Tacitus Quotes


We are corrupted by good fortune.
[Lat., Felicitate corrumpimur.]


Citations

Tacitus, Cornelius. The Histories. Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb, Macmillan, 1873.

Related Quotes

She had an affair with the scholar Pete Abelard. The old illustration shows the two of them together.


The effect of the discovery of oil has in the 20th and 21st produced this negative result and others as well. This was not only true on foreign countries but Texas was a good example in America.


Dear Mr. President, Congratulations on a remarkable run. Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure. This is a unique office, without a clear blueprint for success, so I don't know that any advice from me will be particularly helpful. Still, let me offer a few reflections from the past 8 years. First, we've both been blessed, in different ways, with great good fortune. Not everyone is so lucky. It's up to us to do everything we can (to) build more ladders of success for every child and family that's willing to work hard. Second, American leadership in this world really is indispensable. It's up to us, through action and example, to sustain the international order that's expanded steadily since the end of the Cold War, and upon which our own wealth and safety depend. Third, we are just temporary occupants of this office. That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions -- like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties -- that our forebears fought and bled for. Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, it's up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them. And finally, take time, in the rush of events and responsibilities, for friends and family. They'll get you through the inevitable rough patches.
Michelle and I wish you and Melania the very best as you embark on this great adventure, and know that we stand ready to help in any ways which we can. Good luck and Godspeed.


This handwritten letter was placed in the President's desk drawer in the Oval Office for incoming President Donald Trump. This continued a recent tradition whereby outgoing Presidents have left letters of advice and encouragement to their successors,


Tacitus
Tacitus
  • Born:
  • Nationality: Roman
  • Profession: Historian

Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (AD 56 – c. 120) was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. He lived in what has been called the Silver Age of Latin literature, and has a reputation for the brevity and compactness of his Latin prose, as well as for his penetrating insights into the psychology of power politics.