The Ultimax Group Inc.-Latin Phrasebook

[Note: This compendium of Roman proverbs and Latin phrases was originally assembled for the edification of my partners' sons, Anton and Sergei. Study of the classics was always one refuge for unfettered academic inquiry in Soviet days, since it was difficult to get too dangerously political about a people 1,500 years dead. Happily today, classicism still thrives, unlike here. I selected proverbs I thought most relevant to the Russian experience, but in fact nil novi sub sole. Human nature doesn't change that much across time or space, so I reprint here the annotations as I wrote them for the Russians.]

A surprising number of these serious expressions for law, letters, logic, science, philosophy, medicine are still used today. You will notice that the pithiest phrases that impart important lessons in life often rhyme or rely on alliteration, which is why they have passed often unchanged into English. Most of these expressions date from the Classical period, hence I use classical orthography as you would see it inscribed on architraves or written in scrolls, not the later Vulgate form used in the Middle Ages.
Latin has no articles (a, an, the), however I've inserted them to clarify meaning. Latin has no "K", "J" or "W". "U" is rendered as "V", and pronounced like "w". Classical Latin had neither lower case nor punctuation.
Words in square brackets [] are implied but generally not written in the original Latin phrase; it is especially common to omit the verb "to be" and personal pronouns when they're the subject. The symbolic shorthand of an highly inflected language is second-nature to Russians, but difficult for native English speakers to grasp.
English words in single quotes '' are not exact translations of the Latin but do express the same idea exactly, therefore these translations may be used verbatim.
When you use Latin in writing today, the words should be rendered in Italics.

ROMAN PROVERBS & LATIN PHRASES TRANS. & ANNOT. into ENGLISH
Classical Latin Literal English Idiomatic English Annotations

AB AETERNO from eternity from the beginning of time
no date established
it has always been this way

AB ASINO LANAM wool from an ass blood from a stone
impossible

AB VRBE CONDITA from the founding of the city abbreviated A.U.C., specifically used for Roman dates, reckoned from the founding of that city in 753 BCE

A CAPPELLA in church [style] i.e. vocal music only

ACTA NON VERBA actions not words motto of U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at King's Point

ACTVS REVS wrongful act as opposed to mens rea - the wrongful intention or guilty mind

AD ASTRA PER ASPERA to the stars through difficulties motto of The National Space Society

AD CALENDAS GRAECAS at the Greek calends never because the Greek did not reckon time with calends

AD HOC to this for a particular purpose
spur of the moment

AD INFINITVM to infinity without end

AD LIBITVM to pleasure perform without a plan
freely nowadays used in short form ad lib

AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM for the greater glory of God

AD NAVSEVM to [the point of] disgust

ADVOCATVS DIABOLI devil's advocate nowadays, a person who takes the unpopular side of an argument

ALEA IACTA EST the die is cast there's no going back
what's next is in the hands of the gods irreversible act

ALMA MATER fostering mother one's old school

AMICVS CVRIAE friend of the court person not party to the case who submits material of probitive value

AMOR VINCIT OMNIA love conquers all

ANNO DOMINI year of the Lord abbreviated A.D.

ANNVIT COEPTIS [He] has favored [our] undertaking divine favor motto above the pyramid on the back of the U.S. dollar

ANNVS MIRABILIS wonderful year not just any good year, but a momentous year in history such as 1848, 1968, or 1989

ANNVS TERRIBILIS terrible year just the opposite of above, an especially rotten year such as 1346, 1914, or 2001

A POSTERIORI from what comes after inductive reasoning based on observation, as opposed to deductive, or a priori

AQVA VITAE water of life akvavit
in general, distilled spirits see parallel Gaelic uiskabagh, "water of life", i.e. whiskey

ARS GRATIA ARTIS art for art's sake statement that art needs no external justification, as opposed to commercial art

ARS LONGA, VITA BREVIS art is long [while] life is short art lasts forever while affairs of the moment are forgotten

AVREA MEDIOCRITAS the golden mean moderation in all things truth and goodness are generally to be found in the middle, not the extremes

AVE ATQVE VALE hail and farewell

BONA FIDE in good faith

CAMERA OBSCVRA hidden room an early photographic or painting technique utilizing optical pinholes

CARPE DIEM seize the day eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die

CARTAGO DELENDA EST Carthage must be destroyed

CASVS BELLI occasion of war the act which starts a war

CAVEAT EMPTOR let the buyer beware

CAVEAT VENDOR let the seller beware modern counter-principle of above

CAVE QVID DICIS, QVANDO ET CVI beware what you say, when and to whom

CETERIS PARIBVS other things being equal

CIRCA about,
approximately abbreviated c or ca.

CAELVM NON ANIMVM MVTANT QVI TRANS MARE CVRRVNT those who cross the sea [only] change the sky, not their spirits no matter how far you go, you always take yourself with you

COGITO ERGO SVM I think therefore I am fundamental axiom by Descartes in XVIII, not Roman

CORPVS DELICTI the body of the crime tangible evidence of wrongdoing, the smoking gun as opposed to mere circumstances or indications

CREDO QVIA ABSVRDVM I believe it [because] it's absurd this sentiment would translate very well into Russian

CVI BONO for whom [is it] good? to find the criminal, first learn who profited from the crime

CVM GRANO SALIS [take] with a grain of salt be skeptical

CVM TACENT CLAMANT when they are silent, they cry out silence is an admission of guilt

CVNCTANDO REGITUR MUNDIS waiting, one rules the world waiting, one conquers all

CVRAE LEVES LOQVVNTVR INGENTES STVPENT lesser griefs talk, great ones are speechless in for a penny, in for a pound;
might as well be hung for a sheep instead of a lamb;
leave no witnesses as Machiavelli said, And let it here be noted that men are either to be kindly treated, or utterly crushed, since they can revenge lighter injuries, but not graver. Wherefore the injury we do to a man should be of a sort to leave no fear of reprisals

CVRRICVLVM VITAE the course of [one's] life a resume

DAMNANT QVOD NON INTELLIGVNT they condemn what they do not understand

DE ASINI VMBRA DISCEPTARE to argue about the shadow of an ass petty things for petty minds

DE FACTO from the fact in reality
actually in power as opposed to...

DE IVRE from the law legal but not real or not in power

DE GVSTIBVS NON DISPVTANDVM EST in [matters] of taste, there's no argument

DE MORTVIS NIL NISI BONVM of the dead, [say] nothing but good never speak ill of the dead

DE NIHILO NIHIL nothing from nothing also, ex nihilo nihil fit you can't create something from nothing

DE PROFVNDIS out of the depths [of sorrow and despair]

DE RERVM NATVRA on the nature of things title of Marcus Aurelius's magnum opus

DEO GRATIS thanks be to God

DEUS VOLENT [as] God wills

DEVS EX MACHINA god from the machine a contrived plot device, usually a sign of bad writing or bad thinking

DRAMATIS PERSONAE persons of the drama cast of characters

DVM SPIRO SPERO while [there's] life, [there's] hope

DVM VIVIMVS VIVAMVS while we live let us live Epicurean motto

DVRA LEX SED LEX hard [is the] law but [it's the] law

E PLVRIBVS VNVM out of many, one motto on the US dollar

ECCE HOMO behold the man words first spoken by Pontius Pilate when he showed Jesus crowned by thorns to the mob

ENSE ET ARATRO with sword and plow citizen-soldier, one who serves in war and peace

ERRARE HVMANVM EST to err is human the second half of the phrase is "to forgive, divine"

ET CETERA and others abbreviated etc.

ET TV BRVTE you also Brutus Caesar's dying recognition of betrayal

EX CATHEDRA from the chair from high authority
infallible

EX PEDE HERCVLEM from the foot of Hercules one can judge the whole from a sample

EX POST FACTO from what is done afterwards after the fact, or retroactive one form of logical fallacy

EXCEPTIO PROBAT REGVLAM the exception establishes the rule not that all rules must have exceptions, but that exceptions help define rules better

EXEMPLI GRATIA by way of example abbreviated e.g.

