Ignis sacer—"St. Anthony's fire." Pliny.
Ignobile vulgus—The base-born multitude.
Ignoramus—An ignorant person (lit. we are ignorant).
Ignorance is a heavy burden. Gael. Pr. 5
Ignorance is a prolonged infancy, only deprived of its charm. De Boufflers.
Ignorance is bold, and knowledge reserved. Thucydides.
Ignorance is the curse of God, knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to heaven. 2 Hen. VI., iv. 7.
Ignorance is the dominion of absurdity. Froude.
Ignorance is the mother of devotion. Jeremy 10 Taylor.
Ignorance is the mother of impudence. Pr.
Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon or star. Confucius.
Ignorance is the primary source of all misery and vice. Cousin.
Ignorance is preferable to error. Jefferson.
Ignorance never settles a question. Disraeli. 15
Ignorance shuts its eyes and believes it is right. Punch.
Ignorant of guilt, I fear not shame. Dryden.
Ignorantia facti excusat—Ignorance of the fact excuses. L.
Ignorantia legis excusat neminem—Ignorance of the law excuses nobody. L.
Ignoratio elenchi—Ignoring of the point at 20 issue.
Ignoratione rerum bonarum et malarum, maxime hominum vita vexatur—Through ignorance of the distinction between good and bad, the life of men is greatly harassed. Cic.
Ignorent populi, si non in morte probaris, / An scires adversa pati—The world would not know, if you did not prove by your death, that you knew how to bear up against adverse circumstances. Lucan, of Pompey.
Ignoscas aliis multa, nil tibi—You should pardon many things in others, nothing in yourself. Auson.
Ignoti nulla cupido—There is no desire for what is unknown. Pr.
Ignotis errare locis, ignota videre / Flumina 25 gaudebat, studio minuente laborem—He delighted to wander over unknown regions, to visit unknown rivers, the interest lessening the fatigue. Ovid.
Ignotum argenti pondus et auri—An untold mass of silver and gold. Virg.
Ignotum per ignotius—The unknown by the still more unknown.
Ihr Kinder, lernet jetzt genug, / Ihr lernt nichts mehr in alten Zeiten—Ye children, learn enough now, nothing more will you be able to learn ere long. Pfeffel.
Ihr sagt es sei nichts als Glück / Zu siegen ohne die Tacktick / Doch besser ohne Tacktick siegen / Als mit derselben unterliegen—You say it is nothing but luck to gain a victory without tactics, yet it is better to conquer without them, than therewith to be beaten. Tyrolese Pr.
Ihr sucht die Menschen zu benennen, / 30 und glaubt am Namen sie zu kennen; / Wer tiefer sieht, gesteht sich frei, / Es ist das Anonymes dabei—Ye seek to name men, and think that ye know them by name; he who sees deeper will freely confess there is something in them which there is no name for. Goethe.
Il a inventé l'histoire—He has invented history. Mme. du Deffand, of Voltaire.
Il a la mer à boire—He has the sea to drink up, i.e., has undertaken an impossible task. Fr. Pr.
Il a la tête près du bonnet—He is of a passionate temper (lit. has his head near his cap). Fr. Pr.
Il a le diable au corps—The deuce (lit. the devil) is in him. Fr. Pr.
Il a le verbe haut—He assumes a high tone; he 35 has a loud voice. Fr. Pr.
Il a le vin mauvais—He is quarrelsome over his wine. Fr. Pr.
Il a les yeux à fleur de tête—He has prominent eyes. Fr. Pr.
Il a mangé son pain blanc le premier—He has eaten the best first. Fr. Pr.
Il a plus que personne l'esprit que tout le monde a—He has more than any other the mind which every one has. Montesquieu.
Il a travaillé pour le roi de Prusse—He has 40 worked for the King of Prussia, i.e., laboured in vain. Fr. Pr.
Il a vu le loup—He has seen the world. Fr. Pr.
Il aboye à tout le monde—He barks at everybody. Fr. Pr.
Il arrive comme Mars en Carème—He arrives opportunely (lit. like March in Lent). Fr. Pr.
Il attend, que les alouettes lui tombent toutes rôties—He expects larks to rain down all ready roasted. Hans Sachs.
Il buon mercato vuota la borsa—Great bargains 45 empty the purse. It. Pr.
Il buono è buono, ma il meglio vince—Good is good, but better surpasses it. It. Pr.
Il can battuto dal bastone ha paura dell' ombra—The dog that has been beaten with a stick is afraid of its shadow. It. Pr.
Il castigo puo differirsi ma non si toglie—Punishment may be tardy, but it is sure to overtake the guilty. It. Pr.
Il conduit bien sa barque—He manages his affairs well. Fr. Pr.
Il connaît l'univers et ne se connaît pas—He 50 knows everything and does not know himself. La Font.
Il coûte peu à amasser beaucoup de richesse, et beaucoup à en amasser peu—It costs little trouble to amass a great deal of wealth, but great labour to amass a little. Fr. Pr.
Il diavolo tenta tutti, ma l'ozioso tenta il diavolo—The devil tempts all, but the idle man tempts the devil. It. Pr.
Il donne des entrailles à tous les mots—He gives pathos to all his words. Joubert, of Rousseau.
Il en est d'un homme qui aime, comme d'un moineau, pris à la glu; plus il se débat, plus il s'embarrasse—It is with a man in love, as with a sparrow caught in bird-lime; the more he struggles, the more he is entangled. Fr. Pr.
Il en fait ses choux gras—He feathers his nest 55 with it. Fr. Pr.
Il est aisé d'ajouter aux inventions des autres—It is easy to add to the inventions of others. Fr. Pr.
Il est aisé d'aller à pied, quand on tient son cheval par la bride—It is easy to go afoot when one leads one's horse by the bridle. Fr. Pr.
Il est aux anges—He is supremely happy (lit. with the angels).
Il est avis à vieille vache qu'elle ne fût oncques veau—The old cow persuades herself that she never was a calf. Fr. Pr.
Il est bien aisé à ceux qui se portent bien de 5 donner des avis aux malades—It is very easy for those who are well to give advice to the sick. Fr. Pr.
Il est bien difficile de garder un trésor dont tous les hommes ont la clef—It is very difficult to guard a treasure of which all men have the key. Fr. Pr.
