Dull not device by coldness and delay. Othello, ii. 3.
Dumb dogs and still waters are dangerous. Ger. Pr.
Dumbie winna lee. Sc. Pr. 5
Dumb jewels often, in their silent kind, / More than quick words do move a woman's mind. Two Gent. of Ver., iii. 1.
Dum deliberamus quando incipiendum incipere jam serum est—While we are deliberating to begin, the time to begin is past. Quinct.
Dum fata fugimus, fata stulti incurrimus—While we flee from our fate, we like fools rush on it. Buchanan.
Dum in dubio est animus, paulo momento huc illuc impellitur—While the mind is in suspense, a very little sways it one way or other. Ter.
Dum lego, assentior—Whilst I read, I assent. 10 Cic.
Dum loquor, hora fugit—While I am speaking, time flies. Ovid.
Dummodo morata recte veniat, dotata est satis—Provided she come with virtuous principles, a woman brings dowry enough. Plaut.
Dummodo sit dives, barbarus ipse placet—If he be only rich, a very barbarian pleases us. Ovid.
Dum ne ob malefacta peream, parvi æstimo—So be I do not die for evil-doing, I care little for dying. Plaut.
Du moment qu'on aime, on devient si doux—From 15 the moment one falls in love, one becomes sweet in the temper. Marmontel.
Dum se bene gesserit—So long as his behaviour is good. L.
Dum singuli pugnant, universi vincuntur—While they fight separately, the whole are conquered. Tacit.
Dum spiro, spero—While I breathe, I hope. M.
Dum tacent, clamant—While silent, they cry aloud, i.e., their silence bespeaks discontent. Cic.
Du musst steigen oder sinken, / Du musst herrschen 20 und gewinnen, / Oder dienen und verlieren, / Leiden oder triumphiren, / Amboss oder Hammer sein—Thou must mount up or sink down, must rule and win or serve and lose, suffer or triumph, be anvil or hammer. Goethe.
Dum vires annique sinunt, tolerate labores: / Jam veniet tacito curva senecta pede—While your strength and years permit, you should endure labour; bowed old age will soon come on with silent foot. Ovid.
Dum vitant stulti vitia, in contraria currunt—While fools shun one set of faults, they run into the opposite one. Hor.
Dum vivimus, vivamus—While we live, let us live. M.
D'une vache perdue, c'est quelque chose de recouvrer la queue—When a cow is lost, it is something to recover the tail. Fr. Pr.
Duo quum faciunt idem non est idem—When 25 two do the same thing, it is not the same. Ter.
Duos qui sequitur lepores neutrum capit—He who follows two hares is sure to catch neither. Pr.
Dupes indeed are many; but of all dupes there is none so fatally situated as he who lives in undue terror of being duped. Carlyle.
Durante beneplacito—During good pleasure.
Durante vita—During life.
Dura più incudine che il martello—The anvil 30 lasts longer than the hammer. It. Pr.
Durate, et vosmet rebus servate secundis—Be patient, and preserve yourself for better times. Virg.
Durch Vernünfteln wird Poesie vertrieben / Aber sie mag das Vernüftige lieben—Poetry loves what is true in reason, but is scared away (dispersed) by subtlety in reasoning. Goethe.
Durum et durum non faciunt murum—Hard and hard (i.e., without mortar) do not make a wall.
Durum! Sed levius fit patientia / Quicquid corrigere est nefas—'Tis hard! But that which we are not permitted to correct is rendered lighter by patience. Hor.
Durum telum necessitas—Necessity is a hard 35 weapon. Pr.
Du sollst mit dem Tode zufrieden sein. / Warum machst du dir das Leben zur Pein?—Thou shouldst make peace (lit. be content) with death. Why then make thy life a torture to thee? Goethe.
Dusting, darning, drudging, nothing is great or small, / Nothing is mean or irksome: love will hallow it all. Dr. Walter Smith.
Dust long outlasts the storied stone. Byron.
Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return. Bible.
Du sublime au ridicule il n'y a qu'un pas—There 40 is but one step from the sublime to the ridiculous. Napoleon.
Dutchmen must have wide breeches. Fris. Pr.
Duties are but coldly performed which are but philosophically fulfilled. Mrs. Jameson.
Duties are ours; events are God's. Cecil.
Duty by habit is to pleasure turn'd; / He is content who to obey has learn'd. Sir E. Brydges.
Duty demands the parent's voice / Should sanctify 45 the daughter's choice, / In that is due obedience shown; / To choose belongs to her alone. Moore.
Duty, especially out of the domain of love, is the veriest slavery in the world. J. G. Holland.
Duty has the virtue of making us feel the reality of a positive world, while at the same time it detaches us from it. Amiel.
Duty is a power which rises with us in the morning, and goes to bed with us in the evening. Gladstone.
Duty is the demand of the passing hour. Goethe.
Duty scorns prudence, and criticism has few 50 terrors for a man with a great purpose. Disraeli.
Duty—the command of Heaven, the eldest voice of God. Kingsley.
Dux fœmina facti—A woman the leader in the deed. Virg.
E.
Each animal out of its habitat would starve. Emerson.
Each change of many-colour'd life he drew, / Exhausted worlds, and then imagined new. Johnson.
Each creature is only a modification of the other; the likeness in them is more than the difference, and their radical law is one and the same. Emerson.
Each creature seeks its perfection in another. Luther.
Each day still better other's happiness, / Until 5 the heavens, envying earth's good hap, / Add an immortal title to your crown. Rich. II., i. 1.
Each departed friend is a magnet that attracts us to the next world, and the old man lives among graves. Jean Paul.
Each good thought or action moves / The dark world nearer to the sun. Whittier.
Each heart is a world. You find all within yourself that you find without. The world that surrounds you is the magic glass of the world within you. Lavater.
Each human heart can properly exhibit but one love, if even one; the "first love, which is infinite," can be followed by no second like unto it. Carlyle.
Each in his narrow cell for ever laid,/ The rude 10 forefathers of the hamlet sleep. Gray.
Each man begins the world afresh, and the last man repeats the blunders of the first. Amiel.
Each man can learn something from his neighbour; at least he can learn to have patience with him—to live and let live. Kingsley.