EXTINCTVS AMABITVR IDEM the same [hated] man will be loved after he's dead how quickly we forget

FABAS INDVLCET FAMES hunger sweetens beans hunger is the best seasoning

FACILIS DESCENSVS AVERNO the descent to Avernus (Hell) [is] easy it's easy to fall, hard to rise

FELIS QVI NIHIL DEBET happy [is] he who owes nothing

FIAT LVX let there be light Biblical

FIAT VOLVNTAS TVA let Thy will [be done] Biblical

FIDES PVNICA Punic [Carthaginian] faith i.e. a double cross

FINEM RESPICE look to the end [before setting forth]

FLAGRANTE DELICTO with the crime blazing caught in the act

FORTES FORTVNA FORTIBVS fortune favors the brave you make your own luck

FORTITER IN RE, SVAVITER IN MODE resolutely in the thing [deed], gently in manner do what is necessary, but do it as gently as possible

FRONTI NVLLA FIDES on the front no reliance [can be placed] don't judge a book by its cover
don't be misled by appearances

GAVDEAMVS IGITVR let us rejoice therefore Biblical

HABEAS CORPVS [that] you have the body a legal writ requiring that the person being detained be brought before a judge to show cause and guard against unfair imprisonment; basis of British and American jurisprudence

HAEC OLIM MEMINISSE IVVABIT time heals all things i.e. wounds, offenses

HANNIBAL AD PORTAS Hannibal is at the gates the best colloquial translation in American English is regrettably, "the Russians are coming"

HIC ET NVNC here and now immediately

HOC EST VIVERE BIS VITA POSSE PRIORE FRVI to live twice is to make useful profit from one's past Experience is the best teacher, so learn from her

HOC VOLO SIC IVBEO SIT PRO RATIONE VOLVNTAS this I will, thus I command, let [my] will [serve] as reason

HODIE MIHI CRAS TIBI today to me tomorrow to you epitaph to remind reader of own mortality

HOMO DOCTVS IS SE SEMPER DIVITIAS HABET a learned man always has wealth within himself

HOMO LVPVS HOMINI man [is a] wolf to man man's inhumanity to man

HOSTIS HVMANI GENERIS enemy of the human race Saddam, for instance

IBIDEM in the same place abbreviated ibid.

ID EST that is abbreviated i.e.

IESV NAZARENVS REGIS IVDAEORVM Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews Roman inscription over Christ's cross, always abbreviated INRI

IGNIS AVREM PROBAT, MISERIA FORTES VIROS fire tests gold, adversity [tests] strong men Nietzsche: 'That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger'

IGNOTI NVLLA CVPIDO no desire [exists] for [a thing] unknown you can't want what you don't see Why not to broadcast Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous in the Third World

IN ARTICVLO MORTIS in the grip of death a deathbed statement carries special weight, also in extremis

IN BELLO PARVIS MOMENTIS MAGNI CASVS INTERCEDVNT in war great events result from small causes for want of a nail, a shoe was lost
for want of a shoe, a horse was lost
for want of a horse, a courier was lost
for want of a courier, a battle was lost
and so, the kingdom was lost armies win that screw up least, so pay attention to detail

IN CAMERA in chambers judicial proceeding from which the public is excluded

IN CAVDA VENENVM in the tail [is the] poison watch out for what you don't see
look beyond the obvious

IN HOC SIGNO VINCES by this sign you shall conquer miraculous apparition to Emperor Constantine at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 306 CE

IN LOCO PARENTIS in place of parents

IN MEDIA RES into the midst of things into the middle of the story
doing something without background or preparation as opposed to ab ovo "from the egg" or ab initio "from the beginning"

IN NOMINE PATRIS ET FILII ET SPIRITVS SANCTI in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost Biblical

IN SAECVLA SAECVLORVM for ages of ages forever

IN SITV in place

INSANVS OMNIS FVRERE CREDIT CETEROS every madman thinks everybody else is mad

IN VINO VERITAS in wine [there is] truth

IN TOTO in total i.e., without changes; all at once

INFRA DIGNITATEM beneath [one's] dignity

INTEGER VITAE blameless of life an honorable life

INTER ALIA among other [things]

INTERREGNVM period between rules anarchy, lawlessness

IPSA QVIDEM PRETIVM VIRTVS SIBI virtue is its own reward

IPSE DIXIT he himself said so assertion relying on personal authority, not fact

IPSO FACTO by the fact itself

IVS EST ARS BONI ET AEQVI law is the art of the good and the just

IVS GENTIVM right of tribes law of nations
international law

LAPSVS LINGVAE slip of the tongue

LAVDEM VIRTVTIS NECESSITATI DAMVS we give to necessity the praise of virtue finding the benefit in what's needful

LEX NON SCRIPTA unwritten law common law English law based on custom

LEX TALIONIS the law of retaliation an eye for an eye

LINGVA FRANCA French tongue the common or universal language

LVCVS A NON LVCENDO a grove from the absence of light a thing whose essence is the opposite of what its name suggests an absurd etymology, e.g. ?
or, Orwellian

LVSVS NATVRAE sport of nature a freak

MAGNVM OPVS great work the major work of one's life

MAIOR E LONGINQVO REVERENTIA greater reverence from afar familiarity breeds contempt nothing propinks like propinquity

MALESVADA FAMES persuading to evil hunger that leads to crime in French, jaquerie

MEA CVLPA my crime my fault

MEDICE, CVRA TE IPSVM physican heal thyself also, take one's own advice

MEMENTO MORI remember you must die reminder of death, or a death's head

MENDACEM MEMOREM ESSE OPORTET it is fitting that a liar [should be a man of good] memory Robert Burns: 'Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we learn to deceive.'

MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO a sound mind in a sound body one cannot be sane without being healthy

MIRABILE DICTV remarkable to say

MIRABILE VISV wonderful to see

MOBILE VVLGVS the moveable public the fickle mob

MODVS OPERANDI method of operation abbreviated M.O.

MODVS VIVENDI way of living [together]

MORITVRI TE SALVTEMVS we who are about to die salute you traditional salute given to Roman emperors by gladiators in the arena before combat

MORS TVA, VITA MEA your death, my life you must die so that I can live

MORTVI NON MORDANT dead [men] don't bite dead men tell no tales

MVLTI SVNT VOCATI, PAVCI VERO ELECTI many are called [but] few are chosen

MVNDVS VVLT DECIPI the world wishes to be deceived there's a sucker born every minute

MVTATIS MVTANDIS the things that ought to have changed having been changed with the necessary substitutions having been made

NASCENTES MORIMVR from the moment of birth we begin to die

NATVRA NON FACIT SALTVM nature makes no leaps gradualism; however the discovery of the Dino Killer's footprint in Chixulub, Yucutan may have invalidated this seemingly sensible principle

NE CEDE MALIS do not yield to misfortune

NE PLVS VLTRA not further beyond a highest or furthest point implicitly a suggestion to stay put or better yet go back, nowadays used incorrectly as a synonym for 'best'

NE QVID NIMIS nothing in excess

NEC PLVRIBVS IMPAR not unequal to most a match for anyone motto of Louis XIV of France "the Sun King"; good example of litote or understatement by which an affirmative thought is expressed by stating the negative of the contrary thought

NEMO LIBER EST QVI CORPORI SERVIT no one is free who is a slave to his body

NEMO MALVS FELIX no bad man [is] happy no peace unto the wicked

NEMO ME IMPVNE LACESSIT no one provokes me with impunity back off or be sorry

NEMO REPENTE FVIT TVRPISSIMVS no one ever became extremely wicked all of a sudden

NIHIL AGENDO HOMINES MALE AGERE DISCVNT by doing nothing men learn to act wickedly or as the Bible says, idle hands are the Devil's workshop

NIL DESPERANDVM nothing is to be despaired of never say die Yogi Berra: 'the game ain't over til it's over'

NIL NOVI SVB SOLE nothing new under the sun is more about human nature than our inventions

NOLENS, VOLENS [being] unwilling, willing doing something you don't really want to do, willy-nilly, haphazardly

NOLI ME TANGERE touch me not spoken by Jesus to Mary Magdalen after his Resurrection
a person or thing that can't be touched
a warning to stay away or uninvolved

NOLLE PROSEQVI to wish not to proceed procurator's statement abandoning the proceedings

NOLO CONTENDERE I don't want to fight equivalent to admission of guilt and subject to punishment, but allows legal option to deny charges later

NON BIS IN IDEM not twice for the same thing Latin proscription against double jeopardy in the courts

NON COMPOS MENTIS not sound mind insane, crazy

NON EST VIVERE SED VALERE VITA EST life is not being alive but being well

NON IGNARA MALI, MISERIS SVCCVRRERE DISCO no stranger to misfortune [myself] I learn to relieve the sufferings [of others]

NON MIHI, NON TIBI, SED NOBIS not for you, not for me, but for us the foundation of a good relationship

NON NOVA SED NOVE not new things but newly in a new way

NON OMNIA POSSVMVS OMNES we cannot all do everything no one can become an expert in everything

NON OMNIS MORIAR I shall not [completely] die Horace telling us that his works would live forever

NON SEMPER EA SVNT QVAE VIDENTVR things are not always what they appear to be see also non teneas aurum totum quod splendet ut auram

NON SEMPER ERIT AESTAS [it] will not always be summer make hay while the sun shines
be prepared for hard times

NON SEQVITVR [it] does not follow illogical, nonsense

NOTA BENE note well abbreviated N.B.

