Livy

"The true legacy of a leader is not what he builds, but what he teaches."

"Nations prosper when their institutions serve justice rather than power."

"To record the past truthfully is to build the foundation for a better future."

"The decay of language precedes the decay of thought; the decay of thought precedes the fall of nations."

"Those who seek the truth in history must be prepared to abandon their preconceptions."

"History shows that the longest-lasting empires are those built on law rather than on force."

"The obligations of citizenship do not end with the payment of taxes or service in war."

"To understand events, one must understand the character of those who caused them."

"Nations that forget their humble origins are prone to the arrogance that precedes their ruin."

"The chronicler must walk a narrow path between truth and compassion, favoring neither."

"Those who would judge historical figures must first place themselves in their circumstances."

"The immortality of great deeds comes not from their glory, but from their consequences."

"Nations will endure only so long as their citizens remain committed to the common good."

"To write history is to participate in the eternal conversation between past and future."

"The present is the child of the past; the future, the child of the present."

"Belief in the gods is not diminished by the prevalence of magic, but rather confirmed."

"We fear things in proportion to our ignorance of them."

"The greatest wealth is a poverty of desires."

"History is the witness of times, the light of truth."

"Fortune favors the bold, but so does preparation."

"There is nothing so unbelievable that oratory cannot make acceptable."

"The character of nations is revealed in their treatment of the weak."

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."

"The human mind craves certainty, yet lives in doubt."

"We are not born for ourselves alone."

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment."

"The pen is a mighty instrument in the hands of one who knows how to use it."

"Great deeds are usually wrought at great risks."

"Peace is achieved not through weapons, but through understanding."

"The love of country is the first law of nature."