height you are hurled to the ground. Goethe.
Auferimur cultu: gemmis auroque teguntur / Omnia; pars minima est ipsa puella sui—Dress deceives us: jewels and gold hide everything: the girl herself is the least part of herself. Ovid.
Aufgeschoben ist nicht aufgehoben—Postponed is not abandoned. Ger. Pr.
Aufklärung—Illuminism. Ger. 15
Au fond—To the bottom. Fr.
Aufrichtig zu sein kann ich versprechen; unparteiisch zu sein aber nicht—I can promise to be candid, but not to be impartial. Goethe.
Auf Teufel reimt der Zweifel nur; / Da bin ich recht am Platze—Only Zweifel (doubt) rhymes to Teufel (devil); here am I quite at home. The Sceptic in "Faust."
Auf Wind und Meer gebautes Glück ist schwankend—The fortune is insecure that is at the mercy of wind and wave. Gutzkow.
Augiæ cloacas purgare—To cleanse the Augean 20 stables, i.e., achieve an arduous and disagreeable work. Sen.
Augusto felicior, Trajano melior—A more fortunate man than Augustus, and a more excellent than Trajan. Eutrop.
Aujourd'hui marié, demain marri—To-day married, to-morrow marred. Fr. Pr.
Aula regis—The court of the king.
Auld folk are twice bairns. Sc. Pr.
Auld Nature swears the lovely dears, / Her 25 noblest work she classes, O; / Her 'prentice han' she tried on man, / An' then she made the lasses, O. Burns.
Au nouveau tout est beau—Everything is fine that is new. Fr. Pr.
Au pis aller—At the worst. Fr.
Au plaisir fort de Dieu—By the all-powerful will of God. M.
Aura popularis—Popular favour (lit. breeze).
Aurea mediocritas—The golden mean. 30
Aurea nunc vere sunt sæcula; plurimus auro / Venit honos: auro conciliatur amor—The age we live in is the true age of gold; by gold men attain to the highest honour, and win even love itself. Ovid.
Aureo piscari hamo—To fish with a golden hook.
Au reste—For the rest. Fr.
Au revoir—Farewell till we meet again. Fr.
Auri sacra fames—The accursed lust of gold. 35 Virg.
Auro loquente nihil pollet quævis ratio—When gold speaks, no reason the least avails. Pr.
Aurora musis amica—Aurora is friendly to the Muses. Pr.
Aus dem Gebet erwächst des Geistes Sieg—It is from prayer that the spirit's victory springs. Schillerbuch.
Aus dem Kleinsten setzt / Sich Grosses zusammen zuletzt, / Und keins darf fehlen von allen, / Wenn nicht das Ganze soll fallen—Out of the smallest a great is at length composed, and none of all can fail, unless the whole is fated to break up. Rückert.
Aus dem Leben heraus sind der Wege drei 40 dir geöffnet, / Zum Ideale führt einer, der andre zum Tod—Two ways are open for thee out of life; one conducts to the ideal, the other to death. Schiller.
Aus der Jugendzeit, aus der Jugendzeit / Klingt ein Lied mir immerdar, / O wie liegt so weit, O wie liegt so weit, / Was mein einst war—Out of youth-time, out of youth-time sounds a lay of mine ever; O how so far off lies, how so far off lies, what once was mine! Rückert.
Aus der schlechtesten Hand kann Wahrheit noch mächtig wirken; / Bei dem Schönen allein macht das Gefäss den Gehalt—Truth may work mightily though in the hand of the sorriest instrument; in the case of the beautiful alone the casket constitutes the jewel (lit. the vessel makes the content). Schiller.
Aus derselben Ackerkrume / Wächst das Unkraut wie die Blume / Und das Unkraut macht sich breit—Out of the same garden-mould grows the weed as the flower, and the weed flaunts itself abroad. Bodenstedt.
A useful trade is a mine of gold. Pr.
A useless life is an early death. Goethe. 45
Aus grauser Tiefe tritt das Höhe kühn hervor; / Aus harter Hülle kämpft die Tugend sich hervor; / Der Schmerz ist die Geburt der höhern Naturen—Out of a horrible depth the height steps boldly forth; out of a hard shell virtue fights its way to the light; pain is the birth (medium) of the higher natures. Tiedge.
Aus jedem Punkt im Kreis zur Mitte geht ein Steg. / Vom fernsten Irrtum selbst zu Gott zurück ein Weg—There is a way from every point in a circle to the centre; from the farthest error there is a way back to God Himself. Rückert.
