September 16: Thoughts for the Day

Ad praesens ova cras pullis sunt meliora. For those of us who have not taken multiple years of conversational Latin courses, the phrase translates into English as “Eggs today are better than chickens tomorrow.”  AKA, “a bird in hand is worth two in the bush.”

Let’s try this again. Amantes sunt amentes. Meaning: “Lovers are lunatics.”

How about this: Entia non sunt multiplicanda præter necessitatem. In English, this is “Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity.” Translated in a way that makes more sense (to me), it means “We should tend toward simpler theories until we can gain greater explanatory power by sacrificing simplicity.” Put more succinctly, it is Occam’s (or Ockam’s) Razor.

Ad omnem libidinem projectus homo. Yes, that’s “A man addicted to every lust.”

Finally, Cum frueris felix quæ sunt adversa caveto; non eodem cursu respondent ultima primis.  That’s Cato’s way of saying “When fortune is lavish of her favors, beware of adversity; events do not always succeed each other in one train of fortunes.’

About John Swinburn

"Love not what you are but what you may become."― Miguel de Cervantes
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