The ancient Romans were witty people who left us with pithy and wise sayings.<\/p>\n
Take for instance this phrase, Volenti non fit iniuria<\/strong><\/p>\n (Volenti<\/strong> = willing. Non<\/strong> = not. Fit<\/strong> = do. Iniuria<\/strong> = harm.)<\/p>\n In English this means \u201cTo a willing person one cannot do harm\u201d. Note that \u2018iniuria\u2019 can also mean \u201cinjustice\u201d, \u201cwrong\u201d, \u201cdamage\u201d, or \u201cinjury\u201d so you could\u2019ve also translated this phrase as \u201cTo a willing person one cannot do injustice\/wrong\/damage\/injury\u201d. Whichever word you use, it means that a person can\u2019t be wronged if he was the one who agreed to it. In other words, for any wrongdoing to have taken place, it would have to mean that the \u2018victim\u2019 did not agree to it or that it was done against his will.<\/p>\n This proverb has a bit of alliteration: Vasa vana plurimum sonant<\/strong><\/p>\n (Vasa<\/strong> = pot. Vana<\/strong> = vacant\/empty. Plurimum<\/strong> = most. Sonant<\/strong> = noise\/sound.)<\/p>\n It literally means \u201cEmpty pots make the most noise.\u201d It has the same meaning as the English proverb \u201cAn empty vessel makes the most noise\u201d and it means that the foolish are always the ones who speak the loudest. It also means that those who lack common sense are the ones who complain the most. In other words, the empty pot is a metaphor for an empty brain or for those who lack intelligence. These people are the ones that make the most commotion or trouble.<\/p>\n Some of our modern legal laws originated from ancient Roman laws like this one:<\/p>\n \u00a0Ubi dubium, ibi libertas<\/strong><\/p>\n (Ubi<\/strong> = where. Dubium<\/strong> = doubt. Ibi<\/strong> = here. Libertas<\/strong> = liberty\/freedom)<\/p>\n It literally means \u201cWhere there is doubt, there is freedom\u201d. In other words, if there is no reasonable evidence as to whether the accused committed the crime, then he\/she must be set free. It\u2019s similar to the phrase \u201cInnocent until proven guilty\u201d.<\/p>\n This proverb is from Cicero. It\u2019s very applicable to what\u2019s happening in the news:<\/p>\n Silent leges inter arma<\/strong><\/p>\n (Silent<\/strong> = silent. Leges<\/strong> = laws. Inter<\/strong> = during. Arma<\/strong> = war.)<\/p>\n It means \u201cDuring war laws are silent\u201d. Cicero doesn\u2019t go so far as to say that there are no laws in times of war, but he did feel that civil liberties were often comprised in times of war.<\/p>\n This is a good proverb that can apply to any situation: Non semper erit aestas<\/strong><\/p>\n (Non<\/strong> = not. Semper<\/strong> = always. Erit <\/strong>= will. Aestas<\/strong> = summer.)<\/p>\n It means, \u201cIt will not always be summer\u201d. In other words, \u201cprepare for hard times\u201d or \u201cit won\u2019t always be easy\u201d or better yet \u201cthings won\u2019t always go smoothly\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The ancient Romans were witty people who left us with pithy and wise sayings. Take for instance this phrase, Volenti non fit iniuria (Volenti = willing. Non = not. Fit = do. Iniuria = harm.) In English this means \u201cTo a willing person one cannot do harm\u201d. Note that \u2018iniuria\u2019 can also mean \u201cinjustice\u201d, \u201cwrong\u201d…<\/p>\n