Each man has his fortune in his own hands, as the artist has a piece of rude matter, which he is to fashion into a certain shape. Goethe.
Each man has his own vocation; his talent is his call. There is one direction in which all space is open to him. Emerson.
Each man sees over his own experience a 15 certain stain of error, whilst that of other men looks fair and ideal. Emerson.
Each man's chimney is his golden milestone, is the central point from which he measures every distance through the gateways of the world around him. Longfellow.
Each mind has its own method. A true man never acquires after college rules. Emerson.
Each must stand on his glass tripod, if he would keep his electricity. Emerson.
Each one of us here, let the world go how it will, and be victorious or not victorious, has he not a life of his own to lead? Carlyle.
Each particle of matter is an immensity, each 20 leaf a world, each insect an inexplicable compendium. Lavater.
Each plant has its parasite, and each created thing its lover and poet. Emerson.
Each present joy or sorrow seems the chief. Sh.
Each sin at heart is Deicide. Aubrey de Vere (the younger).
Each substance of a grief hath twenty shadows, / Which show like grief itself, but are not so; / For sorrow's eye, glazed with blinding tears, / Divides one thing entire to many objects. Rich. II., ii. 2.
Each thing is a half, and suggests another thing 25 to make it whole; as spirit, matter; man, woman; odd, even; subjective, objective; in, out; motion, rest; yea, nay. Emerson.
Each thing lives according to its kind; the heart by love, the intellect by truth, the higher nature of man by intimate communion with God. Chapin.
Each year one vicious habit rooted out, in time might make the worst man good. Ben. Franklin.
Ea fama vagatur—That report is in circulation.
Eagles fly alone; they are but sheep that always herd together. Sir P. Sidney.
Eamus quo ducit gula—Let us go where our 30 appetite prompts us. Virg.
Early and provident fear is the mother of safety. Burke.
Early birds catch the worms. Sc. Pr.
Early, bright, transient, chaste, as morning dew, / She sparkled, was exhaled, and went to heaven. Young.
Early master soon knave (servant). Sc. Pr.
Early start makes easy stages. Amer. Pr. 35
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Pr.
Earn well the thrifty months, nor wed / Raw Haste, half-sister to Delay. Tennyson.
Earnest and sport go well together. Dan. Pr.
Earnestness alone makes life eternity. Goethe.
Earnestness in life, even when carried to an 40 extreme, is something very noble and great. W. v. Humboldt.
Earnestness is a quality as old as the heart of man. G. Gilfillan.
Earnestness is enthusiasm tempered by reason. Pascal.
Earnestness is the cause of patience; it gives endurance, overcomes pain, strengthens weakness, braves dangers, sustains hope, makes light of difficulties, and lessens the sense of weariness in overcoming them. Bovee.
Earnestness is the devotion of all the faculties. Bovee.
Earth changes, but thy soul and God stand 45 sure. Browning.
Earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat, / Sighing through all her work, gave sign of woe / That all was lost. Milton.
Earth has scarcely an acre that does not remind us of actions that have long preceded our own, and its clustering tombstones loom up like reefs of the eternal shore, to show us where so many human barks have struck and gone down. Chapin.
Earth hath no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. Moore.
Earth hath nothing more tender than a woman's heart when it is the abode of piety. Luther.
Earth is here (in Australia) so kind, just tickle 50 her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest. Douglas Jerrold.
Earthly pride is like a passing flower, that springs to fall and blossoms but to die. Kirke White.
Earth, sea, man, are all in each. Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Earth, that's Nature's mother, is her tomb. Rom. and Jul., ii. 3.
Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection. Burial Service.
Earth, turning from the sun, brings night to man. Young.
Earth with her thousand voices praises God. 5 Coleridge.
Earth's crammed with heaven, / And every common bush afire with God. Leigh.
Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected. Lowell.
Ease and honour are seldom bed-fellows. Sc. Pr.
Ea sola voluptas / Solamenque mali—That was his sole delight and solace in his woe. Virg.
East and west, home (hame) is best Eng. and 10 Sc. Pr.
Ea sub oculis posita negligimus; proximorum incuriosi, longinqua sectamur—We disregard the things which lie under our eyes; indifferent to what is close at hand, we inquire after things that are far away. Pliny.
Easy-crying widows take new husbands soonest; there's nothing like wet weather for transplanting. Holmes.
Easy writing's curst hard reading. Sheridan.
Eat at your own table as you would eat at the table of the king. Confucius.
Eat at your pleasure, drink in measure. Pr. 15
Eating little and speaking little can never do harm. Pr.
Eating the bitter bread of banishment. Rich. II., iii. 1.
Eat in measure and defy the doctor. Sc. Pr.
Eat to please thyself, but dress to please others. Ben. Franklin.
Eat-weel's drink-weel's brither. Sc. Pr. 20
Eat what you like, but pocket nothing. Pr.
Eau bénite de cour—False promises (lit. holy water of the court). Fr.
Eau sucrée—Sugared water. Fr.
[Greek: Heauton timôroumenos]—The self-tormentor. Menander.
Ebbe il migliore / De' miei giorni la patria—The 25 best of my days I devoted to my country. It.
E bello predicare il digiuno a corpo pieno—It is easy to preach fasting with a full belly. It. Pr.
Eben die ausgezeichnetsten Menschen bedürfen der Religion am meisten, weil sie die engen Grenzen unseres menschlichen Verstandes am liebhaftesten empfinden—It is just the most eminent men that need religion most, because they feel most keenly the narrow limits of our human understanding. Cötvös.
Eben wo Begriffe fehlen, / Da stellt ein Wort zur rechten Zeit sich ein—It is just where ideas fail that a word comes most opportunely to the rescue. Goethe.
E buon comprare quando un altro vuol vendere—It is well to buy when another wishes to sell. It. Pr.
Ecce homo—Behold the man! Pontius Pilate. 30
Ecce iterum Crispinus!—Another Crispinus, by Jove! (a profligate at the court of Domitian). Juv.
Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of character has abounded; and the amount of eccentricity in a society has been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigour, and moral courage it contained. That so few now dare to be eccentric, marks the chief danger of the time. J. S. Mill.