Aus Mässigkeit entspringt ein reines Glück—Out of moderation a pure happiness springs. Goethe.
Auspicium melioris ævi—The pledge of happier times. M.
Aussitôt dit, aussitôt fait—No sooner said than done. Fr.
Aus ungelegten Eiern werden spät junge Hühner—Chickens are long in coming out of unlaid eggs. Ger. Pr.
Ausus est vana contemnere—He dared to scorn vain fears.
Aut amat, aut odit mulier; nil est tertium—A 5 woman either loves or hates; there is no alternative. Pub. Syr.
Autant chemine un homme en un jour qu'un limaçon en cent ans—A man travels as far in a day as a snail in a hundred years. Fr. Pr.
Autant dépend chiche que large, et à la fin plus davantage—Niggard spends as much as generous, and in the end a good deal more. Fr. Pr.
Autant en emporte le vent—All idle talk (lit. so much the wind carries away). Fr. Pr.
Autant pèche celui qui tient le sac que celui qui met dedans—He is as guilty who holds the bag as he who puts in. Fr. Pr.
Autant vaut l'homme comme il s'estime—A 10 man is rated by others as he rates himself. Fr. Pr.
Aut bibat, aut abeat—Either drink or go.
Aut Cæsar aut nihil—Either Cæsar or nobody. M. of Cæsar Borgia.
Authority, not majority. Stahl.
Authors alone, with more than savage rage, / Unnatural war with brother authors wage. Churchill.
Authors are martyrs, witnesses to the truth, 15 or else nothing. Carlyle.
Authors may be divided into falling stars, planets, and fixed stars: the first have a momentary effect; the second, a much longer duration; and the third are unchangeable, possess their own light, and shine for all time. Schopenhauer.
Aut insanit homo, aut versus facit—The man is either mad, or he is making verses. Hor.
Aut non tentaris, aut perfice—Either don't attempt it, or go through with it. Ovid.
Auto-da-fé—An act of faith; a name applied to certain proceedings of the Inquisition connected with the burning of heretics.
[Greek: Autos epha]—He himself said it; ipse dixit. 20
Aut prodesse volunt aut delectare poetæ—Poets wish either to profit or to please. Hor.
Autrefois acquis—Acquitted before. Fr.
Aut regem aut fatuum nasci oportere—A man ought to be born either a king or a fool. Pr. in Sen.
Autre temps, autres mœurs—Other times, other fashions. Fr. Pr.
Aut vincere aut mori—Either to conquer or die. 25
Aut virtus nomen inane est, / Aut decus et pretium recte petit experiens vir—Either virtue is an empty name, or the man of enterprise justly aims at honour and reward. Hor.
Aux armes—To arms. Fr.
Aux grands maux les grands remèdes—Desperate maladies require desperate remedies. Fr. Pr.
Auxilium ab alto—Help from above. M.
Auxilium meum a Domino—My help cometh 30 from the Lord. M.
Avant propos—Prefatory matter. Fr.
Avaler des couleuvres—To put up with abuse (lit. swallow snakes). Fr.
A valiant and brave soldier seeks rather to preserve one citizen than to destroy a thousand enemies. Scipio.
Avancez—Advance. Fr.
Avarice has ruined more men than prodigality. 35 Colton.
Avarus, nisi cum moritur, nil recte facit—A miser does nothing right except when he dies. Pr.
Avec un Si on mettrait Paris dans une bouteille—With an "if" one might put Paris in a bottle. Fr. Pr.
A verbis ad verbera—From words to blows.
A verse may find him who a sermon flies, / And turn delight into a sacrifice. George Herbert.
A very excellent piece of villany. Tit. Andron., 40 ii. 3.
A very good woman may make but a paltry man. Pope.
A veste logorata poco fede vien prestata—A shabby coat finds small credit. It. Pr.
A vinculo matrimonii—From the bond or tie of marriage.
A virtuous name is the sole precious good for which queens and peasants' wives must contest together. Schiller.
Avise la fin—Consider the end. Fr. 45
Avito viret honore—He flourishes with inherited honours. M.
Avoid the evil, and it will avoid thee. Gael. Pr.
A volonté—At will. Fr.
A votre santé—To your health. Fr.
A wee bush is better than nae bield (shelter). 50 Sc. Pr.
A weel-bred dog gaes oot when he sees them preparing to kick him oot. Sc. Pr.
A well-bred man is always sociable and complaisant. Montaigne.
A well-cultivated mind is, so to say, made up of all the minds of the centuries preceding. Fontenelle.
A well-governed appetite is a great part of liberty. Sen.