NOVVS HOMO new man but really means parvenu or nouveau riche or novy Russkii

NVDVM PACTVM a nude pact an invalid agreement a contract with illusory benefits or without consideration hence unenforceable

NVLLVM QVOD TETIGET NON ORNAVIT he touched none he did not adorn not simply 'the Midas touch', or 'he left things better than he found them', but a tribute to a Renaissance man

NVNC AVT NVNQVAM now or never

NVNC DIMITTIS now let [thy servant] depart generally any permission to go, specifically to express one's readiness to depart or die

NVNC PRO TVNC now for then retroactive

OBITER DICTVM [thing] said by the way parenthetical remark

OBSTA PRINCIPIIS resist the beginnings nip it in the bud
a stitch in time saves nine
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure don't wait for something to get worse before fixing it

ODERINT DVM METVANT [let] them hate while they fear let them hate me as long as they fear me could have been Lavrentiy Pavlovich's [Beria's] personal motto

OLEVM ADDERE CAMINO to pour fuel on the stove adding gasoline to a fire
to make a bad thing worse
to aggravate the situation

OLEVM PERDISTI you have lost oil you've wasted your time on this criticism for a misallocation of resources

OMNE IGNOTVM PRO MAGNIFICO EST everything unknown is thought to be magnificent 'the grass is greener on the other side of the fence' but also, everything unknown is thought to be more difficult than it really is

OMNES DETERIORES SVMVS LICENTIA too much freedom debases us

OMNE TRINVM EST PERFECTVM everything [in] threes is perfect old proverb reflecting the mystical power of the number three; source of the doctrine of the Trinity?

OMNE TVLIT PVNCTVM QVI MISCVIT VTILE DVLCI [he] has gained every point who has combined [the] useful [with the] agreeable

OMNIA MVTANTVR NOS ET MVTAMVR IN ILLIS all things change and we change with them

OPERE CITATO in the work cited scholarly footnote, abbreviated op. cit.

ORATVR FIT, POETA NASCITVR an orator is made [but] a poet is born

O TEMPORES, O MORES! Oh the times, oh the customs! these are bad times

PANEM ET CIRCENSES bread and circuses nowadays, welfare and TV

PAR PARE REFERO I return like for like tit for tat retaliation

PARES CVM PARIBVS like persons with like persons birds of a feather flock together
people will seek out their own kind

PARI PASSV with equal pace

PARTVRIENT MONTES, NASCETVR RIDICVLVS MVS mountains will be in labor [and a] ridiculous mouse will be born all that work and nothing to show for it

PARVA LEVES CAPIVNT ANIMAS small things sieze light minds petty things for petty minds

PASSIM here and there

PATRIS EST FILIVS he is his father's son 'chip off the old block' see also qualis pater talis filius

PAVPERTAS OMNIVM ARTIVM REPERTRIX poverty [is the] inventor of all the arts necessity is the mother of invention

PAX VOBISCVM [may] peace [be] with you

PECCAVI I have sinned the shortest and cleverest military dispatch of all time, see also Caesar's veni vidi vici. British general Sir Charles Napier wrote the single word peccavi as a pun to communicate his victory at the city of Miani in the Indian region of Sindh in 1843, i.e. 'I have Sindh.'

PECVNIAE OBEDIVNT OMNIA all things obey money money makes the world go round

PECVNIA NON OLET money doesn't smell 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth'

PENETRALIA MENTIS the innermost recesses of the mind 'heart of hearts'

PER ACRIA BELLI through the harshness [better: bitterness or savagery] of war

PER DIEM by the day as opposed to a fixed price, nowadays used to mean the daily living allowance on business travel

PER FAS ET NEFAS through right or wrong

PER IMPOSSIBILE as is impossible a way to qualify a proposition that cannot ever be true

PER SE by itself

PERICVLVM IN MORA danger in delay

PERMITTE DIVIS CETERA [when you have done all that is prudent] leave the rest to the gods 'you pays your money and you takes your chances'

PERSONA NON GRATA person not pleasing or unwelcome person a declaration used in diplomacy prior to deporting someone, occasionally abbreviated P.N.G.

PLVRES CRAPVLA QVAM GLADIVS drunkeness [kills] more than the sword as true today on the road as it ever was

PONS ASINORVM bridge of asses bridge of fools an insoluble problem

PONTIFEX MAXIMVS great bridge-builder high priest more specifically the Bishop of Rome, i.e. the Pope

POSSE COMITATVS the power of a county "posse" as in American Western movies, a group of people enlisted on the spot by the law to pursue a criminal also means the proscription in America against the use of the military for internal police matters, from 1878.

POSSVNT QVIA POSSE VIDENTVR they can because they seem to be able to the appearance of power bestows power also, perception of power can be as important as the power itself

POST EQVITEM SEDET ATRA CVRA behind the horseman sits black care no one is free of worry

POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC after this therefore because of this a logical fallacy; things that follow one another are not always related

POST MORTEM after death nowadays, the autopsy performed by a coroner

POST PARTVM after childbirth

POST SCRIPTVM written afterward abbreviated P.S.

POTIVS MORI QVAM FOEDARI rather to die than to be dishonored death before dishonor old Roman mother's sendoff: with your shield or on it

PRAEMONITVS, PRAEMVNITVS forewarned [is] forearmed

PRIMA FACIE on the face of it in law, an obvious case that requires no further proof

PRIMVS INTER PARES first among equals a paradox meaning leader of a council or oligarchy

PRO BONO PVBLICO for the public good nowadays means not charging for services, abbrev. pro bono

PRO FORMA for form but not in reality meaningless formality

PRO RATA in proportion

PRO TEMPORE for time temporarily abbrev. pro tem

PROBITAS LAVDATVR ET ALGET virtue is praised [and then] left to freeze society approves of goodness but won't reward it

PROPRIVM HVMANI INGENII EST ODISSE QVEM LAESERIS [it is] human nature to hate a person whom you have injured

PROSIT may it benefit you a drinking toast which has passed unchanged to the German prosit

QVAE NOCENT DOCENT things that hurt, teach 'School of Hard Knocks'

QVAERENDA PECVNIA PRIMVM EST, VIRTVS POST NVMMOS money is the first thing to be sought [then] virtue after wealth another motto for the oligarchs, apparently

QVALIS ARTIFEX PEREO such an artist dies in me Emperor Nero's famous last words, or novissimus verba

QVALIS PATER TALIS FILIVS like father like son 'the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree'

QVANDOQVE BONVS DORMITAT HOMERVS sometimes [even the] good Homer sleeps you win some, you lose some

QVEM DI DILIGVNT, ADOLSECENS MORITVR whom the gods love dies young 'only the good die young'

QVI BENE AMAT BENE CASTIGAT who loves well castigates well 'spare the rod and spoil the child'
'honesty is the best policy'

QVI DESIDERAT PACEM PRAEPARAT BELLVM who desires peace [should] prepare [for] war antecedent of the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command motto: 'Peace is our profession'.

QVI DOCENT DISCIT [he] who teaches, learns Truer words were never spoken, George Bernard Shaw notwithstanding. See also qui scribit bis legit.

QVI FVGIEBAT RVRSVS PROELIABITVR [he] who has fled will do battle once more 'he who fights and runs away may live to fight another day'
'discretion is the better part of valor' but this advice cuts both ways, as in 'don't let your enemies escape alive'. It would seem that Stalin wasn't listening to the Romans when he penned Order No. 227 ('ne shagu nazad!').

QVI ME AMAT, AMAT ET CANEM MEAM who loves me loves my dog as well 'love me love my dog'
you must take me as I am

QVI NESCIT DISSIMVLARE NESCIT REGNARE [he] who doesn't know how to lie doesn't know how to rule

QVI SCRIBIT BIS LEGIT [he] who writes reads twice

QVI TACET CONSENTIT [he] who remains silent consents principle behind the statute of limitations in civil law

QVI TIMIDE ROGAT DOCET NEGARE he who asks timidly teaches to refuse he who asks timidly invites refusal

QVID FACIENDVM? what is to be done? One of Lenin's works, no?

QVID NOVI? what's new? 'what's up?'
'what's happening?' Irish 'what's the rumpus?'

QVID PRO QVO something for something an [even] exchange

QVIS CVSTODIET IPSOS CVSTODES who will guard those selfsame guardians? 'don't assign a fox to guard the henhouse' the perennial question in civics, see nil novis sub solus

QVOD CIBVS EST ALIIS, ALIIS EST VENENVM what is food to some is poison to others 'one man's meat is another poison'
'one man's garbage is another man's treasure'

QVOD CITO ACQVIRITVR CITO PERIT [that] which is quickly acquired [is] quickly lost 'easy come, easy go'

QVOD ERAT DEMONSTRANDVM [that] which has been demonstrated a statement of logical proof, especially in mathematics and law, abbreviated Q.E.D.