Eccentricity is sometimes found connected with genius, but it does not coalesce with true wisdom. Jay.
Ecce signum—Here is the proof.
Eccovi l'uom ch' è stato all'Inferno—See, there's 35 the man that has been in hell. It. (Said of Dante by the people of Verona.)
Echoes we: listen! / We cannot stay, / As dewdrops glisten, / Then fade away. Shelley.
Echo is the voice of a reflection in a mirror. Hawthorne.
[Greek: Echthros gar moi keinos, homôs Aïdao pylêsin, / Hos ch' heteron men keuthei eni phresin, allo de bazei]—Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is he who conceals one thing in his mind and utters another. Hom.
[Greek: Echthrôn adôra dôra]—An enemy's gifts are no gifts. Soph.
Eclaircissement—The clearing up of a thing. Fr. 40
Eclat de rire—A burst of laughter. Fr.
E cœlo descendit [Greek: gnôthi seauton]—From heaven came down the precept, "Know thyself." Juv.
Economy does not consist in the reckless reduction of estimates; on the contrary, such a course almost necessarily tends to increased expenditure. There can be no economy where there is no efficiency. Disraeli.
Economy is an excellent lure to betray people into expense. Zimmermann.
Economy is half the battle of life; it is not so 45 hard to earn money as to spend it. Spurgeon.
Economy is the parent of integrity, of liberty, and of ease, and the beauteous sister of temperance, of cheerfulness, and health. Johnson.
Economy no more means saving money than it means spending money. It means the administration of a house, its stewardship; spending or saving, that is, whether money or time, or anything else, to the best possible advantage. Ruskin.
E contra—On the other hand.
E contrario—On the contrary.
Ecorcher l'anguille par la queue—To begin at 50 the wrong end (lit. to skin an eel from the tail). Fr.
Ecrasons l'infâme—Let us crush the abomination, i.e., superstition. Voltaire.
Edel ist, der edel thut—Noble is that noble does. Ger. Pr.
Edel macht das Gemüth, nicht das Geblüt—It is the mind, not the blood, that ennobles. Ger. Pr.
Edel sei der Mensch / Hülfreich und gut / Denn das allein / Unterscheidet ihn / Von allen Wesen / Die wir kennen—Be man noble, helpful, and good; for that alone distinguishes him from all the beings we know. Goethe.
Edition de luxe—A splendid and expensive edition 55 of a book. Fr.
Editiones expurgatæ—Editions with objectionable passages eliminated.
Editio princeps—The original edition.
Edo, ergo ego sum—I eat, therefore I am. Monkish Pr.
Educated persons should share their thoughts with the uneducated, and take also a certain part in their labours. Ruskin.
Educate men without religion, and you make them but clever devils. Wellington.
Education alone can conduct us to that enjoyment 5 which is at once best in quality and infinite in quantity. H. Mann.
Education begins its work with the first breath of the child. Jean Paul.
Education begins the gentleman, but reading, good company, and reflection must finish him. Locke.
Education commences at the mother's knee, and every word spoken within the hearing of little children tends towards the formation of character. H. Ballou.
Education does not mean teaching people to know what they do not know; it means teaching them to behave as they do not behave. Ruskin.
Education gives fecundity of thought, copiousness 10 of illustration, quickness, vigour, fancy, words, images, and illustrations; it decorates every common thing, and gives the power of trifling without being undignified and absurd. Sydney Smith.
Education, however indispensable in a cultivated age, produces nothing on the side of genius. Where education ends, genius often begins. Isaac Disraeli.
Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army. E. Everett.
Education is generally the worse in proportion to the wealth and grandeur of the parents. D. Swift.
Education is only like good culture; it changes the size, but not the sort. Ward Beecher.
Education is only second to nature. H. Bushnell. 15
Education is our only political safety. Outside of this ark all is deluge. H. Mann.
Education is the apprenticeship of life. Willmott.
Education is the constraining and directing of youth towards that right reason which the law affirms, and which the experience of the best of our elders has sanctioned as truly great. Plato.
Education is the only interest worthy the deep, controlling anxiety of the thoughtful man. Wendell Phillips.
Education is the leading human souls to what 20 is best, and making what is best of them. The training which makes men happiest in themselves also makes them most serviceable to others. Ruskin.
Education may work wonders as well in warping the genius of individuals as in seconding it. A. B. Alcott.
Education of youth is not a bow for every man to shoot in that counts himself a teacher, but will require sinews almost equal to those which Homer gave Ulysses. Milton.
Education ought, as a first principle, to stimulate the will to activity. Zachariae.
Education should be as broad as man. Emerson.
[Greek: Ê hêkista ê hêdista]—Either the least or the 25 pleasantest.
Een diamant van eene dochter wordt een glas van eene vrouw—A diamond of a daughter becomes a glass of a wife. Dut. Pr.
Een dief maakt gelegenheid—A thief makes opportunity. Dut. Pr.
E'en from the tomb the voice of Nature cries, / E'en in our ashes live their wonted fires. Gray.
Een hond aan een been kent geene vrienden—A dog with a bone knows no friends. Dut. Pr.
Een kleine pot wordt haast heet—A little pot 30 becomes soon hot. Dut. Pr.
Eenmaal is geen gewoonte—Once is no custom. Dut. Pr.
Een once geduld is meer dan een pond verstand—One ounce of patience is worth more than a pound of brains. Dut. Pr.
E'en though vanquished he could argue still. Goldsmith.
[Greek: hê eudaimonia tôn autarchôn esti]—Happiness is theirs who are sufficient for themselves. Arist.
Effloresco—I flourish. M. 35
Effodiuntur opes, irritamenta malorum—Riches, the incentives to evil, are dug out of the earth. Ovid.
Efforts, to be permanently useful, must be uniformly joyous,—a spirit all sunshine,—graceful from very gladness,—beautiful because bright. Carlyle.
Effugit mortem, quisquis contempserit: timidissimum quemque consequitur—Whoso despises death escapes it, while it overtakes him who is afraid of it. Curt.
E flamma cibum petere—To live by desperate means (lit. to seek food from the flames). Pr.