Il est bien fou qui s'oublie—He is a great fool who forgets himself. Fr. Pr.
Il est bon d'être ferme par tempérament et flexible par réflexion—It is good to be firm by temperament and pliable by reflexion. Vauvenargues.
Il est bon d'être habile, mais non pas de le paraître—It is good to be clever, but not to show it. Fr. Pr.
Il est comme l'oiseau sur la branche—He is 10 unsettled or wavering (lit. like a bird on a branch). Fr. Pr.
Il est peu de distance de la roche Tarpéienne au Capitole—It is but a short way from the Tarpeian rock to the Capitol. Mirabeau.
Il est plus aisé d'être sage pour les autres que pour soi-même—It is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves. La Roche.
Il est plus honteux de se défier de ses amis que d'en être trompé—It is more disgraceful to suspect our friends than to be deceived by them. La Roche.
Il est souvent plus court et plus utile de cadrer aux autres que de faire que les autres s'adjustent à nous—It is often more easy and more convenient to conform to others than to make others conform to us. La Bruyère.
Il est temps d'être sage quand on a la barbe au 15 menton—It is time to be wise when you have a beard on your chin. Fr. Pr.
Il est tout prêché qui n'a cure de bien faire—He is past preaching to who does not care to do well. Fr. Pr.
Il est trop difficile de penser noblement, quand on ne pense que pour vivre—It is too difficult to think nobly when one thinks only to get a livelihood. Rousseau.
Il faisoit de necessité vertu—He made a virtue of necessity. Rabelais.
Il fallait un calculateur, ce fut un danseur qui l'obtint—A financier was wanted, a dancing-master got the post. Beaumarchais.
Il faut attendre le boiteux—We must wait for 20 the lame. Fr. Pr.
Il faut avaler bien de la fumée aux lampes avant que de devenir bon orateur—A man must swallow a great deal of lamp-smoke before he can be a good orator. Fr. Pr.
Il faut avoir pitié des morts—One must have pity on the dead. Victor Hugo.
Il faut avoir une âme—It is indispensable that we should have a soul. Tolstoi.
Il faut de plus grandes vertus pour soutenir la bonne fortune que la mauvaise—It requires greater moral strength to bear good fortune than bad. La Roche.
Il faut en affrontant l'orage / Penser, vivre et 25 mourir en roi—I must in face of the storm think, live, and die as a king. Frederick the Great.
Il faut hurler avec les loups—You must howl if you are among wolves. Fr. Pr.
Il faut laver son linge sale en famille—One's filthy linen should be washed at home. Fr. Pr.
Il faut payer de sa vie—One must pay with his life. Fr. Pr.
Il faut perdre un véron pour pêcher un saumon—We must lose a minnow to catch a salmon. Fr. Pr.
Il faut qu'une porte soit ouverte ou fermée—A 30 door must either be open or shut. Brueys et Palaprat.
Il faut savoir s'ennuyer—One must accustom one's self to be bored. Lady Bloomfield.
Il faut sortir de la vie ainsi que d'un banquet, / Remerciant son hôte, et faisant son paquet—One must quit life as one does a banquet, thanking the host and packing up one's belongings. Voltaire.
Il fuoco non s'estingue con fuoco—Fire is not extinguished by fire. It. Pr.
Il fut historien pour rester orateur—He turned historian that he might still play the orator.
Il me faut du nouveau, n'en fût-il point au 35 monde—I must have something new, even were there none in the world. La Fontaine.
Il meglio è l'inimico del bene—Better is an enemy to well. It. Pr.
Il meurt connu de tous et ne se connaît pas—He dies known by all and does not know himself. Vauquelin des Yvetaux.
Il mondo è di chi ha pazienza—The world is his who has patience. It. Pr.
Il mondo è fatto a scale; / Chi le scende, e chi le sale—The world is like a staircase; some are going up and some going down. It. Pr.
Il mondo sta con tre cose: fare, disfare, e dare 40 ad intendere—The world gets along with three things: doing, undoing, and pretending. It. Pr.
Il monta sur ses grands chevaux—He mounted his high horse. Fr. Pr.
Il nage entre deux eaux—He keeps fair with both parties (lit. swims between two waters). Fr. Pr.
Il n'a ni bouche ni éperon—He has neither wit nor go in him (lit. he has neither mouth nor spur). Fr.
Il n'a pas inventé la poudre—He was not the inventor of gunpowder. Fr. Pr.
Il n'a pas l'air, mais la chanson—He has not 45 the tune, but the song. Fr. Pr.
Il n'appartient qu'aux grands hommes, d'avoir de grands défauts—It is only great men who can afford to have great defects. La Roche.
Il n'attache pas ses chiens avec des saucisses—He does not chain his dogs together with sausages. Fr. Pr.
Il n'avait pas précisément des vices, mais il était rongé d'une vermine de petits défauts, dont on ne pouvait l'épurer—He had not vices exactly, but he was the prey to a swarm of small faults of which there was no ridding him. Fr.
Il n'est d'heureux que qui croit l'être—Only he is happy who thinks he is. Fr. Pr.
Il n'est orgueil que de pauvre enrichi—There is no pride like that of a poor man who has become rich. Fr. Pr.
Il n'est pas d'homme nécessaire—There is no man but can be dispensed with. Fr. Pr.
Il n'est pas échappé qui traîne son lien—He is not escaped who still drags his chains. Fr. Pr.
Il n'est rien d'inutile aux personnes de sens—There 5 is nothing useless to people of sense. La Fontaine.
Il n'est sauce que d'appétit—Hunger is the best sauce. Fr. Pr.
Il ne fait rien, et nuit à qui veut faire—He produces nothing, and hinders those who would. Fr.
Il ne faut jamais se moquer des misérables, / Car qui peut s'assurer d'être toujours heureux?—We must never laugh at the miserable, for who can be sure of being always happy? La Fontaine.
Il ne faut pas nous fâcher des choses passées—We should not trouble ourselves (Sc. fash) about things that are past. Napoleon.
Il ne faut pas parler latin devant les Cordeliers—It 10 doesn't do to talk Latin before the Grey Friars. Fr. Pr.