QVOD VIVE which see a scholarly cross-reference, abbreviated q.v.

QVOMODO VALES? what way [are] you going? Roman greeting, see also salve

QVONDAM former

QVOS DEVS VVLT PERDERE PRIVS DEMENTAT whom God wishes to destroy he first makes mad

QVO VADIS? whither goest thou? Biblical; similar translation to above, but philosophical not a greeting

RADIX OMNIVM MALORVM EST CVPIDITAS the love of money is the root of all evil note: not the money itself, nor the vegetable 'radish'

RARA AVIS rare bird extraordinary, a special or unique person

REDDITE QVAE SVNT CAESARIS CAESARI, ET QVAE SVNT DEI DEO render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, unto God that which is God's basis of separation of Church and State in the West, a lesson Muslims have yet to learn

REDIME TE CAPTVM, QVAM QVEAS MINIMO pay when taken prisoner as little as you can [to buy] your [freedom] only give the enemy your name, rank, and serial number

REDOLET LVCERNAM [it] smells of the lamp critical remark that one worked too hard on something, or too late the night before

REDVCTIO AD ABSVRDVM reduction to absurdity take to the extreme a form of logical argument

REPENTE DIVES NEMO FACTVS EST BONVS : no one rich is made suddenly good another motto more the noviye Russkiye

REQVIESCAT IN PACE rest in peace epitaph on a gravestone, or generally an indication that someone has died, abbreviated R.I.P.

RES IN CARDINE EST the matter is on a door hinge things are balanced on a knife's edge
things can go either way
we're in a crisis

RES INTER ALIOS a matter between others it's not our business

RES IPSA LOQVITVR the thing speaks for itself the facts are obvious or beyond dispute

RES PVBLICA the affairs of the people basis of the word 'republic', and unchanged in Russian

RESPONDEAT SVPERIOR let the superior answer 'the buck stops here' principle of accountability

REX NON POTEST PECCARE the king cannot sin

SALVS VBI MVLTI CONSILIARII [there is] safety where [there are] many advisors two heads are better than one not an apology for bureaucratic dilution of blame

SANCTVM SANCTORVM holy of holies most private, off limits

SAPIENS NIHIL AFFIRMAT QVOD NON PROBAT a wise man affirms nothing which he does not prove good advice for a student, or for the nation in a crisis

SCIENTIA EST POTENTIA knowledge is power

SENATVS POPVLVSQVE ROMANVS the Senate and the people of Rome official Roman inscription meaning by the authority of the Roman Empire, usually on military standards, abbreviated SPQR

SEMPER FIDELIS always faithful also semper fi motto of the United States Marine Corps

SI REQUIRIS MONUMENTUM CIRCUMSPICE If you need [to see] a monument [to them][just] look around [yourself] Medieval Latin; anonymous; epitaph to those who have built great things in the real world

SIC thus editorial remark in square brackets [sic] used to indicate a verbatim quote or record without correcting the spelling or grammar

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS thus always to tyrants a statement often accompanying a regicide

SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MVNDI so passes the glory of the world usually said at the end or fall of some great thing

SINE DIE without a day closed for indefinite period

SINE QVA NON without which not the necessary or indispensable element

SISTE VIATOR wait, traveler inscription on Roman tombstones

SIT TIBI TERRA LEVIS may the earth be light upon you another tombstone epitaph

SOTTO VOCE in soft voice

SPECTATVM VENIVNT, VENIVNT SPECTENTVR VT IPSAE they come to see, they come that they themselves be seen 'to see and be seen'

STATVS QVO state of affairs [now]

STATVS QVO ANTE state of affairs before [now]

STVLTORVM CALAMI CARBONES MOENIA CHARTAE chalk [is] the pen of fools, the walls [their ] paper the perennial problem of graffiti and vandalism, (or today's equivalent, spam and computer viruses - see asinorum calami virii et spama, Retus chartae)

SVB POENA under penalty

SVB ROSA under the rose in confidence, secret

SVI GENERIS of its own kind unique
one of a kind
not to be treated the regular way

SVMMVM IVS, SVMMVM INIVRIA extreme law, extreme injustice a lesson for Inspector Javert

TABVLA RASA erased tablet empty
blank
a clean slate a mind ready for knowledge, a computer ready for programming

TE NOSCE know thyself

TEMPVS EDAX RERVM time [the] devourer of all [things]

TEMPVS FVGIT time flies

TEMPVS OMNIA REVELAT time reveals all [things] not according to the Official Secrets Act

TENERE LVPVM AVRIBVS to hold a wolf by the ears to deal boldly with danger

TERRA FIRMA solid ground

TERRA INCOGNITA unknown territory

TIMEO DANAOS ET DONA FERENTES I fear [the] Greeks and the gifts they bear famous warning ignored by the Trojans, source of phrase 'Trojan horse'

TV QVOQVE you also response to an accusation or insult

VBI BENE IBI PATRIA where there is good there is my fatherland I owe my allegiance to the country in which I prosper or as Lenin would say, vote with your feet

VBI SOLITVDINEM FACIVNT PACEM APPELLANT where they create a desert, they call it peace 'we had to destroy the village in order to save it' from the Third Punic War in which Carthage was destroyed; in general a criticism of militarism

VLTIMA RATIO REGVM the final argument of kings motto of Louis XIV on his cannon

VLTIMA THVLE beyond Thule the end of the earth

VLTRA VIRES beyond [one's] authority outside the jurisdiction
above one's pay grade

VNA SALVS VICTIS NVLLAM SPERARE SALVTEM the one safety for the vanquished is to abandon hope of safety hopelessness gives courage

VRBI ET ORBI to the city [of Rome] and to the world preface of Papal documents

VTI POSSIDETIS as you possess possession is nine tenths of the law we stole it fair and square; all property deeds can ultimately be traced to right of conquest

VADE IN PACE go in peace Roman goodbye

VADI MECVM come with me guide or handbook

VAE VICTIS woe to the vanquished it's tough to be the loser

VALE be well Roman goodbye

VANITAS VANITATVM, OMNIS VANITAS vanity of vanities, all is vanity everything man does is in vain

VENI VIDI VICI I came, I saw, I conquered Caesar's pithy remark to the Roman Senate about his victory at Pontus

VERBA VOLANT, SCRIPTA MANENT spoken words fly away, written words remain 'get it in writing' because verbal contracts get you verbal benefits

VERBVM SAPIENTI SAT a word to the wise is enough a verbal warning prior to real punishment

VERITAS VOS LIBERABIT the truth shall set you free motto of the C.I.A.

VIDELICET it is permitted to see to wit;
namely abbreviated viz.

VINCIT QVI SE VINCIT he conquers who conquers himself

VIRTVS PROBATA FLORESCIT manly excellence in trial flourishes

VIRTVTIS FORTVNA COMES good luck is the companion of courage

VIS CONSILI EXPERS MOLE RVIT SVA force without wise counsel falls by its own weight discretion is the better part of valor

VIS INERTIAE the power of inertia why things never change

VIVE HODIE live today [not tomorrow]

VIVE VT VIVAS live that you may live

VIXERE FORTES ANTE AGAMEMNONA brave men lived before Agamemnon heroism exists even if it's not recorded
we don't have a monopoly on good

VOLENS ET POTENS willing and able as opposed to volo non valeo

VOLENTI NON FIT INIVRIA to a willing [person] no injury [is] made it's not a crime between consenting adults

VOLVPTATES COMMENDAT RARIOR VSVS infrequent use commends pleasure moderation in all things

VOX CLAMANTIS IN DESERTO voice crying in the desert voice in the wilderness unheeded warning, an opinion not in the mainstream

VOX ET PRAETEREA NIHIL a voice and nothing more an empty threat

VOX POPVLI, VOX DEI the voice of the people [is] the voice of God democracy is divinely ordained ignore the will of the people at your peril

