Our character is not so much the product of race and heredity as of those circumstances by which nature forms our habits, by which we are nurtured and live.

The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory.

Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature.

Before beginning, prepare carefully.

The more peculiarly his own a man's character is, the better it fits him.

Not to know what has been transacted in former times is to continue always a child.

For a courageous man cannot die dishonorably, a man who has attained the consulship cannot die before his time, a philosopher cannot die wretchedly.