263 Quotes by Tacitus

War will of itself discover and lay open the hidden and rankling wounds of the victorious party.

Augustus gradually increased his powers, taking over those of the senate, the executives and the laws. The aristocracy received wealth and position in proportion to their willingness to accept slavery. The state had been transformed, and the old Roman character gone for ever. Equality among citizens was completely abandoned. All now waited on the imperial command.

Posterity gives every man his true value.

A bitter jest, when it comes too near the truth, leaves a sharp sting behind it.

Even the bravest men are frightened by sudden terrors.

The desire for glory clings even to the best men longer than any other passion.

The hatred of relatives is the most violent.

[The Jews have] an attitude of hostility and hatred towards all others.

So true is it that all transactions of preeminent importance are wrapt in doubt and obscurity; while some hold for certain facts the most precarious hearsays, others turn facts into falsehood; and both are exaggerated by posterity.