The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.
TacitusRead
The hatred of those who are near to us is most violent.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that people we are close to can harbor intense feelings of hatred towards us.
In this quote, Tacitus reflects on the complexity of human relationships, particularly emphasizing that those who are closest to us can sometimes experience the most intense emotions, including hatred. This highlights the idea that proximity and familiarity can breed not just love and affection, but also resentment and conflict, especially when expectations or boundaries are violated. The statement serves as a reminder of the delicate balance in close relationships and the potential for deep emotional turmoil.
Themes
HatredRelationshipsEmotionsIntensityConflict
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about familial conflicts, one might say this quote to highlight the struggles within family dynamics.
More from Tacitus
All quotes βIn private enterprises men may advance or recede, whereas they who aim at empire have no alternative between the highest success and utter downfall.
TacitusRead
Great empires are not maintained by timidity.
TacitusRead
Things are not to be judged good or bad merely because the public think so.
TacitusRead
So obscure are the greatest events, as some take for granted any hearsay, whatever its source, others turn truth into falsehood, and both errors find encouragement with posterity.
TacitusRead
The brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid and cowardly rush to despair though fear alone.
TacitusRead
Similar quotes
Bullying, to me, starts very small around the kindergarten age where the first thing we learn is to call each other names. Something so small can be so long lasting in someone's life.
Shane KoyczanRead
Sexuality poorly repressed unsettles some families; well repressed, it unsettles the whole world.
Karl KrausRead
Choose to be in close proximity to people who are empowering, who appeal to your sense of connection to intention, who see the greatness in you, who feel connected to God, who live a life that gives evidence that Spirit has found celebration through them.
Wayne DyerRead
Marriage is about becoming a team. Youβre going to spend the rest of your life learning about each other, and every now and then, things blow up. But the beauty of marriage is that if you picked the right person and you both love each other, youβll always figure out a way to get through it.
Nicholas SparksRead
Normally, when someone we love is turning away from a struggle, we self-protect by also turning away. That's definitely my first response. I think change is more likely to happen if both partners have common language and a shared lens to see problems.
Brene BrownRead
A chord, stronger or weaker, is snapped asunder in every parting, and time's busy fingers are not practiced in re-splicing broken ties. Meet again you may; will it be in the same way? With the same sympathies? With the same sentiments? Will the souls, hurrying on in diverse paths, unite once more, as if the interval had been a dream? Rarely, rarely!
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1St Baron LyttonRead