Latin phrases and quotes: translation and origin

In short

Many Latin phrases are familiar even to people who never learned Latin: “Veni, vidi, vici”, “Carpe diem”, “In vino veritas”. Some of these quotes come from well-known authors such as Caesar, Horace or Juvenal, others are proverbs whose origin is uncertain. Here are 15 famous Latin quotes with translation, origin and what they originally meant.

15 famous Latin quotes

Veni, vidi, vici.: I came, I saw, I conquered.; Caesar after his swift victory at Zela in 47 BC, recorded by Suetonius and Plutarch.
Alea iacta est.: The die is cast.; Caesar on crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC, recorded by Suetonius (in the word order “Iacta alea est”).
Carpe diem.: Seize the day.; Horace, Odes 1.11 – literally “pluck the day”.
Mens sana in corpore sano.: A healthy mind in a healthy body.; Juvenal, Satires 10.356. There it is a prayer: one should ask for both. In Disce ludens II the sentence appears in the lesson on the gerund.
In vino veritas.: In wine there is truth.; Proverb; Pliny the Elder already mentions it as a common saying.
Panem et circenses.: Bread and circuses.; Juvenal, Satires 10.81 – mocking a people who want nothing but food and entertainment.
Festina lente.: Make haste slowly.; Motto of the emperor Augustus, recorded by Suetonius (there in Greek).
Divide et impera.: Divide and rule.; Principle of power politics; its exact origin is uncertain.
Errare humanum est.: To err is human.; Proverb; similar words already appear in Cicero.
Non scholae, sed vitae discimus.: We learn not for school, but for life.; A reversal of a sentence by Seneca, who complained: “Non vitae, sed scholae discimus.”
Per aspera ad astra.: Through hardships to the stars.; Proverb, inspired by Seneca.
Homo homini lupus.: Man is a wolf to man.; After Plautus, made famous by Thomas Hobbes.
Cogito, ergo sum.: I think, therefore I am.; René Descartes, 17th century.
Repetitio est mater studiorum.: Repetition is the mother of learning.; Proverb – and the principle behind every flashcard box.
Memento mori.: Remember that you will die.; A warning, widespread since the Middle Ages.

The grammar inside the phrases

Veni, vidi, vici shows three perfect forms side by side: veni from venire, vidi from videre, vici from vincere.
Carpe diem is an imperative of carpere: pluck! seize!
Alea iacta est is a perfect passive: iacta est – has been cast.
Mens sana in corpore sano shows adjectives in agreement: sana goes with mens (nominative), sano with corpore (ablative after in).

The app shows the forms of venire, videre and vincere in its grammar section (“Grammatik”). The app is in German: exercises, hints and meanings are German, as in the original.

Try it

A real exercise from Disce ludens:

Disce ludens II · Lesson 20 · The gerund, card 3

Tempus ________ adest.

The time to swim is here. – The gerund as a modifier of nouns. Choose a form: natare, natandi, natando, ad natandum.

What Disce ludens does – and what it doesn’t

What Disce ludens does

Practises the grammar inside the phrases: perfect, imperative, passive, agreement.
Includes sentences such as “Mens sana in corpore sano” in its lesson texts.
Shows the forms of many verbs from the quotes, such as venire, videre and vincere.

What it doesn’t do

Is not a collection of quotes.
Does not teach pronunciation.
Does not replace reading the original texts.

Frequently asked questions

What does “Veni, vidi, vici” mean?

“I came, I saw, I conquered.” Caesar is said to have reported his swift victory at Zela in 47 BC with these words.

Where does “In vino veritas” come from?

It is an old proverb that Pliny the Elder already mentions as a common saying. No single author is known.

What did “Mens sana in corpore sano” originally mean?

In Juvenal it is part of a prayer: one should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body – it is not praise of sport.