**ROMAN PROVERBS & LATIN PHRASES TRANS. & ANNOT. into ENGLISH**
Classical Latin	Literal English	Idiomatic English	Annotations
AB AETERNO	from eternity	from the beginning of time no date established it has always been this way
AB ASINO LANAM	wool from an ass	blood from a stone impossible
AB VRBE CONDITA	from the founding of the city		abbreviated A.U.C., specifically used for Roman dates, reckoned from the founding of that city in 753 BCE
A CAPPELLA	in church [style]		i.e. vocal music only
ACTA NON VERBA	actions not words		motto of U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at King's Point
ACTVS REVS	wrongful act		as opposed to mens rea - the wrongful intention or guilty mind
AD ASTRA PER ASPERA	to the stars through difficulties		motto of The National Space Society
AD CALENDAS GRAECAS	at the Greek calends	never	because the Greek did not reckon time with calends
AD HOC	to this	for a particular purpose spur of the moment
AD INFINITVM	to infinity	without end
AD LIBITVM	to pleasure	perform without a plan freely	nowadays used in short form ad lib
AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM	for the greater glory of God
AD NAVSEVM	to [the point of] disgust
ADVOCATVS DIABOLI	devil's advocate		nowadays, a person who takes the unpopular side of an argument
ALEA IACTA EST	the die is cast	there's no going back what's next is in the hands of the gods	irreversible act
ALMA MATER	fostering mother	one's old school
AMICVS CVRIAE	friend of the court		person not party to the case who submits material of probitive value
AMOR VINCIT OMNIA	love conquers all
ANNO DOMINI	year of the Lord		abbreviated A.D.
ANNVIT COEPTIS	[He] has favored [our] undertaking	divine favor	motto above the pyramid on the back of the U.S. dollar
ANNVS MIRABILIS	wonderful year		not just any good year, but a momentous year in history such as 1848, 1968, or 1989
ANNVS TERRIBILIS	terrible year		just the opposite of above, an especially rotten year such as 1346, 1914, or 2001
A POSTERIORI	from what comes after		inductive reasoning based on observation, as opposed to deductive, or a priori
AQVA VITAE	water of life	akvavit in general, distilled spirits	see parallel Gaelic uiskabagh, "water of life", i.e. whiskey
ARS GRATIA ARTIS	art for art's sake		statement that art needs no external justification, as opposed to commercial art
ARS LONGA, VITA BREVIS	art is long [while] life is short	art lasts forever	while affairs of the moment are forgotten
AVREA MEDIOCRITAS	the golden mean	moderation in all things	truth and goodness are generally to be found in the middle, not the extremes
AVE ATQVE VALE	hail and farewell
BONA FIDE	in good faith
CAMERA OBSCVRA	hidden room		an early photographic or painting technique utilizing optical pinholes
CARPE DIEM	seize the day	eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die
CARTAGO DELENDA EST	Carthage must be destroyed
CASVS BELLI	occasion of war	the act which starts a war
CAVEAT EMPTOR	let the buyer beware
CAVEAT VENDOR	let the seller beware		modern counter-principle of above
CAVE QVID DICIS, QVANDO ET CVI	beware what you say, when and to whom
CETERIS PARIBVS	other things being equal
CIRCA	about, approximately		abbreviated c or ca.
CAELVM NON ANIMVM MVTANT QVI TRANS MARE CVRRVNT	those who cross the sea [only] change the sky, not their spirits	no matter how far you go, you always take yourself with you
COGITO ERGO SVM	I think therefore I am		fundamental axiom by Descartes in XVIII, not Roman
CORPVS DELICTI	the body of the crime	tangible evidence of wrongdoing, the smoking gun	as opposed to mere circumstances or indications
CREDO QVIA ABSVRDVM	I believe it [because] it's absurd		this sentiment would translate very well into Russian
CVI BONO	for whom [is it] good?		to find the criminal, first learn who profited from the crime
CVM GRANO SALIS	[take] with a grain of salt	be skeptical
CVM TACENT CLAMANT	when they are silent, they cry out	silence is an admission of guilt
CVNCTANDO REGITUR MUNDIS	waiting, one rules the world	waiting, one conquers all
CVRAE LEVES LOQVVNTVR INGENTES STVPENT	lesser griefs talk, great ones are speechless	in for a penny, in for a pound; might as well be hung for a sheep instead of a lamb; leave no witnesses	as Machiavelli said, And let it here be noted that men are either to be kindly treated, or utterly crushed, since they can revenge lighter injuries, but not graver. Wherefore the injury we do to a man should be of a sort to leave no fear of reprisals
CVRRICVLVM VITAE	the course of [one's] life	a resume
DAMNANT QVOD NON INTELLIGVNT	they condemn what they do not understand
DE ASINI VMBRA DISCEPTARE	to argue about the shadow of an ass	petty things for petty minds
DE FACTO	from the fact	in reality actually in power	as opposed to...
DE IVRE	from the law	legal	but not real or not in power
DE GVSTIBVS NON DISPVTANDVM EST	in [matters] of taste, there's no argument
DE MORTVIS NIL NISI BONVM	of the dead, [say] nothing but good	never speak ill of the dead
DE NIHILO NIHIL	nothing from nothing		also, ex nihilo nihil fit you can't create something from nothing
DE PROFVNDIS	out of the depths [of sorrow and despair]
DE RERVM NATVRA	on the nature of things		title of Marcus Aurelius's magnum opus
DEO GRATIS	thanks be to God
DEUS VOLENT	[as] God wills
DEVS EX MACHINA	god from the machine		a contrived plot device, usually a sign of bad writing or bad thinking
DRAMATIS PERSONAE	persons of the drama	cast of characters
DVM SPIRO SPERO	while [there's] life, [there's] hope
DVM VIVIMVS VIVAMVS	while we live let us live		Epicurean motto
DVRA LEX SED LEX	hard [is the] law but [it's the] law
E PLVRIBVS VNVM	out of many, one		motto on the US dollar
ECCE HOMO	behold the man		words first spoken by Pontius Pilate when he showed Jesus crowned by thorns to the mob
ENSE ET ARATRO	with sword and plow		citizen-soldier, one who serves in war and peace
ERRARE HVMANVM EST	to err is human		the second half of the phrase is "to forgive, divine"
ET CETERA	and others		abbreviated etc.
ET TV BRVTE	you also Brutus		Caesar's dying recognition of betrayal
EX CATHEDRA	from the chair	from high authority infallible
EX PEDE HERCVLEM	from the foot of Hercules	one can judge the whole from a sample
EX POST FACTO	from what is done afterwards	after the fact, or retroactive	one form of logical fallacy
EXCEPTIO PROBAT REGVLAM	the exception establishes the rule		not that all rules must have exceptions, but that exceptions help define rules better
EXEMPLI GRATIA	by way of example		abbreviated e.g.
EXTINCTVS AMABITVR IDEM	the same [hated] man will be loved after he's dead	how quickly we forget
FABAS INDVLCET FAMES	hunger sweetens beans	hunger is the best seasoning
FACILIS DESCENSVS AVERNO	the descent to Avernus (Hell) [is] easy	it's easy to fall, hard to rise
FELIS QVI NIHIL DEBET	happy [is] he who owes nothing
FIAT LVX	let there be light		Biblical
FIAT VOLVNTAS TVA	let Thy will [be done]		Biblical
FIDES PVNICA	Punic [Carthaginian] faith	i.e. a double cross
FINEM RESPICE	look to the end [before setting forth]
FLAGRANTE DELICTO	with the crime blazing	caught in the act
FORTES FORTVNA FORTIBVS	fortune favors the brave	you make your own luck
FORTITER IN RE, SVAVITER IN MODE	resolutely in the thing [deed], gently in manner	do what is necessary, but do it as gently as possible
FRONTI NVLLA FIDES	on the front no reliance [can be placed]	don't judge a book by its cover don't be misled by appearances
GAVDEAMVS IGITVR	let us rejoice therefore		Biblical
HABEAS CORPVS	[that] you have the body		a legal writ requiring that the person being detained be brought before a judge to show cause and guard against unfair imprisonment; basis of British and American jurisprudence
HAEC OLIM MEMINISSE IVVABIT	time heals all things		i.e. wounds, offenses
HANNIBAL AD PORTAS	Hannibal is at the gates		the best colloquial translation in American English is regrettably, "the Russians are coming"
HIC ET NVNC	here and now	immediately
HOC EST VIVERE BIS VITA POSSE PRIORE FRVI	to live twice is to make useful profit from one's past	Experience is the best teacher, so learn from her
HOC VOLO SIC IVBEO SIT PRO RATIONE VOLVNTAS	this I will, thus I command, let [my] will [serve] as reason
HODIE MIHI CRAS TIBI	today to me tomorrow to you	epitaph to remind reader of own mortality
HOMO DOCTVS IS SE SEMPER DIVITIAS HABET	a learned man always has wealth within himself
