Ovid

Metamorphoses

Ancient influential 162 sayings

Sayings by Ovid

Est deus in nobis, agitante calescimus illo.

~8 AD — Fasti, Book VI, line 5
Controversial Unverifiable

Materiam superabat opus.

~8 AD — Metamorphoses, Book II, line 5
Controversial Unverifiable

Nitimur in vetitum semper cupimusque negata.

~16 BC — Amores, Book III, Elegy IV, line 17
Controversial Unverifiable

Fas est et ab hoste doceri.

~8 AD — Metamorphoses, Book IV, line 428
Controversial Unverifiable

Casta est quam nemo rogavit.

~16 BC — Amores, Book I, Elegy VIII, line 43
Controversial Unverifiable

Gutta cavat lapidem non vi sed saepe cadendo.

~10 AD — Epistulae ex Ponto, Book IV, Elegy X, line 5
Controversial Unverifiable

Principiis obsta; sero medicina paratur cum mala per longas convaluere moras.

~2 AD — Remedia Amoris, lines 91-92
Controversial Unverifiable

Et facere et pati fortia Romanum est.

~8 AD — Fasti, Book II, line 23
Controversial Unverifiable

Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube!

— Often misattributed to Ovid, but a later saying. Not an actual quote.
Controversial Unverifiable

Adde quod in magnis et laudem et lucra futuri.

~1 BC — Ars Amatoria, Book II, line 313
Controversial Unverifiable

Ignis in igne fuit, ferrumque in acumine ferri.

~8 AD — Metamorphoses, Book IV, line 506
Controversial Unverifiable

Quam bene non timenti nil nisi triste times!

~8 AD — Tristia, Book I, Elegy IV, line 25
Controversial Unverifiable

Ut desint vires, tamen est laudanda voluntas.

~10 AD — Epistulae ex Ponto, Book III, Elegy IV, line 79
Controversial Unverifiable

Blanda truces animos fertur lenire catenas.

~1 BC — Ars Amatoria, Book II, line 181
Controversial Unverifiable

Nil intra est oleam, nil extra est nuce duri.

~1 BC — Ars Amatoria, Book II, line 689 (often cited as a proverb)
Controversial Unverifiable

Quod licet ingratum est, quod non licet acrius urit.

~16 BC — Amores, Book II, Elegy XIX, line 3
Controversial Unverifiable

Quamdiu stabit Capitolium, stabit Roma; quando cadet Capitolium, cadet Roma; quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus.

— Often attributed to Ovid, but not found in his extant works. Likely a later paraphrase of a sentimen…
Controversial Unverifiable

Spectatum veniunt, veniunt spectentur ut ipsae.

~1 BC — Ars Amatoria, Book I, line 99
Controversial Unverifiable

Finis adest operi, peractum est grande volumen.

~8 AD — Metamorphoses, Book XV, line 871 (referring to his own work)
Controversial Unverifiable

Non est ad astra mollis e terris via.

~10 AD — Epistulae ex Ponto, Book II, Elegy II, line 27
Controversial Unverifiable