Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
User Journal

Journal Michael Woodhams's Journal: Libri, liberi, libertas et liberalitas.

It has just occured to me that I haven't recorded the best (i.e. my) Latin .sig.

Quattuor res in hoc mundo sanctae sunt: libri, liberi, libertas et liberalitas.

"Four things in this world are sacred: books, children, freedom and generosity."

Despite appearances, this is descended from a Muslim aphorism, which by Google search I think is:

La ilaha ill-Allahu, Muhammad-ur rasul-ullah

which I had heard translated as "There is no god but Allah, and Muhommad is his prophet." I made my own provocative version:

There is no god but Truth, and Science is its prophet.

When I started learning Latin, I translated this:

Non est Deus nisi Veritas, et sapientia vates eius.

But I decided there is a little more to life than truth, so I created:

Duae res in hoc mundo sanctae sunt: veritas et liberi.

and in the process of looking up "children", noticed the similarity with "freedom" and "books", and found "generosity" simply by looking for more suitable "lib..." words in my dictionary.

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Libri, liberi, libertas et liberalitas.

Comments Filter:

"A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices." -- William James

Working...