A well-written life is almost as rare as a well-spent 55 one. Carlyle.
A wicked fellow is the most pious when he takes to it. He'll beat you all in piety. Johnson.
A wilful man must have his way. Pr.
A willing mind makes a light foot. Pr.
A wise man gets learning frae them that hae nane. Sc. Pr.
A wise man is never less alone than when 60 alone. Pr.
A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. Bible.
A wise man neither suffers himself to be governed, nor attempts to govern others. La Bruyère.
A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart. Swift.
A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. Bacon.
A wise physician, skill'd our wounds to heal, / Is more than armies to the public weal. Pope.
A wise scepticism is the first attribute of a good critic. Lowell.
A wise writer does not reveal himself here and there, but everywhere. Lowell.
A witless heed (head) mak's weary feet. Sc. Pr.
A wit with dunces, and a dunce with wits. 5 Pope.
A wolf in sheep's clothing. Pr.
A woman conceals what she does not know. Pr.
A woman has two smiles that an angel might envy: the smile that accepts the lover before the words are uttered, and the smile that lights on the first-born baby, and assures it of a mother's love. Haliburton.
A woman in love is a very poor judge of character. J. G. Holland.
A woman moved is like a fountain troubled, / 10 Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty. Tam. of Sh., v. 2.
A woman's friendship borders more closely on love than a man's. Coleridge.
A woman's head is always influenced by her heart; but a man's heart is always influenced by his head. Lady Blessington.
A woman sometimes scorns what best contents her. Two Gent. of Ver., iii. 1.
A woman's whole life is a history of the affections. W. Irving.
A word and a stone let go cannot be recalled. 15 Pr.
A word from a friend is doubly enjoyable in dark days. Goethe.
A word once vulgarised can never be rehabilitated. Lowell.
A word sooner wounds than heals. Goethe.
A word spoken in season, at the right moment, is the mother of ages. Carlyle.
A word spoken in due season, how good is it? 20 Bible.
A work of real merit finds favour at last. A. B. Alcott.
A world all sincere, a believing world; the like has been; the like will again be—cannot help being. Carlyle.
A world in the hand is worth two in the bush. Emerson.
A world this in which much is to be done, and little to be known. Goethe.
A worn-out sinner is sometimes found to make 25 the best declaimer against sin. Lamb.
A worthless man will always remain worthless, and a little mind will not, by daily intercourse with great minds, become an inch greater. Goethe.
A wounded spirit who can bear? Bible.
A wound never heals so well that the scar cannot be seen. Dan. Pr.
A wreck on shore is a beacon at sea. Dut. Pr.
A wretched soul, bruised with adversity, / We 30 bid be quiet when we hear it cry; / But were we burdened with like weight of pain, / As much, or more, we should ourselves complain. Com. of Errors, ii. 1.
Ay, but to die, and go we know not where; / To lie in cold obstruction and to rot. Meas. for Meas., iii. 1.
Aye free, aff-han' your story tell, when wi' a bosom crony; / But still keep something to yoursel' / Ye scarcely tell to ony. Burns.
Aye in a hurry, and aye ahint. Sc. Pr.
Ay, every inch a king. King Lear, iv. 6.
Ay me! for aught that ever I could read, / 35 Could ever hear by tale or history, / The course of true love never did run smooth. Mid. N.'s Dream, i. 1.
Aymez loyauté—Love loyalty. M.
A young man idle, an old man needy. It. Pr.
Ay, sir, to be honest as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of two thousand. Ham., ii. 2.
B.
Bachelor, a peacock; betrothed, a lion; wedded, an ass. Sp. Pr.
"Bad company," muttered the thief, as he 40 stepped to the gallows between the hangman and a monk. Dut. Pr.
Bad is by its very nature negative, and can do nothing; whatsoever enables us to do anything, is by its very nature good. Carlyle.
Bad laws are the worst sort of tyranny. Burke.
Bad men excuse their faults; good men will leave them. Ben Jonson.
Bal abonné—A subscription ball. Fr.
Bal champêtre—A country ball. Fr. 45
Ballon d'essai—A balloon sent up to ascertain the direction of the wind; any test of public feeling. Fr.
Banish the canker of ambitious thoughts. 2 Hen. VI., i. 2.
Bankrupt of life, yet prodigal of ease. Dryden.
Barba bagnata è mezza rasa—A beard well lathered is half shaved. It. Pr.
Barbæ tenus sapientes—Wise as far as the beard 50 goes. Pr.
Barbarism is no longer at our frontiers; it lives side by side with us. Amiel.
