"Publilius Syrus", was a Latin writer of sententiae. He was a Syria (Roman province)/Syrian who was brought as a slave to Italy, but by his wit and talent he won the favour of his master, who freed and educated him. Publilius' name, due to early medieval palatalization of 'l' between two 'i's, is often presented by manuscripts (and some printed editions) in corrupt form as 'Publius'.

His mimes, in which he acted himself, had a great success in the provincial towns of Italy and at the games given by Julius Caesar/Caesar in 46 BC. Publilius was perhaps even more famous as an improviser, and received from Caesar himself the prize in a contest in which he vanquished all his competitors, including the celebrated Decimus Laberius.

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No man is happy who does not think himself so.

The judge is condemned when the criminal is absolved.

A rolling stone gathers no moss.

A suspicious mind always looks on the black side of things.

An angry man is again angry with himself when he returns to reason.

The wise man avoids evil by anticipating it.

We must give lengthy deliberation to what has to be decided once and for all.

I often regret that I have spoken; never that I have been silent.

Nothing can be done at once hastily and prudently.

Pardon one offense, and you encourage the commission of many.

A fair exterior is a silent recommendation.

It takes a long time to bring excellence to maturity.

Better be ignorant of a matter than half know it.

He doubly benefits the needy who gives quickly.

It is a consolation to the wretched to have companions in misery.

The end always passes judgement on what has gone before.

The loss which is unknown is no loss at all.

Depend not on fortune, but on conduct.

Many receive advice, few profit by it.

Money alone sets all the world in motion.

We desire nothing so much as what we ought not to have.

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

It is a very hard undertaking to seek to please everybody.

What is left when honor is lost?

Good health and good sense are two of life's greatest blessings.

A good reputation is more valuable than money.

Ready tears are a sign of treachery, not of grief.

It is no profit to have learned well, if you neglect to do well.

No one should be judge in his own case.

To do two things at once is to do neither.

Practice is the best of all instructors.

Admonish thy friends in secret, praise them openly.

There are some remedies worse than the disease.

As men, we are all equal in the presence of death.

While we stop to think, we often miss our opportunity.

I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.

The eyes are not responsible when the mind does the seeing.

Tis foolish to fear what you cannot avoid.

It is only the ignorant who despise education.

Every day should be passed as if it were to be our last.

It is folly to punish your neighbor by fire when you live next door.

The gods never let us love and be wise at the same time.

Let a fool hold his tongue and he will pass for a sage.

How unhappy is he who cannot forgive himself.

The fear of death is more to be dreaded than death itself.

A gift in season is a double favor to the needy.

Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it. .

Pain forces even the innocent to lie.

Necessity knows no law.

If you refuse where you have always granted you invite to theft.

Treat your friend as if he might become an enemy.

Count not him among your friends who will retail your privacies to the world.

You should not live one way in private, another in public.

No one knows what he can do until he tries.

Do not turn back when you are just at the goal.

To-day is the pupil of yesterday.

Never promise more than you can perform.

It is a bad plan that admits of no modification.

It is not every question that deserves an answer.

Prosperity makes friends, adversity tries them.

Never find your delight in another's misfortune.

Hares can gambol over the body of a dead lion.

Speech is a mirror of the soul: as a man speaks, so is he.

You should go to a pear tree for pears, not to an elm.

It is more tolerable to be refused than deceived.

It is better to learn late than never.

For a good cause, wrongdoing is virtuous.

God looks at the clean hands, not the full ones.

We simply rob ourselves when we make presents to the dead.

Learn to see in another's calamity the ills which you should avoid.

Look to be treated by others as you have treated others.

Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.

You should make a woman angry if you wish her to love.