Efter en god Avler kommer en god Oder—After 40 an earner comes a waster. Dan. Pr.
Eftsoons they heard a most melodious sound. Spenser.
E fungis nati homines—Upstarts (lit. men born of mushrooms).
Egad! I think the interpreter is the hardest to be understood of the two. Sheridan.
[Greek: hê gar physis bebaion, ou ta chrêmata]—It is only the character of a man, not his wealth, that is stable. Arist.
Egen Arne er Guld værd—A hearth of one's own 45 is worth gold. Dan. Pr.
Eggs and oaths are easily broken. Dan. Pr.
Eggs of an hour, bread of a day, wine of a year, but a friend of thirty years is best. It. Pr.
[Greek: Engya; para d' atê]—Be security, and mischief is nigh. Thales.
Egli ha fatto il male, ed io mi porto la pena—He has done the mischief, and I pay the penalty. It. Pr.
Egli vende l'uccello in su la frasca—He sells the 50 bird on the branch. It. Pr.
Egli venderebbe sino alla sua parte del sole—He would sell even his share in the sun. It. Pr.
[Greek: Hê glôss' omômoch', hê de phrên anômotos]—My tongue has sworn, but my mind is unsworn. Eurip.
Ego apros occido, alter fruitur pulpamento—I kill the boars, another enjoys their flesh. Pr.
Ego de caseo loquor, tu de creta respondes—While I talk to you of cheese, you talk to me of chalk. Erasmus.
Ego ero post principia—I will get out of harm's way (lit. I will keep behind the first rank). Ter.
Ego et rex meus—I and my king. Cardinal Wolsey.
Ego hoc feci—That was my doing.
Egoism is the source and summary of all faults 5 and miseries whatsoever. Carlyle.
Ego meorum solus sum meus—I am myself the only friend I have. Ter.
Ego nec studium sine divite vena, / Nec rude quid prosit video ingenium—I see not what good can come from study without a rich vein of genius, or from genius untrained by art. Hor.
Ego primam tollo, nominor quoniam Leo—I carry off the first share because my name is Lion. Phædr. in the fable of the lion a-hunting with weaker companions.
Ego, si bonam famam mihi servasso, sat ero dives—If I keep my good character, I shall be rich enough. Plaut.
Ego spem pretio non emo—I do not purchase 10 hope with money, i.e., I do not spend my resources upon vain hopes. Ter.
Ego sum, ergo omnia sunt—I am, and therefore all things are.
Ego sum rex Romanus et supra grammaticam—I am king of the Romans, and above grammar. The Emperor Sigismund at the Council of Constance.
Egotism erects its centre in itself; love places it out of itself in the axis of the universal whole. Schiller.
Egotism is the tongue of vanity. Chamfort.
Egotists are the pest of society. Emerson. 15
Egotists cannot converse; they talk to themselves only. A. B. Alcott.
Egregii mortalem, altique silenti—A being of extraordinary and profound silence. Hor.
Eher schätzet man das Gute / Nicht, als bis man es verlor—We do not learn to value our blessings till we have lost them. Herder.
Ehestand, Wehestand—State of wedlock, state of sorrow. Ger. Pr.
Eheu! fugaces, Posthume, Posthume, / Labuntur 20 anni, nec pietas moram / Rugis et instanti senectæ / Afferet, indomitæque morti—Alas! Posthumus, our years glide fleetly away, nor can piety stay wrinkles and advancing age and unvanquished death. Hor.
Eheu! quam brevibus pereunt ingentia causis!—Alas! what trifling causes often wreck the vastest enterprises. Claud.
Ehren und Leben / Kann Niemand zurück geben—No man can give back honour and life. Ger. Pr.
Ehret die Frauen! Sie flechten und weben / Himmlische Rosen ins irdische Leben—Honour to the women! they plait and weave roses of heaven for the life of earth. Schiller.
Ehret die Frauen! Sie stricken und weben / Wollene Strümpfe fürs frostige Leben—Honour to the women! they knit and weave worsted stockings for our frosty life. Volkswitz.
Ehrlich währt am längsten—Honesty lasts 25 longest. Ger. Pr.
[Greek: Ei de theon anêr tis elpetai lathemen / Erdôn, hamartanei]—If any man hopes that his deeds will pass unobserved by the Deity, he is mistaken. Pindar.
Eident (diligent) youth makes easy age. Sc. Pr.
Eifersucht ist eine Leidenschaft, die mit Eifer sucht was Leiden schafft—Jealousy is a passion which seeks with zeal what yields only misery. Schleiermacher.
Eigenliebe macht die Augen trübe—Self-love clouds the eyes. Ger. Pr.
"Ei ist Ei," sagte der Küster, aber er nahm 30 das Gans Ei—"An egg is an egg," said the sexton, but he took the goose-egg. Ger. Pr.
Eild and poortith are ill to thole, i.e., age and poverty are hard to bear. Sc. Pr.
Eild should hae honour, i.e., old people should. Sc. Pr.
Eile mit Weile—Haste with leisure. Ger. Pr.
Ein alter Fuchs läuft nicht zum zweiten Mal in's Garn—An old fox does not run into the snare a second time. Ger. Pr.
Ein Arzt darf auch dem Feind sich nicht 35 entziehen—A physician may not turn his back even on an enemy. Gutzkow.
Ein Augenblick, gelebt im Paradiese, / Wird nicht zu theuer mit dem Tod gebüsst—A moment lived in paradise is not purchased too dearly at the ransom of death. Schiller.
Einbildungskraft wird nur durch Kunst, besonders durch Poesie geregelt. Es ist nichts fürchterlicher als Einbildungskraft ohne Geschmack—Power of imagination is regulated only by art, especially by poetry. There is nothing more frightful than imaginative faculty without taste. Goethe.
Einbläsereien sind der Teufels Redekunst—Insinuations are the devil's rhetoric. Goethe.
Ein Diadem erkämpfen ist gross; es wegwerfen ist göttlich—To gain a crown by fighting for it is great; to reject it is divine. Schiller.
Ein Ding ist nicht bös, wenn man es gut 40 versteht—A thing is not bad if we understand it well. Ger. Pr.