Il ne faut pas voler avant que d'avoir des ailes—One must not fly before he develops wings. Fr. Pr.
Il ne faut point parler de corde dans la famille d'un pendu—Never speak of a rope in the family of one who has been hanged. Fr. Pr.
Il ne sait plus de quel bois faire flèche—He is put to his last shift (lit. knows of no wood to make his arrow). Fr. Pr.
Il ne sait sur quel pied danser—He knows not on which foot to dance (i.e. he is at his wit's end).
Il n'y a de nouveau que ce qui a vieilli—There 15 is nothing new but what has become antiquated. Fr. Pr.
Il n'y a de nouveau que ce qui est oublié—There is nothing new but what is forgotten. Mdlle. Bertine.
Il n'y a de sots si incommodes que ceux qui ont de l'esprit—There are no fools so unsufferable as those who have wit. La Roche.
Il n'y a pas à dire—There is no use saying anything; the thing is settled. Fr. Pr.
Il n'y a pas de cheval si bon qu'il ne bronche pas—There is no horse so sure-footed as never to trip. Fr. Pr.
Il n'y a pas de gens plus affairés que ceux qui 20 n'ont rien à faire—There are no people so busy as those who have nothing to do. Fr. Pr.
Il n'y a pas de petit ennemi—There is no such thing as an insignificant enemy. Fr. Pr.
Il n'y a peut-être point de vérité qui ne soit à quelque esprit faux matière d'erreur—There is, perhaps, no truth that is not to some false minds matter of error. Vauvenargues.
Il n'y a plus de Pyrénées—There are no longer any Pyrenees. Louis XIV., on the departure of the Duke of Anjou from Paris for Spain.
Il n'y a point au monde un si pénible métier que celui de se faire un grand nom. La vie s'achève que l'on a à peine ébauché son ouvrage—There is not a more laborious undertaking in the world than that of earning a great name; life comes to a close before one has well schemed out one's course. La Bruyère.
Il n'y a point de chemin trop long à qui marche 25 lentement et sans se presser, il n'y a point d'avantages trop éloignés à qui s'y prépare par la patience—No road is too long for him who advances slowly and does not hurry, and no attainment is beyond his reach who equips himself with patience to achieve it. La Bruyère.
Il n'y a point de plus cruelle tyrannie que celle que l'on exerce à l'ombre des lois et avec les couleurs de la justice—There is no crueller tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of law and in the name of justice. Montesquieu.
Il n'y a que la vérité qui blesse—It is only the truth that offends (lit. wounds). Fr. Pr.
Il n'y a que le matin en toutes choses—There is only the morning in all things. Fr. Pr.
Il n'y a que le premier pas qui coûte—It is only the first step which costs. Fr. Pr.
Il n'y a que les honteux qui perdent—It is only 30 the bashful who lose. Fr. Pr.
Il n'y a que les morts qui ne reviennent pas—It is only the dead who do not return. Barère.
Il n'y a rien de si puissant qu'une république où l'on observe les lois, non pas par crainte, non pas par raison, mais par passion—There is no commonwealth so powerful as one in which the laws are observed not from a principle of fear or reason, but passion. Montesquieu.
Il n'y a rien que la crainte et l'espérance ne persuadent aux hommes—There is nothing that fear and hope does not persuade men to do. Vauvenargues.
Il paraît qu'on n'apprend pas à mourir en tuant les autres—It does not appear that people learn how to die by taking away the lives of others. Chateaubriand.
Il passa par la gloire, il passa par le crime, et il 35 n'est arrivé qu'au malheur—He passed through glory and through crime, and has landed only in misfortune. Said of Napoleon III.
Il penseroso—The pensive man. It.
Il plaît à tout le monde et ne saurait se plaire—He pleases all the world but cannot please himself. Boileau, of Molière.
Il porte le deuil de sa blanchisseuse—He wears mourning for his laundress, i.e., his linen is dirty. Fr. Pr.
Il riso fa buon sangue—Laughter makes good blood; puts one in good humour. It. Pr.
Il rit bien qui rit le dernier—He laughs with 40 reason who laughs the last.
Il sabio muda conscio, il nescio no—A wise man changes his mind, a fool never. Sp. Pr.
Il se fait entendre, à force de se faire écouter—He makes himself understood by compelling people to listen to him. Villemain.
Il se faut entr'aider; c'est la loi de nature—We must assist one another; it is the law of Nature. Fr. Pr.
Il sent le fagot—He is suspected of heresy (lit. he smells of the faggot). Fr.
Il tacer non fu mai scritto—Silence was never 45 written down. It. Pr.
Il tempo è un galant 'uomo—Time is a fine lord (or lady). Mazarin.
Il tempo buono viene una volta sola—The good time comes but once. It. Pr.
Il tempo è una lima sorda—Time is a file that emits no noise. It. Pr.
Il trouverait à tondre sur un œuf—He would skin a flint (lit. find something to shave on an egg). Fr. Pr.
Il va du blanc au noir—He runs to extremes (lit. from white to black). Fr. Pr.
Il vaut mieux avoir affaire à Dieu qu'à ses saints—It is better to deal with God than with His saints. Fr. Pr.
Il vaut mieux être fou avec tous, que sage tout seul—Better to be mad with everybody, than wise all alone. Fr. Pr.
Il vaut mieux être marteau qu'enclume—It is 5 better to be hammer than anvil. Fr. Pr.
Il vaut mieux être singe perfectionné qu'un Adam dégénéré—Better a perfect ape than a degenerate man. Claparède.
Il vaut mieux faire envie que pitié—It is better to be envied than pitied. Fr. Pr.
Il vaut mieux tâcher d'oublier ses malheurs que d'en parler—It is better to try and forget one's misfortunes than to speak of them. Fr. Pr.
Il vero punge, e la bugia unge—Truth stings and falsehood salves over. It. Pr.
Il villano en su tierra, y el hidalgo donde quiera—The 10 clown in his own country, the gentleman where he pleases. Sp. Pr.
Il volto sciolto, i pensieri stretti—The countenance open, the thoughts reserved. It. Pr.
Il y a anguille sous roche—There is a snake in the grass; a mystery in the affair. Fr. Pr.
Il y a bien des gens qu'on estime, parce qu'on ne les connaît point—Many people are esteemed merely because they are not known. Fr. Pr.