HOMO LVPVS HOMINI	man [is a] wolf to man	man's inhumanity to man
HOSTIS HVMANI GENERIS	enemy of the human race		Saddam, for instance
IBIDEM	in the same place		abbreviated ibid.
ID EST	that is		abbreviated i.e.
IESV NAZARENVS REGIS IVDAEORVM	Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews		Roman inscription over Christ's cross, always abbreviated INRI
IGNIS AVREM PROBAT, MISERIA FORTES VIROS	fire tests gold, adversity [tests] strong men		Nietzsche: 'That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger'
IGNOTI NVLLA CVPIDO	no desire [exists] for [a thing] unknown	you can't want what you don't see	Why not to broadcast Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous in the Third World
IN ARTICVLO MORTIS	in the grip of death		a deathbed statement carries special weight, also in extremis
IN BELLO PARVIS MOMENTIS MAGNI CASVS INTERCEDVNT	in war great events result from small causes	for want of a nail, a shoe was lost for want of a shoe, a horse was lost for want of a horse, a courier was lost for want of a courier, a battle was lost and so, the kingdom was lost	armies win that screw up least, so pay attention to detail
IN CAMERA	in chambers		judicial proceeding from which the public is excluded
IN CAVDA VENENVM	in the tail [is the] poison	watch out for what you don't see look beyond the obvious
IN HOC SIGNO VINCES	by this sign you shall conquer		miraculous apparition to Emperor Constantine at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 306 CE
IN LOCO PARENTIS	in place of parents
IN MEDIA RES	into the midst of things	into the middle of the story doing something without background or preparation	as opposed to ab ovo "from the egg" or ab initio "from the beginning"
IN NOMINE PATRIS ET FILII ET SPIRITVS SANCTI	in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost		Biblical
IN SAECVLA SAECVLORVM	for ages of ages	forever
IN SITV	in place
INSANVS OMNIS FVRERE CREDIT CETEROS	every madman thinks everybody else is mad
IN VINO VERITAS	in wine [there is] truth
IN TOTO	in total		i.e., without changes; all at once
INFRA DIGNITATEM	beneath [one's] dignity
INTEGER VITAE	blameless of life	an honorable life
INTER ALIA	among other [things]
INTERREGNVM	period between rules	anarchy, lawlessness
IPSA QVIDEM PRETIVM VIRTVS SIBI	virtue is its own reward
IPSE DIXIT	he himself said so		assertion relying on personal authority, not fact
IPSO FACTO	by the fact itself
IVS EST ARS BONI ET AEQVI	law is the art of the good and the just
IVS GENTIVM	right of tribes	law of nations international law
LAPSVS LINGVAE	slip of the tongue
LAVDEM VIRTVTIS NECESSITATI DAMVS	we give to necessity the praise of virtue	finding the benefit in what's needful
LEX NON SCRIPTA	unwritten law	common law	English law based on custom
LEX TALIONIS	the law of retaliation	an eye for an eye
LINGVA FRANCA	French tongue		the common or universal language
LVCVS A NON LVCENDO	a grove from the absence of light	a thing whose essence is the opposite of what its name suggests	an absurd etymology, e.g. ? or, Orwellian
LVSVS NATVRAE	sport of nature	a freak
MAGNVM OPVS	great work	the major work of one's life
MAIOR E LONGINQVO REVERENTIA	greater reverence from afar	familiarity breeds contempt	nothing propinks like propinquity
MALESVADA FAMES	persuading to evil	hunger that leads to crime	in French, jaquerie
MEA CVLPA	my crime	my fault
MEDICE, CVRA TE IPSVM	physican heal thyself		also, take one's own advice
MEMENTO MORI	remember you must die		reminder of death, or a death's head
MENDACEM MEMOREM ESSE OPORTET	it is fitting that a liar [should be a man of good] memory		Robert Burns: 'Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we learn to deceive.'
MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO	a sound mind in a sound body		one cannot be sane without being healthy
MIRABILE DICTV	remarkable to say
MIRABILE VISV	wonderful to see
MOBILE VVLGVS	the moveable public	the fickle mob
MODVS OPERANDI	method of operation		abbreviated M.O.
MODVS VIVENDI	way of living [together]
MORITVRI TE SALVTEMVS	we who are about to die salute you		traditional salute given to Roman emperors by gladiators in the arena before combat
MORS TVA, VITA MEA	your death, my life	you must die so that I can live
MORTVI NON MORDANT	dead [men] don't bite	dead men tell no tales
MVLTI SVNT VOCATI, PAVCI VERO ELECTI	many are called [but] few are chosen
MVNDVS VVLT DECIPI	the world wishes to be deceived	there's a sucker born every minute
MVTATIS MVTANDIS	the things that ought to have changed having been changed	with the necessary substitutions having been made
NASCENTES MORIMVR	from the moment of birth we begin to die
NATVRA NON FACIT SALTVM	nature makes no leaps		gradualism; however the discovery of the Dino Killer's footprint in Chixulub, Yucutan may have invalidated this seemingly sensible principle
NE CEDE MALIS	do not yield to misfortune
NE PLVS VLTRA	not further beyond	a highest or furthest point	implicitly a suggestion to stay put or better yet go back, nowadays used incorrectly as a synonym for 'best'
NE QVID NIMIS	nothing in excess
NEC PLVRIBVS IMPAR	not unequal to most	a match for anyone	motto of Louis XIV of France "the Sun King"; good example of litote or understatement by which an affirmative thought is expressed by stating the negative of the contrary thought
NEMO LIBER EST QVI CORPORI SERVIT	no one is free who is a slave to his body
NEMO MALVS FELIX	no bad man [is] happy	no peace unto the wicked
NEMO ME IMPVNE LACESSIT	no one provokes me with impunity	back off or be sorry
NEMO REPENTE FVIT TVRPISSIMVS	no one ever became extremely wicked all of a sudden
NIHIL AGENDO HOMINES MALE AGERE DISCVNT	by doing nothing men learn to act wickedly		or as the Bible says, idle hands are the Devil's workshop
NIL DESPERANDVM	nothing is to be despaired of	never say die	Yogi Berra: 'the game ain't over til it's over'
NIL NOVI SVB SOLE	nothing new under the sun		is more about human nature than our inventions
NOLENS, VOLENS	[being] unwilling, willing		doing something you don't really want to do, willy-nilly, haphazardly
NOLI ME TANGERE	touch me not		spoken by Jesus to Mary Magdalen after his Resurrection a person or thing that can't be touched a warning to stay away or uninvolved
NOLLE PROSEQVI	to wish not to proceed		procurator's statement abandoning the proceedings
NOLO CONTENDERE	I don't want to fight		equivalent to admission of guilt and subject to punishment, but allows legal option to deny charges later
NON BIS IN IDEM	not twice for the same thing		Latin proscription against double jeopardy in the courts
NON COMPOS MENTIS	not sound mind	insane, crazy
NON EST VIVERE SED VALERE VITA EST	life is not being alive but being well
NON IGNARA MALI, MISERIS SVCCVRRERE DISCO	no stranger to misfortune [myself] I learn to relieve the sufferings [of others]
NON MIHI, NON TIBI, SED NOBIS	not for you, not for me, but for us		the foundation of a good relationship
NON NOVA SED NOVE	not new things but newly	in a new way
NON OMNIA POSSVMVS OMNES	we cannot all do everything	no one can become an expert in everything
NON OMNIS MORIAR	I shall not [completely] die		Horace telling us that his works would live forever
NON SEMPER EA SVNT QVAE VIDENTVR	things are not always what they appear to be		see also non teneas aurum totum quod splendet ut auram
NON SEMPER ERIT AESTAS	[it] will not always be summer	make hay while the sun shines be prepared for hard times
NON SEQVITVR	[it] does not follow	illogical, nonsense
NOTA BENE	note well		abbreviated N.B.
NOVVS HOMO	new man		but really means parvenu or nouveau riche or novy Russkii
NVDVM PACTVM	a nude pact	an invalid agreement	a contract with illusory benefits or without consideration hence unenforceable
NVLLVM QVOD TETIGET NON ORNAVIT	he touched none he did not adorn		not simply 'the Midas touch', or 'he left things better than he found them', but a tribute to a Renaissance man
NVNC AVT NVNQVAM	now or never
NVNC DIMITTIS	now let [thy servant] depart		generally any permission to go, specifically to express one's readiness to depart or die
NVNC PRO TVNC	now for then	retroactive
OBITER DICTVM	[thing] said by the way		parenthetical remark
OBSTA PRINCIPIIS	resist the beginnings	nip it in the bud a stitch in time saves nine an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure	don't wait for something to get worse before fixing it
