A Place of Brightness: Gutta Cavat Lapidem - A Drop Hollows out a Stone

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Gutta Cavat Lapidem - A Drop Hollows out a Stone

Our beloved Ovid gives us the Latin original of the quote "Gutta Cavat Lapidem" - "A Drop (of Water) Hollows out a Stone." (Epistulae Ex Ponto 4.10.5)

Medieval commentators supplied the reason for this fact, "Non Vi Sed Saepe Cadendo" - "Not by Force, but by Falling Often."

The word for "drop" (Gutta) did surprisingly well in the Romance languages:

Gota - Spanish
Goccia - Italian
Goutte - French

The ordinarily conservative Romanian dropped the ball:

Picătură - Romanian

The quote is inspirational. Persistence will eventually win the day.

Also worth noting in this vein:

Assiduus usus, uni rei deditus, et ingenium et artem saepe vincit.
Constant practice, given to one thing, often conquers both genius and art.
(Cicero Pro Balbo 45)

________________________________________________________________

https://www.amazon.com/Saecula-Saeculorum-Keith-Massey/dp/0984343253?ie=UTF8&creativeASIN=0984343253&linkCode=w00&linkId=5WIF2DJM6ZHW3LFX&redirect=true&ref_=as_sl_pc_tf_til&tag=keitmassintea-20

If you're interested in Latin or ancient history, or even just an entertaining read, check out the time-travel thriller In Saecula Saeculorum. Click to learn more.

You'll travel back to ancient Rome on a harrowing mission to save the modern world. It's the adventure of four lifetimes.

________________________________________________________________

No comments:

Post a Comment

In Saecula Saeculorum, the 4th Novel in the Valquist Series

In this fourth novel of the Valquist Series, Andrew Valquist is retired (?) from the National Security Agency and teaching Latin at a Classical Academy in the Washington DC area. But in the world of espionage, looks can be deceiving. He's not necessarily happy with the role he has played in all this, but the school was actually a joint NSA/MI-6 Project in which four young people have been unwittingly prepared for a mission to travel back in time to ancient Rome to retrieve information from a library that may save the modern world from certain destruction. They know they have to at least try to save humanity, but can they also save each other?

Next Stop: Spanish, the 3rd Novel in the Valquist Series

This third novel in the Valquist Series can be read as an espionage action-adventure in its own right, but also you can use it as a way to either brush up on your Spanish or learn functional Spanish for the first time! John Valquist needs to learn Spanish. But he's in luck, since his uncle Andrew is a language expert and a former (?) spy who is taking him on a vacation to Spain so he can study the language. In Next Stop: Spanish, you have the chance to see and study the words John studies, and then watch him add more and more Spanish into his dialogue as the story progresses. During this vacation, they get pulled into espionage intrigue (why do these things always happen to the Valquist family?). In the dramatic conclusion, John will need to put together everything he has learned to save his uncle!

Amor Vincit Omnia: the 2nd Novel in the Valquist Series

In this second novel of the Valquist Series, Keith Massey takes you into the halls of the National Security Agency, where he himself worked for four years after 9/11 and an Arabic linguist. You follow our hero Andrew Valquist, as he starts work as a new recruit at the NSA. Little does he know that on his first on the job, he's about to fly off on an unexpected overseas assignment. He'll be even more surprised when he learns that his background in ancient Latin will be crucial to the mission!

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Gutta Cavat Lapidem - A Drop Hollows out a Stone

No comments:

Post a Comment

AddThis