Il y a dans la jalousie plus d'amour-propre que d'amour—There is more self-love than love in jealousy. La Roche.
Il y a des gens à qui la vertu sied presque 15 aussi mal que le vice—There are some men on whom virtue sits almost as awkwardly as vice. Bouhours.
Il y a des gens auxquels il faut trois cent ans pour commencer voir une absurdité—There are people who take three hundred years before they begin to see an absurdity. Fr. (?)
Il y a des gens dégoûtants avec du mérite, et d'autres qui plaisent avec des défauts—There are people who disgust us in spite of their merits, and others who please us in spite of their faults. La Roche.
Il y a des gens qui ressemblent aux vaudevilles, qu'on ne chante qu'un certain temps—Some men are like the ballads that are sung only for a certain time. La Roche.
Il y a des reproches qui louent, et des louanges qui médisent—There are censures which are commendations, and commendations which are censures. La Roche.
Il y a des vérités qui ne sont pas pour tous 20 les hommes et pour tous les temps—There are truths which are not for every man and for every occasion. Fr. (?)
Il y a encore de quoi glaner—There are still other fields to glean from; the subject is not exhausted. Fr. Pr.
Il y a fagots et fagots—There is a difference between one faggot and another. Molière.
Il y a plus de quarante ans que je dis de la prose sans que j'en susse rien—I have been speaking prose forty years without knowing it. Molière.
Il y a plus fous acheteurs que de fous vendeurs—There are more foolish buyers than foolish sellers. Fr. Pr.
Il y a quelque chose dans les malheurs de nos 25 meilleurs amis qui ne nous déplaît pas—There is something in the misfortunes of our best friends which does not displease us. Fr. Pr.
Il y a souvent de l'illusion, de la mode, du caprice dans le jugement des hommes—In the judgments of people there is often little more than self-deception, fashion, and whim. Voltaire.
Il y a une espèce de honte d'être heureux à la vue de certaines misères—It is a kind of shame to feel happy with certain miseries before our eyes. Fr.
Il y en a peu qui gagnent à être approfondis—Few men rise in our esteem on a closer scrutiny. Fr. Pr.
Il y va de la vie—Life depends on it; it is a matter of life or death.
Iliacos intra muros peccatur et extra—Sin is 30 committed as well within the walls of Troy as without, i.e., both sides were to blame. Hor.
Ilicet infandum cuncti contra omina bellum / Contra fata deum, perverso numine poscunt—Forthwith, against the omens and against the oracles of the gods, all to a man, under an adverse influence, clamour for unholy war. Virg.
Ilka (every) blade o' grass keps (catches) it ain drap o' dew. Sc. Pr.
Ilka dog has his day. Sc. Pr.
Ilk happing bird, wee, helpless thing, / That, in the merry months of spring, / Delighted me to hear thee sing, / What comes o' thee? / Where wilt thou cower thy chittering wing, an' close thy e'e? Burns, "A Winter Night."
Ill bairns are best heard at hame. Sc. Pr. 35
Ill begun, ill done. Dut. Pr.
Ill can he rule the great that cannot reach the small. Spenser.
Ill comes upon war's back. Pr.
Ill-doers are ill thinkers. Pr.
Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, / 40 Where wealth accumulates and men decay. Goldsmith.
Ill fortune never crushes that man whom good fortune deceived not. Ben Jonson.
Ill got, ill spent. Pr.
Ill-gotten wealth seldom descends to the third generation. Pr.
Ill habits gather by unseen degrees, / As brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas. Dryden.
Ill hearing mak's ill rehearsing. Sc. Pr. 45
Ill-humour is nothing more than an inward feeling of our own want of merit, a dissatisfaction with ourselves. Goethe.
Ill luck comes by pounds and goes away by ounces. It. Pr.
Ill news comes apace. Pr.
Ill weeds are not hurt by frost. Sp. and Port. Pr.
Ill weeds grow apace. Pr. 50
Illa dolet vere quæ sine teste dolet—She grieves sincerely who grieves when unseen. Mart.
Illa est agricolæ messis iniqua suo—That is a harvest which ill repays its husbandman. Ovid.
Illa laus est, magno in genere et in divitiis maximis, / Liberos hominem educare, generi monumentum et sibi—It is a merit in a man of high birth and large fortune to train up his children so as to be a credit to his family and himself. Plaut.
Illa placet tellus in qua res parva beatum / Me facit, et tenues luxuriantur opes—That spot of earth has special charms for me, in which a limited income produces happiness, and moderate wealth abundance. Mart.
Illa victoria viam ad pacem patefecit—By that victory he opened the way to peace.
Illæso lumine solem—[To gaze] on the sun with undazzled eye. M.
Illam, quicquid agit, quoque vestigia flectit, / 5 Componit furtim, subsequiturque decor—In whatever she does, wherever she turns, grace steals into her movements and attends her steps. Tibull.
Ille crucem sceleris pretium tulit, hic diadema—That one man has found a cross the reward of his guilt; this one, a diadem. Juv.
Ille igitur nunquam direxit brachia contra / Torrentem; nec civis erat qui libera posset / Verba animi proferre, et vitam impendere vero—He never exerted his arms against the torrent, nor was he a citizen who would frankly utter the sentiments of his mind, and stake his life for the truth. Juv.
Ille per extentum funem mihi posse videtur / Ire poeta, meum qui pectus inaniter angit / Irritat mulcet falsis terroribus implet / Ut magus: et modo me Thebis, modo ponit Athenis—That man seems to me able to do anything (lit. walk on the tight-rope) who, as a poet, tenures my breast with fictions, can rouse me, then soothe me, fill me with unreal terrors like a magician, set me down either at Thebes or Athens. Hor.
Ille potens sui / Lætusque degit, cui licet in diem / Dixisse, Vixi: cras vel atra / Nube polum pater occupato / Vel sole puro—The man lives master of himself and cheerful, who can say day after day, "I have lived; to-morrow let the Father above overspread the sky either with cloud or with clear sunshine." Hor.
Ille sinistrorsum, hic dextrorsum, abit: unus 10 utrique / Error, sed variis illudit partibus—One wanders to the left, another to the right; both are equally in error, but are seduced by different delusions. Hor.