Eine Bresche ist jeder Tag, / Die viele Menschen erstürmen; / Wer da auch fallen mag, / Die Todten sich niemals thürmen—Every day is a rampart breach which many men are storming; fall in it who may, no pile is forming of the slain. Goethe.
Ein edler Mann wird durch ein gutes Wort / Der Frauen weit geführt—A noble man is led a long way by a good word from women. Goethe.
Ein edler Mensch zieht edle Menschen an / Und weiss sie fest zu halten—A noble man attracts noble men, and knows how to hold them fast. Goethe.
Ein edles Beispiel macht die schweren Thaten leicht—A noble example makes difficult enterprises easy. Goethe.
Eine grosse Epoche hat das Jahrhundert 45 geboren; / Aber der grosse Moment findet ein kleines Geschlecht—The century has given birth to a great epoch, but it is a small race the great moment appeals to. Schiller.
Eine Hälfte der Welt verlacht die andere—One half of the world laughs at the other half. Ger. Pr.
Eine Handvoll Gewalt ist besser als Sackvoll Recht—A handful of might is better than a sackful of right. Ger. Pr.
Ein eigen Herd, ein braves Weib, sind Gold und Perlen werth—A hearth of one's own and a good wife are as good as gold and pearls. Ger. Pr.
Einen Wahn verlieren macht weiser als eine Wahrheit finden—Getting rid of a delusion makes us wiser than getting hold of a truth. Börne.
Einer kann reden und Sieben können singen—One can speak and seven can sing. Ger. Pr.
Einer neuen Wahrheit nichts ist schädlicher als ein alter Irrtum—Nothing is more harmful to a new truth than an old error. Goethe.
Eine Rose gebrochen, ehe der Sturm sie entblättert—A rose broken ere the storm stripped its petals. Lessing.
Eine schöne Menschenseele finden / Ist Gewinn—It 5 is a true gain to find a beautiful human soul. Herder.
Ein Esel schimpft den andern Langohr—One ass nicknames another Longears. Ger. Pr.
Eines schickt sich nicht für Alle! / Sehe jeder wie er's treibe, / Sehe jeder wo er bleibe, / Und wer steht, dass er nicht falle—One thing does not suit every one; let each man see how he gets on, where his limits are; and let him that standeth take heed lest he fall. Goethe.
Ein Feind ist zu viel, und hundert Freunde sind zu wenig—One foe is too many, a hundred friends are too few. Ger. Pr.
Ein fester Blick, ein hoher Mut, / Die sind zu allen Zeiten gut—A steady eye and a lofty mind are at all times good. Bechstein.
Ein geistreich aufgeschlossenes Wort / Wirkt 10 auf die Ewigkeit.—The influence of a spiritually elucidated (or embodied) word is eternal. Goethe.
Eingestandene Uebereilung ist oft lehrreicher, als kalte überdachte Unfehlbarkeit—A confessed precipitancy is often more instructive than a coldly considered certainty. Lessing.
Ein Gift, welches nicht gleich wirkt, ist darum kein minder gefährliches Gift—A poison which does not take immediate effect is therefore none the less a dangerous poison. Lessing.
Ein Gott ist, ein heiliger Wille lebt, / Wie auch der menschliche wanke; / Hoch über der Zeit und dem Raume webt / Lebendig der höchste Gedanke—A god is, a holy will lives, however man's will may waver; high over all time and space the highest thought weaves itself everywhere into life's web. Schiller.
Ein grosser Fehler; dass man sich mehr dünkt als man ist, und sich weniger schätzt, als man werth ist—It is a great mistake for people to think themselves more than they are, and to value themselves less than they are worth. Goethe.
Ein Herz das sich mit Sorgen quält / Hat 15 selten frohe Stunden—A heart which tortures itself with care has seldom hours of gladness. Old Ger. Song.
Ein jeder ist sich selbst der grösste Feind—Every one is his own greatest enemy. Schefer.
Ein jeder lebt's, nicht vielen ist's bekannt—Though every one lives it (life), it is not to many that it is known. Goethe.
Ein jeder lernet nur, was er lernen kann; / Doch der den Augenblick ergreift, / Das ist der rechte Mann—Each one learns only what he can; yet he who seizes the passing moment is the proper man. Goethe.
Ein jeder Wechsel schreckt den Glücklichen—Every change is a cause of uneasiness to the favoured of fortune. Schiller.
Ein Komödiant könnt' einen Pfarren lehren—A 20 playactor might instruct a parson. Goethe.
Ein Kranz ist gar viel leichter binden / Als ihm ein würdig Haupt zu finden—It is very much easier to bind a wreath than to find a head worthy to wear it. Goethe.
Ein langes Hoffen ist süsser, als ein kurzes Ueberraschen—A long hope is sweeter than a short surprise. Jean Paul.
Ein leerer Sack steht nicht aufrecht—An empty sack does not stand upright. Ger. Pr.
Ein mächtiger Vermittler ist der Tod—Death is a powerful reconciler. Schiller.
Einmal gerettet, ist's für tausend Male—To 25 be saved once is to be saved a thousand times. Goethe.
Ein Mann der recht zu wirken denkt / Muss auf das beste Werkzeug halten—A man who intends to work rightly must select the most effective instrument. Goethe.
Ein Mann, ein Wort; ein Wort, ein Mann—A man, a word; a word, a man. Ger. Pr.
Ein Mensch ohne Verstand ist auch ein Mensch ohne Wille—A man without understanding is also a man without will or purpose. Feuerbach.
Ein Mühlstein wird nicht moosig—A millstone does not become covered with moss. Ger. Pr.
Ein niedrer Sinn ist stolz im Glück, im Leid 30 bescheiden; / Bescheiden ist im Glück ein edler, stolz im Leiden—A vulgar mind is proud in prosperity and humble in adversity; a noble mind is humble in prosperity and proud in adversity. Rückert.
Ein "Nimm hin" ist besser als zehn "Helf Gott"—One "Take this" is better than ten of "God help you." Ger. Pr.
Ein offenes Herz zeigt eine offene Stirn—An open brow shows an open heart. Schiller.
Ein Pfennig mit Recht ist besser denn tausend mit Unrecht—A penny by right is better than a thousand by wrong. Ger. Pr.