Barbarism is the non-appreciation of what is excellent. Goethe.
Barbarus hic ego sum, quia non intelligor ulli—I am a barbarian here, for no one understands what I say. Ovid.
Barbouillage—Scribbling. Fr.
Barking dogs seldom bite. Pr. 55
Bas bleu—A blue-stocking. Fr.
Base envy withers at another's joy, / And hates that excellence it cannot reach. Thomson.
Base in kind, and born to be a slave. Cowper.
Base men, being in love, have then a nobility in their natures more than is native to them. Othello, ii. 1.
Base souls have no faith in great men. Rousseau. 60
Bashfulness is an ornament to youth, but a reproach to old age. Arist.
Bashfulness is but the passage from one season of life to another. Bp. Hurd.
Basis virtutum constantia—Constancy is the basis of all the virtues. M.
Battering the gates of heaven with storms of prayer. Tennyson.
Battle's magnificently stern array. Byron.
Be a philosopher; but, amidst all your philosophy, be still a man. Hume.
Beard was never the true standard of brains. Fuller.
Bear one another's burdens. St. Paul.
Bear wealth, poverty will bear itself. Pr. 5
Be a sinner and sin manfully (fortiter), but believe and rejoice in Christ more manfully still. Luther to Melanchthon.
Be as you would seem to be. Pr.
Beatæ memoriæ—Of blessed memory.
Beati monoculi in regione cæcorum—Blessed are the one-eyed among those who are blind. Pr.
Beatus ille qui procul negotiis, / Ut prisca 10 gens mortalium, / Paterna rura bobus exercet suis, / Solutus omni fœnore—Happy the man who, remote from busy life, is content, like the primitive race of mortals, to plough his paternal lands with his own oxen, freed from all borrowing and lending. Hor.
Beaucoup de mémoire et peu de jugement—A retentive memory and little judgment. Fr. Pr.
Beau idéal—Ideal excellence, or one's conception of perfection in anything. Fr.
Beau monde—The fashionable world. Fr.
Beauté et folie sont souvent en compagnie—Beauty and folly go often together. Fr. Pr.
Beauties in vain their pretty eyes may roll; / 15 Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul. Pope.
Beautiful it is to understand and know that a thought did never yet die; that as thou, the originator thereof, hast gathered it and created it from the whole past, so thou wilt transmit to the whole future. Carlyle.
Beauty blemished once, for ever's lost. Shakespeare.
Beauty can afford to laugh at distinctions; it is itself the greatest distinction. Bovee.
Beauty carries its dower in its face. Dan. Pr.
Beauty depends more on the movement of the 20 face than the form of the features. Mrs. Hall.
Beauty doth varnish age, as if new-born, / And gives the crutch the cradle's infancy. / O, 'tis the sun that maketh all things shine. Love's L's. Lost, iv. 3.
Beauty draws us with a single hair. Pope.
Beauty is a good letter of introduction. Ger. Pr.
Beauty is a hovering, shining, shadowy form, the outline of which no definition holds. Goethe.
Beauty is an all-pervading presence. Channing. 25
Beauty is a patent of nobility. G. Schwab.
Beauty is as summer fruits, which are easy to corrupt and cannot last. Bacon.
Beauty is a witch, / Against whose charms faith melteth into blood. Much Ado, ii. 1.
Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye, / Not utter'd by base sale of chapmen's tongues. Love's L's. Lost, ii. 1.
Beauty is but a vain and doubtful good. 30 Shakespeare.
Beauty is everywhere a right welcome guest. Goethe.
Beauty is never a delusion. Hawthorne.
Beauty is the flowering of virtue. Gr. Pr.
Beauty is the highest principle and the highest aim of art. Goethe.
Beauty is the pilot of the young soul. Emerson. 35
Beauty is the purgation of superfluities. Michael Angelo.
Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. Keats.
Beauty is worse than wine; it intoxicates both holder and the beholder. Zimmermann.
Beauty, like wit, to judges should be shown; / Both most are valued where they best are known. Lyttelton.
Beauty lives with kindness. Two Gen. of 40 Ver., iv. 2.
Beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold. As You Like It, i. 3.
Beauty should be the dowry of every man and woman. Emerson.
Beauty stands / In the admiration only of weak minds, / Led captive. Milton.
Beauty's tears are lovelier than her smile. Campbell.
Beauty too rich for use; for earth too dear. 45 Rom. and Jul., i. 5.
Beauty, when unadorned, adorned the most. Thomson.
Beauty without expression tires. Emerson.
Beauty without grace is a violet without smell. Pr.