Ille terrarum mihi præter omnes / Angulus ridet—That nook of the world has charms for me before all else. Hor.
Ille vir, haud magna cum re, sed plenus fidei—He is a man, not of large fortune, but full of good faith.
Illi inter sese multa vi brachia tollunt / In numerum, versantque tenaci forcipe massam—They (the Cyclops), keeping time, one by one raise their arms with mighty force, and turn the iron lump with the biting tongs. Virg.
Illi robur et æs triplex / Circa pectus erat, qui fragilem truci / Commisit pelago ratem / Primus—That man had oak and triple brass around his breast who first intrusted his frail bark to the savage sea. Hor.
Illic apposito narrabis multa Lyæo—There, 15 with the wine in front of you, you will tell many a story. Ovid.
Illud amicitiæ sanctum ac venerabile nomen / Nunc tibi pro vili sub pedibusque jacet—The sacred and venerable name of friendship is now despised and trodden under foot. Ovid.
Illusion on a ground of truth is the secret of the fine arts. Joubert.
Illustrious acts high raptures do infuse, / And every conqueror creates a muse. Waller.
Ils chantent, ils payeront—Let them sing; they will have the piper to pay. Mazarin.
Ils n'ont rien appris, ni rien oublié—They have 30 learned nothing and forgotten nothing. Talleyrand, of the Bourbons.
Ils s'amusaient tristement, selon la coutume de leur pays—They (the English) are heavy-laden in their amusements, according to the custom of their country. Froissart.
Ils se ne servent de la pensée que pour autoriser leurs injustices, et emploient les paroles que pour déguiser leurs pensées—Men use thought only to justify their unjust acts, and employ speech only to disguise their thoughts. Voltaire.
Ils sont passés, ces jours de fête—They are gone, those festive days. Grétry.
Ils veulent être libres et ne savent pas être justes—They wish to be free and understand not how to be just. Abbé Sieyès.
Im Alter erstaunt und bereut man nicht mehr—In 25 old age one is astonished and repents no more. Goethe.
Im Becher ersaufen mehr als im Meer—More are drowned in the wine-cup than in the sea. Ger. Pr.
Im Ganzen, Guten, Wahren resolut zu leben—To live resolutely in the whole, the good, the true. Goethe.
Im Gedränge hier auf Erden / Kann nicht jeder, was er will—In the press of things on earth here, not every one can do what he would. Goethe.
Im Grabe ist Ruh!—In the grave is rest! Langhaufen, Heine.
Im Leben ist der Mensch zehn Jahre in Kriege 30 und zehn in der Irre, gleich dem Ulysses—Man, like Ulysses, spends ten years in war and ten in wandering. Feuerbach.
Im Leben ist nichts Gegenwart—In life is the present nothing, or there is no present. Goethe.
Im Mangel, nicht im Ueberfluss / Keimt der Genuss—Enjoyment germinates not in abundance but in want. Herder.
Im Schmerze wird die neue Zeit geboren—In pain is the new time born. Chamisso.
Im Unglück halte aus; / Im Glücke halte ein—In bad fortune hold out; in good, hold in. Ger. Pr.
Im Wasser kannst du dein Antlitz sehn, / Im 35 Wein des andern Herz erspähn—In water thou canst see thine own face, in wine thou canst see into the heart of another. Pr.
Imaginary evils soon become real ones by indulging our reflections on them. Swift.
Imagination is always the ruling and divine power, and the rest of the man is only the instrument which it sounds, or the tablet on which it writes. Ruskin.
Imagination is a mettled horse that will break the rider's neck when a donkey would have carried him to the end of his journey, slow but sure. Southey.
Imagination is but a poor matter when it has to part company with understanding. Carlyle.
Imagination is central; fancy, superficial. Emerson.
Imagination is Eternity. Wm. Blake.
Imagination is the eye of the soul. Joubert.
Imagination is the mightiest despot. Auerbach. 5
Imagination is too often accompanied with a somewhat irregular logic. Disraeli.
Imagination rules the world. Napoleon.
Imitation is born with us, but what we ought to imitate is not easily found. Goethe.
Imitation is the sincerest flattery. Colton.
Imitation is suicide. Emerson. 10
Immediate are the acts of God, more swift / Than time or motion. Milton.
Immer etwas Neues, selten etwas Gutes—Always something new, seldom anything good. Ger. Pr.
Immer Neues spriesset / Eh' ein Mensch geniesset / Mit Verstand das Alte—Not till a new thing sprouts up does a man ever enjoy intelligently that which is old. Rückert.
Immer wird, nie ist—Always a-being, never being. Schiller.
Immer zu! Immer zu! / Ohne Rast und Ruh!—Ever 15 onward! ever onward! without rest and quiet. Goethe.
Immer zu misstrauen ist ein Irrthum wie immer zu trauen—Always to distrust is an error, as well as always to trust. Goethe.
Immo id, quod aiunt, auribus teneo lupum / Nam neque quomodo a me amittam, invenio: neque, uti retineam scio—It is true they say I have caught a wolf by the ears; for I know not either how to get rid of him or keep him in restraint. Ter.
Immodest words admit of no defence, / For want of decency is want of sense. Roscommon.
Immoritur studiis, et amore senescit habendi—He is killing himself with his efforts, and in his greed of gain is becoming an old man. Hor.
Immortale odium et nunquam sanabile vulnus—A 20 deadly hatred, and a wound that can never be healed. Juv., on the effects of religious contention between neighbours.
Immortalia ne speres monet annus, et almum / Quæ rapit hora diem—The year in its course, and the hour that speeds the kindly day, admonishes you not to hope for immortal (i.e., permanent) blessings. Hor.
Immortality will come to such as are fit for it; and he who would be a great soul in future must be a great soul now. Emerson.
Imo pectore—From the bottom of the heart.
Impatience changeth smoke to flame. Erasmus.
Impatience dries the blood sooner than age or 25 sorrow. Chapin.
Impatience is the principal cause of most of our irregularities and extravagances. Sterne.
Impatience waiteth on true sorrow. 3 Hen. VI., iii. 3.
Impavidum ruinæ ferient—The wreck of things will strike him unmoved. Hor.
Impera parendo—Command by obeying. M.
