Enter Marcus Terentius Varro — known in his neighborhood as Marcus Vitruvius Pollio. Or simply Vitruvius. Born in 116 BC and took his last breath around 27 BC, Varro hailed from the heart of the Roman Empire. As a scholar, writer, and perhaps the world’s first agriculture nerd, he turned heads with his seminal work, “”Rerum Rusticarum libri.”” It’s a charming read if you’re into cattle breeds and crop rotation — trust me.
But Varro wasn’t just about wheat and goats. His thoughts, immortalized in his quotes, roam far and wide across the landscape of the human condition. They delve into the nuances of courage, the architecture of societal constructs, knowledge and valor and truth. We hope you enjoy Varro’s quotes and philosophy contained within them.
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Vitruvius Quotes on Architecture and Design
“Wherefore the mere practical architect is not able to assign sufficient reasons for the forms he adopts; and the theoretic architect also fails, grasping the shadow instead of the substance.” ~ Vitruvius
“Economy consists in a due and proper application of the means afforded according to the ability of the employer and the situation chosen; care being taken that the expenditure is prudently conducted.” ~ Vitruvius
“Architecture is a science arising out of many other sciences, and adorned with much and varied learning by the help of which a judgment is formed of those works which are the result of other arts.” ~ Vitruvius
“An easy approach to the walls must be provided against: indeed they should be surrounded by uneven ground, and the roads leading to the gates should be winding and turn to the left from the gates.” ~ Vitruvius
“In setting out the walls of a city the choice of a healthy situation is of the first importance: it should be on high ground, neither subject to fogs nor rains; its aspects should be neither violently hot nor intensely cold, but temperate in both respects.” ~ Vitruvius
“Care should be taken that all buildings are well lighted: in those of the country this point is easily accomplished, because the wall of a neighbour is not likely to interfere with the light.” ~ Vitruvius
“The thickness of the walls should be sufficient for two armed men to pass each other with ease.” ~ Vitruvius
“The lanes and streets of the city being set out, the choice of sites for the convenience and use of the state remains to be decided on; for sacred edifices, for the forum, and for other public buildings.” ~ Vitruvius
“From the exterior face of the wall towers must be projected, from which an approaching enemy may be annoyed by weapons, from the embrasures of those towers, right and left.” ~ Vitruvius
“For an object under the eye will appear very different from the same object placed above it; in an inclosed space, very different from the same in an open space.” ~ Vitruvius
“The temple of Ceres should be in a solitary spot out of the city, to which the public are not necessarily led but for the purpose of sacrificing to her.” ~ Vitruvius
Explore more quotes by Roman architects and historians across Wise Owl Quotes here: Tacitus quotes, Sallust quotes, Livy quotes and Boethius quotes.
Vitruvius Quotes on Achieving Excellence
“I am moreover inclined to be concise when I reflect on the constant occupation of the citizens in public and private affairs, so that in their few leisure moments they may read and understand as much as possible.” ~ Vitruvius
“I, therefore, O Caesar, do not publish this work, merely prefixing my name to a treatise which of right belongs to others, nor think of acquiring reputation by finding fault with the works of any one.” ~ Vitruvius
“Perhaps, to the uninformed, it may appear unaccountable that a man should be able to retain in his memory such a variety of learning but the close alliance with each other, of the different branches of science, will explain the difficulty.” ~ Vitruvius
“Since, therefore, individuals as well as the public are so indebted to these writers for the benefits they enjoy, I think them not only entitled to the honour of palms and crowns, but even to be numbered among the gods.” ~ Vitruvius
“But I, Caesar, have not sought to amass wealth by the practice of my art, having been rather contented with a small fortune and reputation, than desirous of abundance accompanied by a want of reputation.” ~ Vitruvius
“The ideal architect should be a man of letters, a skillful draftsman, a mathematician, familiar with historical studies, a diligent student of philosophy, acquainted with music, not ignorant of medicine, learned in the responses of jurisconsults, familiar with astronomy and astronomical calculations.” ~ Vitruvius
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Understanding of Natural Elements and Their Influences
“Bodies which contain a greater proportion of water than is necessary to balance the other elements, are speedily corrupted, and lose their virtues and properties.” ~ Vitruvius
“Wind is a floating wave of air, whose undulation continually varies.” ~ Vitruvius
“Marble is not alike in all countries.” ~ Vitruvius
“Quicksilver is used for many purposes; without it, neither silver nor brass can be properly gilt.” ~ Vitruvius
“When it passes towards the east, the sun begins to have less effect upon it, and a thin line on the edge of its bright side emits its splendour towards the earth.” ~ Vitruvius
Quotes by Vitruvius on Proportion and Harmony
“Music assists him in the use of harmonic and mathematical proportion.” ~ Vitruvius
“Dimension regulated the general scale of the work, so that the parts may all tell and be effective.” ~ Vitruvius
“Beauty is produced by the pleasing appearance and good taste of the whole, and by the dimensions of all the parts being duly proportioned to each other.” ~ Vitruvius
“Harmony is an obscure and difficult musical science, but most difficult to those who are not acquainted with the Greek language because it is necessary to use many Greek words to which there are none corresponding in Latin.” ~ Vitruvius
“Nothing requires the architect’s care more than the due proportions of buildings.” ~ Vitruvius
“Consistency is found in that work whose whole and detail are suitable to the occasion. It arises from circumstance, custom, and nature.” ~ Vitruvius
“Proportion is that agreeable harmony between the several parts of a building, which is the result of a just and regular agreement of them with each other; the height to the width, this to the length, and each of these to the whole.” ~ Vitruvius
“If nature has composed the human body so that in its proportions the separate individual elements answer to the total form, then the Ancients seem to have had reason to decide that bringing their creations to full completion likewise required a correspondence between the measure of individual elements and the appearance of the work as a whole” ~ Vitruvius
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What Are The Vitruvius Quotes All About?
Well, we’ve got a delightful assortment of quotes here, quite like a treasure trove of ancient wisdom. Pollio Vitruvius is a bit of a Renaissance man—before the Renaissance even was a thing. His thoughts take us on a journey through architecture, harmony, the elements, and philosophy. From “”architecture is a science arising out of many other sciences”” to “”music assists him in the use of harmonic and mathematical proportion,”” he’s waxing quite lyrical about his crafts. And what’s this? An ode to quicksilver (that’s mercury to you and me): “”without it, neither silver nor brass can be properly gilt.””
What Can We Learn From These Quotes?
On first glance, you might think, “”Well, I’m not an architect, why should I care about walls and roads winding to the left?”” But old Marcus is not merely providing us with a blueprint for a building; he’s
hinting at life lessons here. Consider “”Consistency is found in that work whose whole and detail are suitable to the occasion.”” Think about it – isn’t that really about ensuring our actions align with our values? And how about “”Economy consists in a due and proper application of the means afforded according to the ability of the employer and the situation chosen.”” That’s budgeting advice if I’ve ever heard it.
How Can We Apply Vitruvius Wisdom In Our Own Lives?
So how do we channel our inner Pollio in our everyday lives? Well, when he says “”Dimension regulated the general scale of the work, so that the parts may all tell and be effective,”” we might think about how we prioritize our own tasks. Are we focusing on the right things to make our project, or dare I say life, effective? And here’s something to chew on: “”the ideal architect should be a man of letters, a skillful draftsman, a mathematician, familiar with historical studies… not ignorant of medicine, learned in the responses of jurisconsults, familiar with astronomy and astronomical calculations.”” Basically, Marcus is reminding us that being well-rounded is an asset. Dabble a bit, learn a bit, from all areas of life. Now, off you go and put on your architect’s cap!
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