Beaux esprits—Men of wit. Fr.
Be bold, be bold, and everywhere be bold. 50 Spenser.
Be checked for silence, / But never tax'd for speech. All's Well, i. 1.
Be commonplace and cringing, and everything is within your reach. Beaumarchais.
Bedenkt, der Teufel der ist alt, / So werdet alt ihn zu verstehen—Consider, the devil is old; therefore grow old to understand him. Goethe.
Be discreet in all things, and so render it unnecessary to be mysterious about any. Wellington.
Be England what she will, / With all her faults 55 she is my country still. Churchill.
Bees will not work except in darkness; thought will not work except in silence; neither will virtue work except in secrecy. Carlyle.
Before a leaf-bud has burst, its whole life acts; in the full-blown flower there is no more; in the leafless root there is no less. Emerson.
Before every one stands an image (Bild) of what he ought to be; so long as he is not that, his peace is not complete. Rückert.
Before honour is humility. Bible.
Before man made us citizens, great Nature 60 made us men. Lowell.
Before the curing of a strong disease, / Even in the instant of repair and health, / The fit is strongest; evils that take leave, / On their departure most of all show evil. King John, iii. 4.
Before the immense possibilities of man, all mere experience, all past biography, however spotless and sainted, shrinks away. Emerson.
Before the revelations of the soul, Time, Space, and Nature shrink away. Emerson.
Before you trust a man, eat a peck of salt with him. Pr.
Beggars, mounted, run their horse to death. 3 Hen. VI., i. 4.
Beggars must not be choosers. Pr.
Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thanks. Ham., ii. 2.
Begnügt euch doch ein Mensch zu sein—Let it content thee that thou art a man. Lessing.
Begun is half done. Pr. 5
Behaupten ist nicht beweisen—Assertion is no proof. Ger. Pr.
Behaviour is a mirror in which each one shows his image. Goethe.
Behind a frowning providence / God hides a shining face. Cowper.
Behind us, as we go, all things assume pleasing forms, as clouds do afar off. Emerson.
Behind every individual closes organisation; 10 before him opens liberty. Emerson.
Behind every mountain lies a vale. Dut. Pr.
Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth. St. James.
Beholding heaven and feeling hell. Moore.
Behold now is the accepted time. St. Paul.
Behold the child, by Nature's kindly law, / 15 Pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw. Pope.
Bei den meisten Menschen gründet sich der Unglaube in einer Sache auf blinden Glauben in einer andern—With most men unbelief in one thing is founded on blind belief in another. Lichtenberg.
Bei Geldsachen hört die Gemütlichkeit auf—When money is in question, good day to friendly feeling. D. Hansemann.
Beinahe bringt keine Mücke um—Almost never killed a fly. Ger. Pr.
Being alone when one's belief is firm, is not to be alone. Auerbach.
Being done, / There is no pause. Othello, 20 v. 2.
Being without well-being is a curse; and the greater being, the greater curse. Bacon.
Be in possession, and thou hast the right, and sacred will the many guard it for thee. Schiller.
Be it never so humble, there's no place like home. J. H. Payne.
Bei wahrer Liebe ist Vertrauen—With true love there is trust. Ph. Reger.
Be just and fear not; / Let all the ends thou 25 aim'st at be thy country's, / Thy God's, and truth's. Henry VIII., iii. 2.
Be just before you be generous. Pr.
Beleidigst du einen Mönch, so knappen alle Kuttenzipfel bis nach Rom—Offend but one monk, and the lappets of all cowls will flutter as far as Rome. Ger. Pr.
Bel esprit—A person of genius; a brilliant mind. Fr.
Belief and love,—a believing love, will relieve us of a vast load of care. Emerson.
Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of 30 the soul; unbelief, in denying them. Emerson.
Believe not each accusing tongue, / As most weak persons do; / But still believe that story wrong / Which ought not to be true. Sheridan.
Believe not every spirit. St. John.
Bella! horrida bella!—War! horrid war! Virg.
Bella femmina che ride, vuol dire borsa che piange—The smiles of a pretty woman are the tears of the purse. It. Pr.
Bella matronis detestata—Wars detested by 35 mothers. Hor.
Belle, bonne, riche, et sage, est une femme en quatre étages—A woman who is beautiful, good, rich, and wise, is four stories high. Fr. Pr.
Belle chose est tôt ravie—A fine thing is soon snapt up. Fr. Pr.
Bellet ein alter Hund, so soll man aufschauen—When an old dog barks, one must look out. Ger. Pr.
Bellicæ virtutis præmium—The reward of valour in war. M.