The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.
TacitusRead
In seasons of tumult and discord bad men have most power; mental and moral excellence require peace and quietness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
In times of chaos, negative individuals can dominate, while true virtue thrives in calmness.
This quote by Tacitus highlights the notion that during periods of turmoil and conflict, it is often the morally corrupt or 'bad men' who gain influence and control. In contrast, genuine mental and moral excellence demands a serene environment, where rational thought and virtuous behavior can flourish, suggesting that peace is essential for the development of character and integrity.
Themes
ChaosVirtuePeaceExcellencePower
In practice
Example use cases
During a team meeting about conflict resolution, this quote can illustrate the need for a calm environment to promote understanding.
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
If a man is happy in America, it is considered he is doing something wrong.
Clarence DarrowRead
The physical body is an agent of the spirit and its mirror. It is an engine and a reflection of the spirit. It is the spirit's ingenious memorandum to itself and the spirit sees itself in my body, just as I see my own face in a looking glass. My nerves reflect this. The earth is literally a mirror of thoughts. Objects themselves are embodied thoughts. Death is the dark backing that a mirror needs if we are to see anything.
Saul BellowRead
For black people, everything we do has to be ratified and endorsed by a power structure that is white. And that reinforces a kind of racial hierarchy where whiteness is the privileged position to be in, and ethnicity is problematic.
Kerry James MarshallRead
We only confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no big ones.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
Man need not be degraded to a machine by being denied to be a ghost in a machine. He might, after all, be a sort of animal, namely, a higher mammal. There has yet to be ventured the hazardous leap to the hypothesis that perhaps he is a man.
Gilbert RyleRead
I concluded that all religions had the same foundation - a belief in the supernatural - a power above nature that man could influence by worship - by sacrifice and prayer.
Robert Green IngersollRead