It is the gods' custom to bring low all things of surpassing greatness.
Of all possessions a friend is the most precious.
Where wisdom is called for, force is of little use.
Before a man dies, hold back and call him not happy but lucky.
Those who are guided by reason are generally successful in their plans; those who are rash and precipitate seldom enjoy the favour of the gods.
The man who has planned badly, if fortune is on his side, may have had a stroke of luck; but his plan was a bad one nonetheless.