Ein Schauspiel für Götter, / Zwei Liebende zu sehn!—To witness two lovers is a spectacle for gods. Goethe.
Ein Theil bin ich von jener Kraft, / Die stets 35 das Böse will und stets das Gute schafft—I am a part of that power which continually wills the evil and continually creates the good. Mephistopheles, in "Faust."
Ein Titel muss sie erst vertraulich machen—A degree is the first thing necessary to bespeak confidence in your profession. Goethe, in "Faust."
Ein Tropfen Hass, der in dem Freudenbecher / Zurückbleibt, macht den Segensdrank zum Gifte—A drop of hate that is left in the cup of joy converts the blissful draught into poison. Schiller.
Ein unterrichtetes Volk lässt sich leicht regieren—An educated people can be easily governed. Frederick the Great.
Ein üppig lastervolles Leben büsst sich / In Mangel und Erniedrigung allem—Only in want and degradation can a life of sensual profligacy be atoned for. Schiller.
Ein Vater ernährt eher zehn Kinder, denn zehn 40 Kinder einen Vater—One father supports ten children sooner than ten children one father. Ger. Pr.
Ein Vergnügen erwarten ist auch ein Vergnügen—To look forward to a pleasure is also a pleasure. Lessing.
Ein Volk ohne Gesetze gleicht einem Menschen ohne Grundsätze—A people without laws is like a man without principles. Zachariæ.
Ein vollkommener Widerspruch / Bleibt gleich geheimnissvoll für Kluge wie für Thoren—A flat contradiction is ever equally mysterious to wise folks as to fools. Goethe.
Ein Wahn der mich beglückt, / Ist eine Wahrheit wert die mich zu Boden drückt—An illusion which gladdens me is worth a truth which saddens me (lit. presses me to the ground). Wieland.
Ein wandernd Leben / Gefällt der freien Dichterbrust—A wandering life delights the free heart of the poet. Arion.
Ein wenig zu spät ist viel zu spät—A little too late is much too late. Ger. Pr.
Ein Wörtlein kann ihn fallen—A little word can 5 slay him. Luther, of the Pope.
Ein Wort nimmt sich, ein Leben nie zurück—A word may be recalled, a life never. Schiller.
[Greek: Eis anêr oudeis anêr]—One man is no man. Gr. Pr.
Either sex alone is half itself. Tennyson.
Eith (quickly) learned, soon forgotten. Sc. Pr.
[Greek: Ei ti agathon theleis, para seautou labe]—If 10 you would have anything good, seek for it from yourself. Arrian.
Ejusdem farinæ—Of the same kidney (lit. meal).
Ejusdem generis—Of the same kind.
El agujero llama al ladron—The hole tempts the thief. Sp. Pr.
El amor verdadero no sufre cosa encubierta—True love suffers no concealment. Sp. Pr.
Elati animi comprimendi sunt—Minds which are 15 too much elated ought to be kept in check.
El corazon manda las carnes—The heart bears up the body. Sp. Pr.
El corazon no es traidor—The heart is no traitor. Sp. Pr.
El dar es honor, y el pedir dolor—To give is honour; to lose, grief. Sp. Pr.
El diablo saba mucho, porque es viejo—The devil knows a great deal, for he is old. Sp. Pr.
El dia que te casas, ó te matas ó te sanas—The 20 day you marry, it is either kill or cure. Sp. Pr.
El Dorado—A region of unimagined wealth fabled at one time to exist in S. America; a dreamland of wealth. Sp.
Elegance is necessary to the fine gentleman, dignity is proper to noblemen, and majesty to kings. Hazlitt.
Elegit—He has chosen. A writ empowering a creditor to hold lands for payment of a debt. L.
Elephants endors'd with towers. Milton.
Elève le corbeau, il te crèvera les yeux—Bring 25 up a raven, he will pick out your eyes. Fr. Pr.
Elige eum cujus tibi placuit et vita et oratio—Make choice of him who recommends himself to you by his life as well as address. Sen.
Elk het zijne is niet te veel—Every one his own is not too much. Dut. Pr.
Ell and tell is gude merchandise, i.e., ready money is. Sc. Pr.
Elle a trop de vertus pour n'être pas chrétienne—She has too many virtues not to be a Christian. Corn.
Elle n'en fit point la petite bouche—She did not 30 mince matters (lit. make a small mouth about it). Fr. Pr.
Elle riait du bout des dents—She gave a forced laugh (lit. laughed with the end of her teeth). Fr. Pr.
El malo siempre piensa engaño—The bad man always suspects some knavish intention. Sp. Pr.
El mal que de tu boca sale, en tu seno se cae—The evil which issues from thy mouth falls into thy bosom. Sp. Pr.
El mal que no tiene cura es locura—Folly is the one evil for which there is no remedy. Sp. Pr.
Elocution is the adjustment of apt words and 35 sentiments to the subject in debate. Cic.
Eloignement—Estrangement. Fr.
Eloquence, at its highest pitch, leaves little room for reason or reflection, but addresses itself entirely to the fancy or the affections, captivates the willing hearers, and subdues their understanding. Hume.
Eloquence is a pictorial representation of thought. Pascal.
Eloquence is in the assembly, not in the speaker. Wm. Pitt.
Eloquence is like flame: it requires matter to 40 feed on, motion to excite it, and it brightens as it burns. Tac.
Eloquence is the appropriate organ of the highest personal energy. Emerson.
Eloquence is the child of knowledge. When the mind is full, like a wholesome river, it is also clear. Disraeli.
Eloquence is the language of nature, and cannot be learned in the schools. Colton.
Eloquence is the painting of thought; and thus those who, after having painted it, still add to it, make a picture instead of a portrait. Pascal.
Eloquence is the poetry of prose. Bryant. 45
Eloquence is the power to translate a truth into language perfectly intelligible to the person to whom you speak. Emerson.
Eloquence is to the sublime as a whole to its part. La Bruyère.
Eloquence must be grounded on the plainest narrative. Emerson.
Eloquence shows the power and possibility of man. Emerson.
Eloquence the soul, song charms the sense. 50 Milton.