Imperat aut servit collecta pecunia cuique—Money 30 amassed is either our slave or our tyrant. Hor.
Imperfection is in some sort essential to all that we know of life. It is the sign of life in a mortal body, that is, of a state of progress and change. Ruskin.
Imperfection means perfection hid, / Reserved in part to grace the after-time. Browning.
Imperfections cling to a man, which, if he wait till he have brushed off entirely, he will spin for ever on his axis, advancing nowhither. Carlyle.
Imperia dura tolle, quid virtus erit?—Remove severe restraint, and what will become of virtue? Sen.
Imperious Cæsar, dead and turn'd to clay, / 35 Might stop a hole to keep the wind away. Ham., v. 1.
Imperium et libertas—Empire and liberty. Cic.
Imperium facile iis artibus retinetur, quibus initio partum est—Power is easily retained by those arts by which it was at first acquired. Sall.
Imperium in imperio—A government within a government.
Impertinent and lavish talking is in itself a very vicious habit. Thomas à Kempis.
Impetrare oportet, quia æquum postulas—You 40 ought to obtain what you ask, as you only ask what is fair. Plaut.
Implacabiles plerumque læsæ mulieres—Women, when offended, are generally implacable.
"Impossible" est un mot que je ne dis jamais—"Impossible" is a word which I never utter. Collin d'Hartevilles.
Impossible is the precept "Know thyself," till it be translated into this partially possible one, "Know what thou canst work at." Carlyle.
Impossible! Ne me dites jamais ce bête de mot—Impossible! Never name to me that blockhead of a word. Mirabeau, to his secretary, Dumont.
"Impossible" n'est pas français—"Impossible" 45 is not French. Napoleon.
"Impossible," when Truth and Mercy and the everlasting voice of Nature order, has no place in the brave man's dictionary. Carlyle.
"Impossible!" who talks to me of impossibilities? Chatham.
Impotentia excusat legem—Inability suspends the action of law. L.
Impransus—One who has not dined, or who can't find a dinner.
Imprimatur—Let it be printed. 50
Imprimis—First of all.
Imprimis venerare Deos—Before all things reverence the gods. Virg.
Improbæ / Crescunt divitiæ, tamen / Curtæ nescio quid semper abest rei—Riches increase to an enormous extent, yet something is ever wanting to our still imperfect fortune. Hor.
Improbe amor, quid non mortalia pectora cogis?—Cruel love! what is there to which thou dost not drive mortal hearts? Virg.
Improbe Neptunum accusat, qui naufragium 55 iterum facit—He who suffers shipwreck twice is unjust if he throws the blame on Neptune. Pub. Syr.
Improbis aliena virtus semper formidolosa est—To wicked men the virtue of others is always matter of dread. Sall.
Impromptu—Off-hand; without premeditation.
Improvement is Nature. Leigh Hunt.
Imprudent expression in conversation may be forgotten and pass away; but when we take the pen into our hand, we must remember that litera scripta manet. Blair.
Impudence is no virtue, yet able to beggar 5 them all. Sir T. Osborne.
Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat—Impunity always tempts to still worse crimes. Coke.
In a boundless universe / Is boundless better, boundless worse. Tennyson.
In a calm sea, every man is a pilot. Pr.
In a commercial nation impostors are abroad in all professions. Wm. Blake.
In a fair gale every fool may sail, but wise 10 behaviour in a storm commends the wisdom of the pilot. Quarles.
In a free country there is much complaining but little suffering; under a despotism, much suffering but little complaining. Giles' Proverbs.
In a good lord there must first be a good animal, at least to the extent of yielding the incomparable advantage of animal spirits. Emerson.
In a great soul everything is great. Pascal.
In a healthy state of the organism all wounds have a tendency to heal. Mme. Swetchine.
In a lawsuit nothing is certain but the expense. 15 A. Butler.
In a leopard the spots are not observed. Herbert's Coll.
In a lottery, where there is (at the lowest computation) ten thousand blanks to one prize, it is the most prudent choice not to venture. Lady Montagu.
In a man's letters his soul lies naked; his letters are only the mirror of his breast. Johnson.
In a matter of life and death don't trust even your mother; she might mistake a black bean (used in voting) for a white one. Alcibiades.
In a narrow circle the mind grows narrow; the 20 more a man expands, the larger his aims. Schiller.
In a noble race, levity without virtue is seldom found. In a mine of rubies, when shall we find pieces of glass? Hitopadesa.
In a poem there should be not only the poetry of images, but also the poetry of ideas. Joubert.
In a symbol there is concealment and yet revelation, silence and speech acting together, some embodiment and revelation of the infinite, made to blend itself with the finite, to stand visible, and, as it were, attainable there. Carlyle.
In a thousand pounds of law there is not an ounce of love. Pr.
In a valiant suffering for others, not in a slothful 25 making others suffer for us, did nobleness ever lie. Carlyle.
In acta—In the very act.
In action, a great heart is the chief qualification; in work, a great head. Schopenhauer.
In æquali jure melior est conditio possidentis—Where the right is equal, the claim of the party in possession is the best. L.
In æternum—For ever.
In all battles, if you await the issue, each 30 fighter has prospered according to his right. His right and his might, at the close of the account, were the same. Carlyle.
In all faiths there is something true / ... Something that keeps the Unseen in view, / ... And notes His gifts with the worship due. Dr. Walter Smith.
In all human action, those faculties will be strong which are used. Emerson.
In all human narrative, it is the battle only, and not the victory, that can be dwelt on with advantage. Carlyle.
In all literary history there is no such figure as Dante, no such homogeneousness of life and works, such loyalty to ideas, such sublime irrecognition of the unessential. Lowell.
In all matters prefer the less evil to the 35 greater, and solace yourself under any ill with the reflection that it might be worse. Spurgeon.
In all provinces there are artists and artisans; men who labour mechanically in a department, without eye for the whole, not feeling that there is a whole; and men who inform and ennoble the humblest department with an idea of the whole, and habitually know that only in the whole is the partial to be truly discerned. Carlyle.
In all science error precedes the truth, and it is better it should go first than last. Horace Walpole.
In all situations (out of Tophet) there is a duty, and our highest blessedness lies in doing it. Carlyle.
