"Forgive many things in others; nothing in yourself"
About this Quote
A moral command dressed as self-help, Ausonius gives us a line that sounds generous on the street and ruthless in the mirror. “Forgive many things in others” sets a public ethic: live lightly with human error, don’t turn every slight into a trial. Then he pivots: “nothing in yourself.” The sting is deliberate. Mercy, in this formulation, is a social lubricant, but self-scrutiny is the engine of character.
The subtext is a late-Roman survival strategy. Ausonius lived through an empire where status shifted fast, patronage mattered, and public quarrels could be costly. To forgive others is to keep alliances intact, to avoid the vanity of constant grievance. But refusing to “forgive” oneself is not meant as perpetual self-loathing; it’s a prophylactic against decadence. Self-excuse is the easiest currency in any court culture, especially one increasingly anxious about moral softness.
As a poet and teacher-turned-court figure, Ausonius also understands rhetoric: the aphorism works because it’s asymmetrical. Most maxims balance virtue evenly across everyone; this one loads the burden onto the speaker. It flatters the reader’s sense of seriousness while quietly policing it. The line implies that the person most likely to corrupt your life is not your enemy but your own rationalizations.
Read now, it lands uncomfortably close to modern “grindset” severity. Yet its sharper, older insight is about responsibility: you can’t control other people, but you can refuse to let your own flaws become a lifestyle.
The subtext is a late-Roman survival strategy. Ausonius lived through an empire where status shifted fast, patronage mattered, and public quarrels could be costly. To forgive others is to keep alliances intact, to avoid the vanity of constant grievance. But refusing to “forgive” oneself is not meant as perpetual self-loathing; it’s a prophylactic against decadence. Self-excuse is the easiest currency in any court culture, especially one increasingly anxious about moral softness.
As a poet and teacher-turned-court figure, Ausonius also understands rhetoric: the aphorism works because it’s asymmetrical. Most maxims balance virtue evenly across everyone; this one loads the burden onto the speaker. It flatters the reader’s sense of seriousness while quietly policing it. The line implies that the person most likely to corrupt your life is not your enemy but your own rationalizations.
Read now, it lands uncomfortably close to modern “grindset” severity. Yet its sharper, older insight is about responsibility: you can’t control other people, but you can refuse to let your own flaws become a lifestyle.
Quote Details
| Topic | Self-Discipline |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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