Eloquence, to produce her full effect, should start from the head of the orator, as Pallas from the brain of Jove, completely armed and equipped. Colton.
El pan comido, la compañia deshecha—The bread eaten, the company dispersed. Sp. Pr.
El pie del dueño estierco para la heredad—The foot of the owner is manure for the farm. Sp. Pr.
El que trabaja, y madra, hila oro—He that labours and perseveres spins gold. Sp. Pr.
El rey va hasta do poede, y no hasta do quiere—The 55 king goes as far as he may, not as far as he would. Sp. Pr.
El rey y la patria—For king and country. Sp.
El rio pasado, el santo olvidádo—The river (danger) past, the saint (delivery) forgotten. Sp. Pr.
El sabio muda consejo, el necio no—The wise man changes his mind, the fool never. Sp. Pr.
El secreto á voces—An open secret. Calderon.
El tiempo cura el enfermo, que ne el unguento—It is time and not medicine that cures the disease. Sp. Pr.
Elucet maxime animi excellentia magnitudoque in despiciendis opibus—Excellence and greatness of soul are most conspicuously displayed in contempt of riches.
El villano en su tierra, y el hidalgo donde quiera—The clown in his own country, the gentleman where he pleases. Sp. Pr.
Elysian beauty, melancholy grace, / Brought from a pensive through a happy place. Wordsworth.
E mala cosa esser cattivo, ma è peggiore esser 5 conosciuto—It is a bad thing to be a knave, but worse to be found out. It. Pr.
Emas non quod opus est, sed quod necesse est: / Quod non opus est, asse carum est—Buy not what you want, but what you need; what you don't want is dear at a cent. Cato.
Embarras de richesses—An encumbrance of wealth. D'Allainval.
Embonpoint—Plumpness or fulness of body. Fr.
E meglio aver oggi un uovo, che dimani una gallina—Better an egg to-day than a hen to-morrow. It. Pr.
E meglio cader dalla finestra che dal tetto—It 10 is better to fall from the window than the roof. It. Pr.
E meglio dare che non aver a dare—Better give than not have to give. It. Pr.
E meglio domandar che errare—Better ask than lose your way. It. Pr.
E meglio esse fortunato che savio—'Tis better to be born fortunate than wise. It. Pr.
E meglio esse uccel di bosco che di gabbia—Better to be a bird in the wood than one in the cage. It. Pr.
E meglio il cuor felice che la borsa—Better the 15 heart happy than the purse (full). It. Pr.
E meglio lasciare che mancare—Better leave than lack. It. Pr.
E meglio perder la sella che il cavallo—Better lose the saddle than the horse. It. Pr.
E meglio sdrucciolare col piè che con la lingua—Better slip with the foot than the tongue. It. Pr.
E meglio senza cibo restar che senz' onore—Better be without food than without honour. It. Pr.
E meglio una volta che mai—Better once than 20 never. It. Pr.
E meglio un buon amico che cento parente—One true friend is better than a hundred relations. It. Pr.
[Greek: hê men gar sophia ouden theôrei ex hôn estai eudaimôn anthrôpos]—Wisdom never contemplates what will make a happy man. Arist.
Emere malo quam rogare—I had rather buy than beg.
Emerge from unnatural solitude, look abroad for wholesome sympathy, bestow and receive. Dickens.
Emeritus—One retired from active official duties. 25
Emerson tells us to hitch our waggon to a star; and the star is without doubt a good steed, when once fairly caught and harnessed, but it takes an astronomer to catch it. J. Borroughs.
Emerson wants Emersonian epigrams from Carlyle, and Carlyle wants Carlylean thunder from Emerson. The thing which a man's nature calls him to do, what else is so well worth his doing? John Borroughs.
Eminent positions are like the summits of rocks; only eagles and reptiles can get there. Mme. Necker.
Eminent stations make great men greater and little men less. La Bruyère.
Emori nolo, sed me esse mortuum nihil curo—I 30 would not die, but care not to be dead. Cæs.
Emotion is always new. Victor Hugo.
Emotion is the atmosphere in which thought is steeped, that which lends to thought its tone or temperature, that to which thought is often indebted for half its power. H. R. Haweis.
Emotion, not thought, is the sphere of music; and emotion quite as often precedes as follows thought. H. R. Haweis.
Emotion turning back on itself, and not leading on to thought or action, is the element of madness. John Sterling.
[Greek: Emou thanontos gaia michthêtô pyri]—When I 35 am dead the earth will be mingled with fire. Anon.
Empfindliche Ohren sind, bei Mädchen so gut als bei Pferden, gute Gesundheitszeichen—In maidens as well as in horses, sensitive ears are signs of good health. Jean Paul.
Empires and nations flourish and decay, / By turns command, and in their turns obey. Ovid.
Empires are only sandhills in the hour-glass of Time; they crumble spontaneously by the process of their own growth. Draper.
Empires flourish till they become commercial, and then they are scattered abroad to the four winds. Wm. Blake.
Empirical sciences prosecuted simply for their 40 own sake, and without a philosophic tendency, resemble a face without eyes. Schopenhauer.
Employment and hardships prevent melancholy. Johnson.
Employment gives health, sobriety, and morals. D. Webster.
Employment is enjoyment. Pr.
Employment is Nature's physician, and is essential to human happiness. Galen.
Employ thy time well if thou meanest to gain 45 leisure, and, since you are not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour. Ben. Franklin.
[Greek: Empodizei ton logon ho phobos]—Fear hampers speech. Demades.
Empressement—Ardour; warmth. Fr.
Empta dolore docet experientia—Experience bought with pain teaches effectually. Pr.
Empty vessels make the most noise. Pr.
Emulation admires and strives to imitate great 50 actions; envy is only moved to malice. Balzac.
Emulation, even in the brutes, is sensitively nervous; see the tremor of the thorough-bred racer before he starts. Bulwer Lytton.
E multis paleis paulum fructus collegi—Out of much chaff I have gathered little grain. Pr.
Emunctæ naris—Of nice discernment (lit. scent). Hor.
[Greek: Hena ... alla leonta]—One, but a lion. Æsop.
En ami—As a friend. Fr.