ODERINT DVM METVANT	[let] them hate while they fear	let them hate me as long as they fear me	could have been Lavrentiy Pavlovich's [Beria's] personal motto
OLEVM ADDERE CAMINO	to pour fuel on the stove	adding gasoline to a fire to make a bad thing worse to aggravate the situation
OLEVM PERDISTI	you have lost oil	you've wasted your time on this	criticism for a misallocation of resources
OMNE IGNOTVM PRO MAGNIFICO EST	everything unknown is thought to be magnificent	'the grass is greener on the other side of the fence'	but also, everything unknown is thought to be more difficult than it really is
OMNES DETERIORES SVMVS LICENTIA	too much freedom debases us
OMNE TRINVM EST PERFECTVM	everything [in] threes is perfect		old proverb reflecting the mystical power of the number three; source of the doctrine of the Trinity?
OMNE TVLIT PVNCTVM QVI MISCVIT VTILE DVLCI	[he] has gained every point who has combined [the] useful [with the] agreeable
OMNIA MVTANTVR NOS ET MVTAMVR IN ILLIS	all things change and we change with them
OPERE CITATO	in the work cited		scholarly footnote, abbreviated op. cit.
ORATVR FIT, POETA NASCITVR	an orator is made [but] a poet is born
O TEMPORES, O MORES!	Oh the times, oh the customs!	these are bad times
PANEM ET CIRCENSES	bread and circuses		nowadays, welfare and TV
PAR PARE REFERO	I return like for like	tit for tat	retaliation
PARES CVM PARIBVS	like persons with like persons	birds of a feather flock together people will seek out their own kind
PARI PASSV	with equal pace
PARTVRIENT MONTES, NASCETVR RIDICVLVS MVS	mountains will be in labor [and a] ridiculous mouse will be born	all that work and nothing to show for it
PARVA LEVES CAPIVNT ANIMAS	small things sieze light minds	petty things for petty minds
PASSIM	here and there
PATRIS EST FILIVS	he is his father's son	'chip off the old block'	see also qualis pater talis filius
PAVPERTAS OMNIVM ARTIVM REPERTRIX	poverty [is the] inventor of all the arts	necessity is the mother of invention
PAX VOBISCVM	[may] peace [be] with you
PECCAVI	I have sinned		the shortest and cleverest military dispatch of all time, see also Caesar's veni vidi vici. British general Sir Charles Napier wrote the single word peccavi as a pun to communicate his victory at the city of Miani in the Indian region of Sindh in 1843, i.e. 'I have Sindh.'
PECVNIAE OBEDIVNT OMNIA	all things obey money	money makes the world go round
PECVNIA NON OLET	money doesn't smell	'don't look a gift horse in the mouth'
PENETRALIA MENTIS	the innermost recesses of the mind	'heart of hearts'
PER ACRIA BELLI	through the harshness [better: bitterness or savagery] of war
PER DIEM	by the day		as opposed to a fixed price, nowadays used to mean the daily living allowance on business travel
PER FAS ET NEFAS	through right or wrong
PER IMPOSSIBILE	as is impossible	a way to qualify a proposition that cannot ever be true
PER SE	by itself
PERICVLVM IN MORA	danger in delay
PERMITTE DIVIS CETERA	[when you have done all that is prudent] leave the rest to the gods		'you pays your money and you takes your chances'
PERSONA NON GRATA	person not pleasing	or unwelcome person	a declaration used in diplomacy prior to deporting someone, occasionally abbreviated P.N.G.
PLVRES CRAPVLA QVAM GLADIVS	drunkeness [kills] more than the sword		as true today on the road as it ever was
PONS ASINORVM	bridge of asses	bridge of fools	an insoluble problem
PONTIFEX MAXIMVS	great bridge-builder	high priest	more specifically the Bishop of Rome, i.e. the Pope
POSSE COMITATVS	the power of a county	"posse" as in American Western movies, a group of people enlisted on the spot by the law to pursue a criminal	also means the proscription in America against the use of the military for internal police matters, from 1878.
POSSVNT QVIA POSSE VIDENTVR	they can because they seem to be able to	the appearance of power bestows power	also, perception of power can be as important as the power itself
POST EQVITEM SEDET ATRA CVRA	behind the horseman sits black care	no one is free of worry
POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC	after this therefore because of this		a logical fallacy; things that follow one another are not always related
POST MORTEM	after death		nowadays, the autopsy performed by a coroner
POST PARTVM	after childbirth
POST SCRIPTVM	written afterward		abbreviated P.S.
POTIVS MORI QVAM FOEDARI	rather to die than to be dishonored	death before dishonor	old Roman mother's sendoff: with your shield or on it
PRAEMONITVS, PRAEMVNITVS	forewarned [is] forearmed
PRIMA FACIE	on the face of it		in law, an obvious case that requires no further proof
PRIMVS INTER PARES	first among equals		a paradox meaning leader of a council or oligarchy
PRO BONO PVBLICO	for the public good		nowadays means not charging for services, abbrev. pro bono
PRO FORMA	for form	but not in reality	meaningless formality
PRO RATA	in proportion
PRO TEMPORE	for time	temporarily	abbrev. pro tem
PROBITAS LAVDATVR ET ALGET	virtue is praised [and then] left to freeze	society approves of goodness but won't reward it
PROPRIVM HVMANI INGENII EST ODISSE QVEM LAESERIS	[it is] human nature to hate a person whom you have injured
PROSIT	may it benefit you		a drinking toast which has passed unchanged to the German prosit
QVAE NOCENT DOCENT	things that hurt, teach	'School of Hard Knocks'
QVAERENDA PECVNIA PRIMVM EST, VIRTVS POST NVMMOS	money is the first thing to be sought [then] virtue after wealth		another motto for the oligarchs, apparently
QVALIS ARTIFEX PEREO	such an artist dies in me		Emperor Nero's famous last words, or novissimus verba
QVALIS PATER TALIS FILIVS	like father like son	'the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree'
QVANDOQVE BONVS DORMITAT HOMERVS	sometimes [even the] good Homer sleeps	you win some, you lose some
QVEM DI DILIGVNT, ADOLSECENS MORITVR	whom the gods love dies young	'only the good die young'
QVI BENE AMAT BENE CASTIGAT	who loves well castigates well	'spare the rod and spoil the child' 'honesty is the best policy'
QVI DESIDERAT PACEM PRAEPARAT BELLVM	who desires peace [should] prepare [for] war		antecedent of the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command motto: 'Peace is our profession'.
QVI DOCENT DISCIT	[he] who teaches, learns		Truer words were never spoken, George Bernard Shaw notwithstanding. See also qui scribit bis legit.
QVI FVGIEBAT RVRSVS PROELIABITVR	[he] who has fled will do battle once more	'he who fights and runs away may live to fight another day' 'discretion is the better part of valor'	but this advice cuts both ways, as in 'don't let your enemies escape alive'. It would seem that Stalin wasn't listening to the Romans when he penned Order No. 227 ('ne shagu nazad!').
QVI ME AMAT, AMAT ET CANEM MEAM	who loves me loves my dog as well	'love me love my dog' you must take me as I am
QVI NESCIT DISSIMVLARE NESCIT REGNARE	[he] who doesn't know how to lie doesn't know how to rule
QVI SCRIBIT BIS LEGIT	[he] who writes reads twice
QVI TACET CONSENTIT	[he] who remains silent consents		principle behind the statute of limitations in civil law
QVI TIMIDE ROGAT DOCET NEGARE	he who asks timidly teaches to refuse	he who asks timidly invites refusal
QVID FACIENDVM?	what is to be done?		One of Lenin's works, no?
QVID NOVI?	what's new?	'what's up?' 'what's happening?'	Irish 'what's the rumpus?'
QVID PRO QVO	something for something	an [even] exchange
QVIS CVSTODIET IPSOS CVSTODES	who will guard those selfsame guardians?	'don't assign a fox to guard the henhouse'	the perennial question in civics, see nil novis sub solus
QVOD CIBVS EST ALIIS, ALIIS EST VENENVM	what is food to some is poison to others	'one man's meat is another poison' 'one man's garbage is another man's treasure'
QVOD CITO ACQVIRITVR CITO PERIT	[that] which is quickly acquired [is] quickly lost	'easy come, easy go'
QVOD ERAT DEMONSTRANDVM	[that] which has been demonstrated		a statement of logical proof, especially in mathematics and law, abbreviated Q.E.D.
QVOD VIVE	which see		a scholarly cross-reference, abbreviated q.v.
QVOMODO VALES?	what way [are] you going?	Roman greeting, see also salve
QVONDAM	former
QVOS DEVS VVLT PERDERE PRIVS DEMENTAT	whom God wishes to destroy he first makes mad
QVO VADIS?	whither goest thou?		Biblical; similar translation to above, but philosophical not a greeting