In all straits the good behave themselves with meekness and patience. Thomas à Kempis.
In all things that live there are certain irregularities 40 and deficiencies, which are not only signs of life, but sources of beauty. Ruskin.
In all things, to serve from the lowest station upwards is necessary. Goethe.
In all times it is only individuals that have advanced science, not the age. Goethe.
In all true work, were it but true hand-labour, there is something of divineness. Carlyle.
In all vital action the manifest purpose and effort of Nature is, that we should be unconscious of it.... Nature so meant it with us; it is so we are made. Carlyle.
In allem andern lass dich lenken / Nur nicht 45 im Fühlen und im Denken—In everything else let thyself be led, only not in feeling and in thinking. v. Sallet.
In alms regard thy means and others' merit. / Think Heaven a better bargain than to give / Only thy single market-money for it. George Herbert.
In ambiguo—In doubt.
In America you can get tea, and coffee, and meat every day. But the only true America is that country where you are at liberty to pursue such a mode of life as may enable you to do without these. Thoreau.
In an aristocratical institution like England, not trial by jury, but the dinner is the capital institution. It is the mode of doing honour to a stranger to invite him to eat, and has been for many a hundred years. Emerson.
In anima vili—On a subject of little worth.
In annulo Dei figuram ne gestato—Wear not the image of the Deity in a ring, i.e., do not use the name of God on frivolous occasions, or in vain. Pr.
In any controversy, the instant we feel angry we have already ceased striving for truth and begun striving for ourselves. Goethe.
In aqua scribis—You are writing on water. Pr. 5
In arena ædificas—You are building on sand. Pr.
In arguing, be calm; for fierceness makes / Error a fault, and truth discourtesy. George Herbert.
In argument with men, a woman ever / Goes by the worse, whatever be her cause. Milton.
In art and in deeds, only that is properly achieved which, like Minerva, springs full-grown and armed from the head of the inventor. Goethe.
In art, to express the infinite one should suggest 10 infinitely more than is expressed. Goethe.
In articulo mortis—At the point of death.
In audaces non est audacia tuta—Daring is not safe against daring men. Ovid.
In beato omnia beata—With the fortunate everything is fortunate. Hor.
In bocca chiusa, non c' entran mosche—Flies can't enter into a mouth that is shut. It. Pr.
In books lies the soul of the whole past time; 15 the articulate audible voice of the past, when the body and material substance of it has altogether vanished like a dream. Carlyle.
In breathing there are two kinds of blessings (Gnaden): inhaling the air and exhaling (lit. discharging) it; the former is oppressive, the latter refreshing; so strangely is life mingled. Thank God when He lays a burden on thee, and thank Him when He takes it off. Goethe.
In bunten Bildern wenig Klarheit, / Viel Irrtum und ein Fünkchen Wahrheit, / So wird der beste Trank gebraut, / Der alle Welt erquickt und auferbaut—With little clearness (light) in motley metaphors, much falsehood and a spark of truth, is the genuine draught prepared with which every one is refreshed and edified. Goethe.
In buying horses and taking a wife, shut your eyes and commend yourself to God. It. Pr.
In caducum parietem inclinare—To lean against a falling wall. Pr.
In calamitoso risus etiam injuria est—Even to 20 smile at the unfortunate is to do them an injury. Pub. Syr.
In capite—In chief.
In casu extremæ necessitatis omnia sunt communia—In a case of extreme emergency all things are common. L.
In Catholic countries religion and liberty exclude each other; in Protestant ones they accept each other. Amiel.
In cauda venenum—Poison lurks in the tail; or, there is a sting in the tail. Pr.
In causa facili, cuivis licet esse diserto—In an 25 easy matter any man may be eloquent. Ovid.
In character, in manner, in style, in all things the supreme excellence is simplicity. Longfellow.
In cheerful souls there is no evil; wit shows a disturbance of the equipoise. Novalis.
In childhood be modest, in youth temperate, in manhood just, and in old age prudent. Socrates.
In choosing friends, we should choose those whose qualities are innate, and their virtues virtues of the temperament. Amiel.
In Christ the infinite itself has come down to 30 the level of the finite, and the finite has been raised to the level of the infinite, and in His single person the spirit of the universe stands revealed. Ed.
In civil broils the worst of men may rise to honour. Plutarch.
In clothes, cheap handsomeness doth bear the bell. George Herbert.
In clothes clean and fresh there is a kind of youth with which age should surround itself. Joubert.
In cœlo nunquam spectatum impune cometam—A comet is never seen in the sky without indicating disaster. Claud.
In cœlo quies—There is rest in heaven. 35
In cœlum jacularis—You are aiming at the heavens; your anger is bootless.
In commendam—In trust or recommendation.
In common things the law of sacrifice takes the form of positive duty. Froude.
In communism, inequality springs from placing mediocrity on a level with excellence. Proudhon.
In composing a book, the last thing that one 40 learns is to know what to put first. Pascal.
In constitutional states, liberty is a compensation for heaviness of taxation; in despotic ones, lightness of taxation is a compensation for liberty. Montesquieu.
In contemplation, if a man begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties. Bacon.
In conversation, boldness now bears sway. George Herbert.
In conversation, humour is more than wit, easiness more than knowledge. Sir Wm. Temple.
In courtesy rather pay a penny too much than 45 too little. Pr.
In crucifixo gloria mea—I glory in the Crucified.
In cumulo—In a heap.
In curia—In the court.
In cute curanda plus æquo operata juventus—Youth unduly busy with pampering the outer man. Hor.
In days of yore nothing was holy but the 50 beautiful. Schiller.
In deep waters men find great pearls. Pr.
In deinem Glauben ist dein Himmel, / In deinem Herzen ist dein Glück—In thy faith is thy heaven, in thy heart thy happiness. Arndt.
In deinem Nichts hoff' ich das All zu finden—In thy nothing hope I to find the all. Goethe.
In delay / We waste our lights in vain, like lamps by day. Rom. and Jul., i. 4.
In Deo spero—In God I hope. M. 55
In der jetzigen Zeit soll Niemand schweigen oder nachgeben; man muss reden und sich rühren, nicht um zu überwinden, sondern sich auf seinem Posten zu erhalten; ob bei der Majorität oder Minorität, ist ganz gleichgültig—At the present time no one should yield or keep silence; every one must speak and bestir himself, not in order to gain the upper hand, but to keep his own position—whether with the majority or the minority is quite indifferent. Goethe.