En amour comme en amitié, un tiers souvent nous embarrasse—A third person is often an annoyance to us in love as in friendship. Fr.
En arrière—In the rear. Fr. 5
En attendant—In the meantime. Fr.
En avant—Forward; on. Fr.
En badinant—In jest. Fr.
En beau—In a favourable light. Fr.
En bloc—In a lump. Fr. 10
En boca cerrada no entra mosca—Flies don't enter a shut mouth. Sp. Pr.
En bon train—In a fair way. Fr.
En buste—Half-length. Fr.
En cada tierra su uso—Every country has its own custom. Sp. Pr.
Encouragement after censure is as the sun 15 after a shower. Goethe.
En cuéros—Naked. Sp.
Endeavouring, by logical argument, to prove the existence of God, were like taking out a candle to look for the sun. Carlyle, after Kant.
Endeavour not to settle too many habits at once, lest by variety you confound them, and so perfect none. Locke.
En dernier ressort—As a last resource. Fr.
En déshabille—In an undress. Fr. 20
En Dieu est ma fiance—In God is my trust. M.
En Dieu est tout—All depends on God. M.
Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty. Ruskin.
Endurance is the crowning quality, and patience all the passion, of great hearts. Lowell.
En échelon—Like steps. Fr. 25
En effet—In fact; substantially. Fr.
Ene i Raad, ene i Sorg—Alone in counsel, alone in sorrow. Dan. Pr.
En el rio do no hay pezes por demas es echar redes—It is in vain to cast nets in a river where there are no fish. Sp. Pr.
En émoi—In a flutter or ferment. Fr.
Energy may be turned to bad uses; but more 30 good may always be made of an energetic nature than of an indolent and impassive one. J. S. Mill.
Energy will do anything that can be done in this world; no talents, no circumstances, no opportunities will make a two-legged animal a man without it. Goethe.
[Greek: En ergmasi de nika tychê, ou sthenos]—In great acts it is not our strength but our good fortune that has triumphed. Pindar.
En famille—In a domestic state. Fr.
Enfant gâté du monde qu'il gâtait—A child spoiled by the world which he spoiled. Said of Voltaire.
Enfants de famille—Children of the family. Fr. 35
Enfants perdus—The forlorn hope (lit. lost children). Fr.
Enfants terribles—Dreadful children; precocious youths who say and do rash things to the annoyance of their more conservative seniors. Fr.
Enfant trouvé—A foundling. Fr.
Enfermer le loup dans la bergerie—To shut up the wolf in the sheepfold; to patch up a wound or a disease. Fr. Pr.
En fin les renards se trouvent chez le pelletier—Foxes 40 come to the furrier's in the end. Fr. Pr.
Enflamed with the study of learning and the admiration of virtue; stirred up with high hopes of living to be brave men and worthy patriots, dear to God, and famous to all ages. Milton.
En foule—In a crowd. Fr.
England expects this day that every man shall do his duty. Nelson, his signal at Trafalgar.
England is a domestic country: here home is revered and the hearth sacred. Disraeli.
England is a paradise for women and a hell 45 for horses; Italy a paradise for horses and a hell for women. Burton.
England is safe if true within itself. 3 Hen. VI., iv. 1.
English speech, the sea that receives tributaries from every region under heaven. Emerson.
En grace affié—On grace depend. Fr.
En grande tenue—In full dress. Fr.
En habiles gens—Like able men. Fr. 50
Enjoying things which are pleasant, that is not the evil; it is the reducing of our moral self to slavery by them that is. Carlyle.
Enjoyment soon wearies both itself and us; effort, never. Jean Paul.
Enjoyment stops when indolence begins. Pollock.
Enjoy the blessings of this day, if God sends them, and the evils bear patiently and sweetly. For this day only is ours; we are dead to yesterday and we are not born to to-morrow. Jeremy Taylor.
Enjoy what God has given thee, and willingly 55 dispense with what thou hast not. Every condition has its own joys and sorrows. Gellert.
Enjoy what thou hast inherited from thy sires if thou wouldst possess it; what we employ not is an oppressive burden; what the moment brings forth, that only can it profit by. Goethe.
Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must. Goethe.
Enjoy your little while the fool is seeking for more. Sp. Pr.
Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another. Condorcet.
En la cour du roi chacun y est pour soi—In the 60 court of the king it is every one for himself. Fr. Pr.
Enlarge not thy destiny; endeavour not to do more than is given thee in charge. Gr. Oracle.
En la rose je fleuris—In the rose I flourish. M.
En mariage, comme ailleurs, contentement passe richesse—In marriage, as in other states, contentment is better than riches. Molière.
En masse—In a body. Fr.
En mauvaise odeur—In bad repute. Fr. 65
Ennemi ne s'endort—An enemy does not go to sleep. Fr. Pr.
Ennui has perhaps made more gamblers than avarice, more drunkards than thirst, and perhaps as many suicides as despair. Colton.
Ennui is a growth of English root, though nameless in our language. Byron.
Ennui is a word which the French invented, though of all nations in Europe they know the least of it. Bancroft.
Ennui is our greatest enemy. Justus Möser.
Ennui is the desire of activity without the fit means of gratifying the desire. Bancroft.
Ennui shortens life and bereaves the day of its 5 light. Emerson.
Ennui, the parent of expensive and ruinous vices. Ninon de l'Enclos.
Enough is as good as a feast. Pr.
Enough is better than too much. Pr.
Enough is great riches. Dan. Pr.
Enough is the wild-goose-chase of most men's 10 lives. Brothers Mayhew.
Enough—no foreign foe could quell / Thy soul, till from itself it fell; / Yes, self-abasement paved the way / To villain bonds and despot sway. Byron.
Enough requires too much; too much craves more. Quarles.
En papillote.—In curl-papers. Fr.
En parole je vis—I live by the word. Fr.
En passant—By the way. Fr. 15
En pension—Board at a pension. Fr.
En petit champ croît bien bon blé—Very good corn grows in a little field. Fr. Pr.
En peu d'heure Dieu labeure—God works in moments, i.e., His work is soon done. Fr.
En plein jour—In open day. Fr.
En potence—In the form of a gallows. Fr. 20
En présence—In sight of each other. Fr.