“To flee vice is the beginning of virtue, and to have got rid of folly is the beginning of wisdom.”

— Horace, Epistles, Book I, epistle i, line 41

About Horace

65 BC – 8 BC

Roman lyric poet, author of the "Odes" and "Satires".

“Pale death, with impartial step, knocks at the hut of the poor and the towers of kings.”

“It is right for him who asks forgiveness for his offenses to grant it to others.”

“Seize the day, believing as little as possible in the morrow.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

“All great truths begin as blasphemies.”

“It is in the character of growth that we should learn from both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.”

“Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor.”

“To achieve perfection, one must first begin by not understanding many things!”

“Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.”