In der Kunst ist das Beste gut genug—In art the best is good enough. Goethe.
In der Noth allein / Bewähret sich der Adel grosser Seele—In difficulty alone does the nobility of great souls prove itself. Schiller.
In dictione—In the expression, or the form.
In die Hölle kommt man mit grösserer Mühe, 5 als in den Himmel—It's harder work getting to hell than heaven. Ger. Pr.
In diem—To some future day.
In diem vivere—To live from hand to mouth.
In dim eclipse disastrous twilight sheds / On half the nations, and with fear of change perplexes monarchs. Milton.
In diving to the bottom of pleasures we bring up more gravel than pearls. Balzac.
In doubtful matters courage may do much; in 10 desperate, patience. Pr.
In dubiis—In matters of doubt.
In dubiis benigniora semper sunt præferenda—In cases of doubt we should always lean to the side of mercy. L.
In dulci jubilo—Now sing and be joyful. Peter of Dresden.
In duty prompt, at every call, / He watch'd, and wept, and felt, and prayed for all. Goldsmith.
In dyeing the spiritual nature there are two 15 processes—first, the cleansing and wringing out, which is the baptism with water; and then the infusing of the blue and scarlet colours, gentleness and justice, which is the baptism with fire. Ruskin.
In eadem re utilitas et turpitudo esse non potest—In the same thing usefulness and baseness cannot coexist. Cic.
In eating, after nature is once satisfied, every additional morsel brings stupidity and distempers with it. Goldsmith.
In eburna vagina, plumbeus gladius—A leaden sword in an ivory sheath. Diogenes, of an empty fop.
In eloquence, the great triumphs of the art are when the orator is lifted above himself; when consciously he makes himself the mere tongue of the occasion and the hour, and says what cannot but be said. Emerson.
In equilibrio—In equilibrium. 20
In esse—In actual being.
In every age and clime we see / Two of a trade can never agree. Gay.
In every battle the eye is first conquered. Tac.
In every beginning think of the end. Pr.
In every bone there is marrow, and within 25 every jacket there is a man. Saadi.
In every change there will be many that suffer real or imaginary grievances, and therefore many will be dissatisfied. Johnson.
In every child there lies a wonderful deep. Schumann.
In every country the sun rises in the morning. Pr.
In every creed there are two elements—the Divine substance and the human form. The form must change with the changing thoughts of men; and even the substance may come to shine with clearer light, and to reveal unexpected glories, as God and man come nearer together. R. W. Dale.
In every department of life we thank God that 30 we are not like our fathers. Froude.
In every department one must begin as a child; throw a passionate interest over the subject; take pleasure in the shell till one has the happiness to arrive at the kernel. Goethe.
In every epoch of the world, the great event, parent of all others, is it not the arrival of a thinker in the world? Carlyle.
In every fault there is folly. Pr.
In every great epoch there is some one idea at work which is more powerful than any other, and which shapes the events of the time and determines their ultimate issues. Buckle.
In every heart are sown the sparks that kindle 35 fiery war; occasion needs but fan them, and they blaze. Cowper.
In every landscape the point of astonishment is the meeting of the sky and the earth, and that is seen from the first hillock as well as from the top of the Alleghanies. Emerson.
In every life there is an upward and a downward tendency (Trieb); he is to be praised who remains steadfast in the mean between. Rückert.
In every man there is a certain feeling that he has been what he is from all eternity, and by no means became such in time. Schelling.
In every parting there is an image of death. George Eliot.
In every phenomenon the beginning remains 40 always the most notable moment. Carlyle.
In every rank, or great or small, / 'Tis industry supports us all. Gray.
In every ship there must be a seeing pilot, not a mere hearing one. Carlyle.
In even the wisest soul lies a whole world of internal madness, an authentic demon-empire; out of which, indeed, his world of wisdom has been creatively built together, and now rests there, as on its dark foundation does a habitable flowery earth-rind. Carlyle.
In every village there will arise a miscreant to establish the most grinding tyranny by calling himself the people. Sir R. Peel.
In exalting the faculties of the soul we annihilate, 45 in a great degree, the delusion of the senses. Aimé-Martin.
In extenso—In full.
In extremis—At the point of death.
In failing circumstances no man can be relied on to keep his integrity. Emerson.
In Faith and Hope the world will disagree, / But all mankind's concern is Charity. Pope.
In faith everything depends on "that" you believe; 50 in knowledge everything depends on "what" you know, as well as how much and how well. Goethe.
In fashionable circles general satire, which attacks the fault rather than the person, is unwelcome; while that which attacks the person and spares the fault is always acceptable. Jean Paul.
In ferrum pro libertate ruebant—They rushed upon the sword in defence of their liberty. M.
In flagranti delicto—In the act.
In flammam flammas, in mare fundis aquas—You add fire to fire, and water to the sea.
In for a penny, in for a pound. Pr. 5
In forma pauperis—As a pauper or poor man.
In foro conscientiæ—Before the tribunal of conscience.
In frosty weather a nail is worth a horse. Sp. Pr.
In furias ignemque ruunt; amor omnibus idem—They rush into the flames of passion; love is the same in all. Virg.
In futuro—In future; at a future time. 10
In general, indulgence for those we know is rarer than pity for those we know not. Rivarol.
In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes. Ruskin.
In generalibus latet dolus—In general assertions some deception lurks.
In giants we must kill pride and arrogance; but our greatest foes, and whom we must chiefly combat, are within. Cervantes.
In Glück Vorsichtigkeit, in Unglück Geduld—In 15 good fortune, prudence; in bad, patience. Ger. Pr.
In good bearing beginneth worship. Hazlitt's Coll.
In good years, corn is hay; in ill years, straw is corn. Hazlitt's Coll.
In granting and in refusing, in joy and in sorrow, in liking and in disliking, good men, because of their own likeness, show mercy unto all things which have life. Hitopadesa.
In great states, children are always trying to remain children, and the parents wanting to make men and women of them. In vile states, the children are always wanting to be men and women, and the parents to keep them children. Ruskin.