Ovid Quotes

Pronaque quum spectent animalia cetera terram,
Os homini sublime dedit, coelumque tueri
Jussit, et erectos ad sidera tollere vultus.

I am the poet of the poor, because I was poor when I loved; since I could not give gifts, I gave words.

what we have been, or now are, we shall not be tomorrow

Chaos, rudis indigestaque moles.

Omnia mutantur; nihil interit

I prate of ancient poets' monstrous lies,
Ne'er seen or now or then by human eyes.

Her clear conscience mocked rumour’s mendacity, But we are a mob prone to credit sin.

una duos nox perdet amantes.
one night loses two lovers.

Usus communis aquarum est.
Nec solem proprium natura nec aera fecit
nec tenues undas

Happy are those who dare courageously to defend what they love.

He plunged his arms deep to embrace
One who vanished in agitated water.
Again and again he kissed
The lips that seemed to be rising to kiss his
But dissolved, as he touched them,
Into a soft splash and a shiver of ripples.
How could he clasp and caress his own reflection?
And still he could not comprehend
What the deception was, what the delusion.
He simply became more excited by it.
Poor misguided boy! Why clutch so vainly
At such a brittle figment? What you hope
To lay hold of has no existence.
Look away and what you love is nowhere.

Estque pati poenam quam meruisse minus.

Tibi dextera bello
utilis: ingenium est, quod eget moderamine nostro;
tu vires sine mente geris, mihi cura futuri;
tu pugnare potes, pugnandi tempora mecum
eligit Atrides; tu tantum corpore prodes,
nos animo; quantoque ratem qui temperat, anteit
remigis officium, quanto dux milite maior,
tantum ego te supero; nec non in corpore nostro
pectora sunt potiora manu: vigor omnis in illis.

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

Nostra sine auxilio fugiunt bona; carpite florem,
Qui, nisi carptus erit, turpiter ipse cadet.