“There was more courage in bearing trouble than in escaping from it; the brave and the energetic cling to hope, even in spite of fortune; the cowardly and the indolent are hurried by their fears,' said Plotius Firmus, Roman Praetorian Guard.”

“Think of it. Fifteen whole years-no small part of a mans life.-taken from us-all the most energetic have fallen to the cruelty of the emperor. And the few that survive are no longer what we once were. Yet I find some small satisfaction in acknowledging the bondage we once suffered. Tacitus, The Agricola”

“It is the rare fortune of these days that one may think what one likes and say what one thinks.”

“Men are more ready to repay an injury than a benefit, because gratitude is a burden and revenge a pleasure”

“The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.”

“A bad peace is worse than war.”

“Viewed from a distance, everything is beautiful.”