Pliny the Elder

"The natural world is a text written by the divine hand."

"Empirical observation trumps mere speculation."

"The encyclopedic mind contains the wealth of ages."

"One should never cease asking questions of nature and life."

"The greatest rewards come to those who are willing to endure great trials."

"In every corner of nature, there exists something worthy of amazement."

"The mind that is anxious about future events is miserable."

"What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us."

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

"Hope is the pillar that holds up the world."

"A man's true wealth is what he leaves behind for others to discover."

"The pursuit of knowledge is the pursuit of immortality."

"Nature does not proceed by leaps, but the observer of nature often must."

"Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness."

"In the arena of human life, the honors and rewards fall to those who show their good qualities in action."

"The same refinements which characterize a civil and enlightened people are the causes of the decay of courage."

"Art is the revelation of divine truth through human form."

"Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body."

"Every object in nature teaches a lesson if we but know how to read it."

"The human species is unique in its capacity for self-deception."

"To know nothing is the beginning of true learning."

"Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does the human heart abhor emptiness."

"The greatest pleasure is to do good in secret and be found out by accident."

"In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends."

"The universe is a school, and every experience is a lesson."

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

"The fear of death is more terrible than death itself."

"Work is the price we pay for civilized life."

"Moderation is the best remedy for all things."

"The imagination is the beginning of creation."