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The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, a Roman Slave: From the Latin
Excerpt from The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, a Roman Slave
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books.
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works. This text has been digitally restored from a historical edition. Some errors may persist, however we consider it worth publishing due to the work's historical value.
The digital edition of all books may be viewed on our website before purchase.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books.
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works. This text has been digitally restored from a historical edition. Some errors may persist, however we consider it worth publishing due to the work's historical value.
The digital edition of all books may be viewed on our website before purchase.
92 pages, Paperback
Published August 24, 2018
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February 12, 2026
The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus are a collection of short quotes from Publius Syrus. These sayings were often presented as public performances, meant to ingrain these moral ideas in the mind of the general population.
Syrus was originally from Syria, but was brought to Rome as a slave. While serving as a slave, Syrus impressed his master with his wit and wisdom, leading to the master freeing and educating Syrus. His sayings and performances spread quickly through the Roman Empire, due in part to the unique perspective Syrus offered from his background as both a slave and an educated Roman citizen.
The collection of quotes is simple, choosing to just provide the moral idea and nothing more. Most of the quotes were each a sentence. Something that would be very easy to remember, but held deep ideas. Some of these quotes, like “a rolling stone gathers no moss” and “the end justifies the means,” survive to this day. It was obvious that Syrus’ simple ideas resonated with most people.
The collection of quotes is fine, some definitely stand out more than others, but overall many of the ideas hold merit. The layout is alright, with sections with the same root ideas typically grouped together.
I think it’s unfair of me to judge this as a book overall, since each individual sentence needs to be judged on its own merit. Unlike other philosophical works, since this one just presents the single sentence idea, there is less to dive into with it being a worldview framework. These are more just memorable quotes to pop into your head when you find yourself arriving at a moral juncture. This was important in Roman Society where a large portion of the population was illiterate. Having and hearing these quotes allowed them to reflect on their lives morally, since they could not dive deep into moral ideas, like many of the philosophers could.
These quotes are not meant to be standalone, but instead implemented into other worldviews. Syrus does not argue what worldview one should have, but believes that these ideas are at the core of various worldviews. Ideas from Stoicism, the Tao Te Ching, or Epicureanism can implement these quotes. So could modern worldviews, like that of James Allen in “As a Man Thinketh.”
Syrus was originally from Syria, but was brought to Rome as a slave. While serving as a slave, Syrus impressed his master with his wit and wisdom, leading to the master freeing and educating Syrus. His sayings and performances spread quickly through the Roman Empire, due in part to the unique perspective Syrus offered from his background as both a slave and an educated Roman citizen.
The collection of quotes is simple, choosing to just provide the moral idea and nothing more. Most of the quotes were each a sentence. Something that would be very easy to remember, but held deep ideas. Some of these quotes, like “a rolling stone gathers no moss” and “the end justifies the means,” survive to this day. It was obvious that Syrus’ simple ideas resonated with most people.
The collection of quotes is fine, some definitely stand out more than others, but overall many of the ideas hold merit. The layout is alright, with sections with the same root ideas typically grouped together.
I think it’s unfair of me to judge this as a book overall, since each individual sentence needs to be judged on its own merit. Unlike other philosophical works, since this one just presents the single sentence idea, there is less to dive into with it being a worldview framework. These are more just memorable quotes to pop into your head when you find yourself arriving at a moral juncture. This was important in Roman Society where a large portion of the population was illiterate. Having and hearing these quotes allowed them to reflect on their lives morally, since they could not dive deep into moral ideas, like many of the philosophers could.
These quotes are not meant to be standalone, but instead implemented into other worldviews. Syrus does not argue what worldview one should have, but believes that these ideas are at the core of various worldviews. Ideas from Stoicism, the Tao Te Ching, or Epicureanism can implement these quotes. So could modern worldviews, like that of James Allen in “As a Man Thinketh.”
Displaying 1 of 1 review