Livy (full name Titus Livius) was born sometime between 64 and 59 BCE in the northern Italian vicinity of Patavium (modern day Padua). He came from a prominent, but not senatorial, family that allowed him the means and access to cultivate his intellect, while also not worrying about money. He grew up and gained his education during the era of the First Triumvirate (c. 60-53 BCE) and the heyday of Julius Caesar (c. 100-44 BCE). Rather than joining other Roman elites in delving into the popular fields of law, politics and war, Livy instead devoted himself solely to writing history. While civil wars raged and the Roman Republic fell to the rule of emperors, Livy honed his knowledge to prepare for his great work, the History of Rome. He started writing the series around 29 BCE, a year after Octavian (who later took the name, Augustus (r. 32/27 BCE-14 CE)) triumphed over Antony and Cleopatra at Alexandria, Egypt. More reserved and private than most Roman intellectuals, Livy kept to himself and prolifically published and refined his History of Rome for the rest of his life, amounting to 142 books in the series, with coverage beginning in the legendary era of Rome’s founding and continuing all the way to the age of Augustus. Livy died in the year 17 CE, during the reign of Emperor Tiberius (r. 14-37). Regrettably, of the 142 books of Livy’s History of Rome, only 35 have survived the erosion of time. This video showcases 20 quotes from those surviving volumes.
History, Philosophy, and General Advice
(quotes 1-10)
1.
“The study of history is the best medicine for a sick mind; for in history you have a record of the infinite variety of human experience plainly set out for all to see.”
– The History of Rome (preface)
2.
“Learn by another’s sorrow to avoid it for yourselves.”
– The History of Rome (Book 3, chapter 50)
3.
“The mists of antiquity cannot always be pierced.”
– The History of Rome (Book 4, chapter 23)
4.
“One cannot hope for accuracy when dealing with a past so remote and with authorities so antiquated.”
– The History of Rome (Book 2, chapter 21)
5.
“Fate is omnipotent and men are powerless to turn it aside.”
– The History of Rome (Book 1, chapter 42)
6.
“Ambition cannot live upon air – aspiration must have something to aspire to.”
– The History of Rome (Book 4, chapter 35)
7.
“There is, to speak generally, no such thing as work without gain or gain without work: toil and pleasure, though apparent opposites, are indissolubly linked.”
– The History of Rome (Book 5, chapter 4)
8.
“A man will work hard and face risks when he can hope for profit and place as a result, and he will shrink from nothing if only he know that the reward is likely to be worthy of the attempt.”
– The History of Rome (Book 4, chapter 35)
9.
“There is a magnetic power in evil; like draws toward like.”
– The History of Rome (Book 1, chapter 46)
10.
“Will you never look at facts rather than at those who put them to you?”
– The History of Rome (book 6, chapter 40)
Government, Politics, Diplomacy
(quotes 11-20)
11.
“Are we never to make changes? Because a thing had not been done before–and in a young country there are lots of things which have not been done before–is that a reason for never doing it, however great the benefits it may bring?”
– The History of Rome (Book 4, chapter 3)
12.
“Certainly by far the strongest government is one to which men are happy to be subject.”
– The History of Rome (book 8, chapter 13)
13.
“Political decisions, however, always have been, and always will be, influenced for ill by party spirit and concern for property.”
– The History of Rome (Book 2, chapter 30)
14.
“True moderation in the defence of political liberties is indeed a difficult thing: pretending to want fair shares for all, every man raises himself by depressing his neighbour; our anxiety to avoid oppression leads us to practise it ourselves; the injustice we repel, we visit in turn upon others, as if there were no choice except to do it or to suffer it.”
– The History of Rome (Book 3, chapter 65)
15.
“Put it to the test..any time you please, and you will soon see that the self-seeking and cupidity of tyrants is no match for honest indignation fighting to throw off its chains.”
-The History of Rome (Book 3, chapter 39)
16.
“Men fighting for their own liberty and prestige are very different creatures from men who are called upon to use their judgement, unclouded by passion, when the fight is over.”
– The History of Rome (Book 4, chapter 6)
17.
“Shared danger is the strongest of bonds; it will keep men united in spite of mutual dislike and suspicion.”
– The History of Rome (Book 2, chapter 39)
18.
“So strictly has our expansion been limited only to what we work for: wealth and luxury.”
– The History of Rome (book 7, chapter 25)
19.
“Peace is the desire even of men well able to conquer; what then should our own desire be? Should we not forget hope and anger, those treacherous counsellors, and entrust ourselves and all our interests to the integrity we know?”
– The History of Rome (book 7, chapter 40)
20.
“Civil war is hardly a good weapon for repelling an invader; and were we to be faced with both at once, God himself would hardly be able to avert our total destruction. Why cannot each party yield a point and agree upon a compromise.”
– The History of Rome (Book 4, chapter 43)
The video was edited and narrated by C. Keith Hansley.
Background music
Music: “Imperium” by J.R.S. Schattenberg (under ‘Multi’)
https://jrs-schattenberg.com/musicfinder?song_id=12
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
All of the artworks and assets used in the video were labeled public domain, royalty-free, or otherwise open access at the time of the project’s upload.
Thumbnail picture attribution: (The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons, by Jacques Louis David (c. 1748–1825), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons and the MET).
Sources:
- The History of Rome by Livy, translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt. New York: Penguin Classics, 2002.
- The History of Rome by Livy, translated by Betty Radice. New York: Penguin Classics, 1982.
- The Roman History by Cassius Dio, translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert. New York: Penguin Classics, 1987.
- The Letters of Pliny the Younger, translated by Betty Radice. New York: Penguin Classics, 1963, 1969.