RADIX OMNIVM MALORVM EST CVPIDITAS	the love of money is the root of all evil		note: not the money itself, nor the vegetable 'radish'
RARA AVIS	rare bird	extraordinary, a special or unique person
REDDITE QVAE SVNT CAESARIS CAESARI, ET QVAE SVNT DEI DEO	render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, unto God that which is God's		basis of separation of Church and State in the West, a lesson Muslims have yet to learn
REDIME TE CAPTVM, QVAM QVEAS MINIMO	pay when taken prisoner as little as you can [to buy] your [freedom]	only give the enemy your name, rank, and serial number
REDOLET LVCERNAM	[it] smells of the lamp		critical remark that one worked too hard on something, or too late the night before
REDVCTIO AD ABSVRDVM	reduction to absurdity	take to the extreme	a form of logical argument
REPENTE DIVES NEMO FACTVS EST BONVS :	no one rich is made suddenly good		another motto more the noviye Russkiye
REQVIESCAT IN PACE	rest in peace		epitaph on a gravestone, or generally an indication that someone has died, abbreviated R.I.P.
RES IN CARDINE EST	the matter is on a door hinge	things are balanced on a knife's edge things can go either way we're in a crisis
RES INTER ALIOS	a matter between others	it's not our business
RES IPSA LOQVITVR	the thing speaks for itself	the facts are obvious or beyond dispute
RES PVBLICA	the affairs of the people		basis of the word 'republic', and unchanged in Russian
RESPONDEAT SVPERIOR	let the superior answer	'the buck stops here'	principle of accountability
REX NON POTEST PECCARE	the king cannot sin
SALVS VBI MVLTI CONSILIARII	[there is] safety where [there are] many advisors	two heads are better than one	not an apology for bureaucratic dilution of blame
SANCTVM SANCTORVM	holy of holies	most private, off limits
SAPIENS NIHIL AFFIRMAT QVOD NON PROBAT	a wise man affirms nothing which he does not prove		good advice for a student, or for the nation in a crisis
SCIENTIA EST POTENTIA	knowledge is power
SENATVS POPVLVSQVE ROMANVS	the Senate and the people of Rome		official Roman inscription meaning by the authority of the Roman Empire, usually on military standards, abbreviated SPQR
SEMPER FIDELIS	always faithful		also semper fi motto of the United States Marine Corps
SI REQUIRIS MONUMENTUM CIRCUMSPICE	If you need [to see] a monument [to them][just] look around [yourself]		Medieval Latin; anonymous; epitaph to those who have built great things in the real world
SIC	thus		editorial remark in square brackets [sic] used to indicate a verbatim quote or record without correcting the spelling or grammar
SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS	thus always to tyrants		a statement often accompanying a regicide
SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MVNDI	so passes the glory of the world		usually said at the end or fall of some great thing
SINE DIE	without a day	closed for indefinite period
SINE QVA NON	without which not	the necessary or indispensable element
SISTE VIATOR	wait, traveler		inscription on Roman tombstones
SIT TIBI TERRA LEVIS	may the earth be light upon you		another tombstone epitaph
SOTTO VOCE	in soft voice
SPECTATVM VENIVNT, VENIVNT SPECTENTVR VT IPSAE	they come to see, they come that they themselves be seen	'to see and be seen'
STATVS QVO	state of affairs [now]
STATVS QVO ANTE	state of affairs before [now]
STVLTORVM CALAMI CARBONES MOENIA CHARTAE	chalk [is] the pen of fools, the walls [their ] paper		the perennial problem of graffiti and vandalism, (or today's equivalent, spam and computer viruses - see asinorum calami virii et spama, Retus chartae)
SVB POENA	under penalty
SVB ROSA	under the rose	in confidence, secret
SVI GENERIS	of its own kind	unique one of a kind not to be treated the regular way
SVMMVM IVS, SVMMVM INIVRIA	extreme law, extreme injustice		a lesson for Inspector Javert
TABVLA RASA	erased tablet	empty blank a clean slate	a mind ready for knowledge, a computer ready for programming
TE NOSCE	know thyself
TEMPVS EDAX RERVM	time [the] devourer of all [things]
TEMPVS FVGIT	time flies
TEMPVS OMNIA REVELAT	time reveals all [things]		not according to the Official Secrets Act
TENERE LVPVM AVRIBVS	to hold a wolf by the ears	to deal boldly with danger
TERRA FIRMA	solid ground
TERRA INCOGNITA	unknown territory
TIMEO DANAOS ET DONA FERENTES	I fear [the] Greeks and the gifts they bear		famous warning ignored by the Trojans, source of phrase 'Trojan horse'
TV QVOQVE	you also		response to an accusation or insult
VBI BENE IBI PATRIA	where there is good there is my fatherland	I owe my allegiance to the country in which I prosper	or as Lenin would say, vote with your feet
VBI SOLITVDINEM FACIVNT PACEM APPELLANT	where they create a desert, they call it peace	'we had to destroy the village in order to save it'	from the Third Punic War in which Carthage was destroyed; in general a criticism of militarism
VLTIMA RATIO REGVM	the final argument of kings		motto of Louis XIV on his cannon
VLTIMA THVLE	beyond Thule	the end of the earth
VLTRA VIRES	beyond [one's] authority	outside the jurisdiction above one's pay grade
VNA SALVS VICTIS NVLLAM SPERARE SALVTEM	the one safety for the vanquished is to abandon hope of safety	hopelessness gives courage
VRBI ET ORBI	to the city [of Rome] and to the world		preface of Papal documents
VTI POSSIDETIS	as you possess	possession is nine tenths of the law	we stole it fair and square; all property deeds can ultimately be traced to right of conquest
VADE IN PACE	go in peace		Roman goodbye
VADI MECVM	come with me	guide or handbook
VAE VICTIS	woe to the vanquished	it's tough to be the loser
VALE	be well	Roman goodbye
VANITAS VANITATVM, OMNIS VANITAS	vanity of vanities, all is vanity	everything man does is in vain
VENI VIDI VICI	I came, I saw, I conquered		Caesar's pithy remark to the Roman Senate about his victory at Pontus
VERBA VOLANT, SCRIPTA MANENT	spoken words fly away, written words remain	'get it in writing'	because verbal contracts get you verbal benefits
VERBVM SAPIENTI SAT	a word to the wise is enough		a verbal warning prior to real punishment
VERITAS VOS LIBERABIT	the truth shall set you free		motto of the C.I.A.
VIDELICET	it is permitted to see	to wit; namely	abbreviated viz.
VINCIT QVI SE VINCIT	he conquers who conquers himself
VIRTVS PROBATA FLORESCIT	manly excellence in trial flourishes
VIRTVTIS FORTVNA COMES	good luck is the companion of courage
VIS CONSILI EXPERS MOLE RVIT SVA	force without wise counsel falls by its own weight	discretion is the better part of valor
VIS INERTIAE	the power of inertia		why things never change
VIVE HODIE	live today [not tomorrow]
VIVE VT VIVAS	live that you may live
VIXERE FORTES ANTE AGAMEMNONA	brave men lived before Agamemnon		heroism exists even if it's not recorded we don't have a monopoly on good
VOLENS ET POTENS	willing and able	as opposed to volo non valeo
VOLENTI NON FIT INIVRIA	to a willing [person] no injury [is] made		it's not a crime between consenting adults
VOLVPTATES COMMENDAT RARIOR VSVS	infrequent use commends pleasure	moderation in all things
VOX CLAMANTIS IN DESERTO	voice crying in the desert	voice in the wilderness	unheeded warning, an opinion not in the mainstream
VOX ET PRAETEREA NIHIL	a voice and nothing more	an empty threat
VOX POPVLI, VOX DEI	the voice of the people [is] the voice of God	democracy is divinely ordained	ignore the will of the people at your peril

Sources:

1. Beard, Henry, Latin for All Occasions, (HarperCollins, New York: 1992).

2. Blume and Freundlich, Review Text in Latin: Two Years (Amsco School Publications, New York: 1959).

3. Ehrlich, Eugene, Amo, Amas, Amat and More (Harper & Row, New York: 1987).

4. ed. Fargis & Bykofsky & Gold, et al The New York Public Library Desk Reference 2nd edition, (Prentice Hall, New York: 1993).

5. Hammond and Amory, Aeneas to Augustus: A Beginning Latin Reader for College Students 2nd edition, (Harvard U. P., Cambridge: 1967).

6. Hanson & Heath, Who Killed Homer? (Free Press, New York: 1998).

7. Humez & Humez, Latin for People/Latina pro Populo (Little, Brown & Co., Boston: 1976).

8. Jones & Wilson An Incomplete Education (Ballantine Books, New York: 1987).

9. Smith, F. Kinchin Latin: A Complete Course for Beginners 9th printing, (David McKay, New York: 1948).

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