Quotes from Quo Vadis

“But I think happiness springs from another source, a far deeper one that doesn't depend on will because it comes from love.”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“I know, 0 Caesar, that thou art awaiting my arrival with impatience, that thy true heart of a friend is yearning day and night for me. I know that thou art ready to cover me with gifts, make me prefect of the pretorian guards, and command Tigellinus to be that which the gods made him, a mule-driver in those lands which thou didst inherit after poisoning Domitius. Pardon me, however, for I swear to thee by Hades, and by the shades of thy mother, thy wife, thy brother, and Seneca, that I cannot go to thee. Life is a great treasure. I have taken the most precious jewels from that treasure, but in life there are many things which I cannot endure any longer. Do not suppose, I pray, that I am offended because thou didst kill thy mother, thy wife, and thy brother; that thou didst burn Eome and send to Erebus all the honest men in thy dominions. No, grandson of Chronos. Death is the inheritance of man; from thee other deeds could not have been expected. But to destroy one's ear for whole years with thy poetry, to see thy belly of a Domitius on slim legs whirled about in a Pyrrhic dance; to hear thy music, thy declamation, thy doggerel verses, wretched poet of the suburbs, — is a thing surpassing my power, and it has roused in me the wish to die. Eome stuffs its ears when it hears thee; the world reviles thee. I can blush for thee no longer, and I have no wish to do so. The howls of Cerberus, though resembling thy music, will be less offensive to me, for I have never been the friend of Cerberus, and I need not be ashamed of his howling. Farewell, but make no music; commit murder, but write no verses; poison people, but dance not; be an incendiary, but play not on a cithara. This is the wish and the last friendly counsel sent thee by the — Arbiter Elegantiae.”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“-Моето щастие мина, и радостта ми отмина, но аз не съм зла.”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“Why does crime, even when as powerful as Cæsar, and assured of being beyond punishment, strive always for the appearances of truth, justice, and virtue? Why does it take the trouble?”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“На този свят е по-лесно да намериш философ, отколкото добър съвет”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“Светът е измамен, а животът е илюзия. Трябва да имаш достатъчно ум за да различиш приятните от лошите илюзии.”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“¿Es ésta la nueva doctrina desconocida? Todo el mundo sabe eso: todo el mundo lo ha escuchado antes. Los cínicos han recomendado la pobreza y la restricción de las necesidades; Sócrates ha prescrito la virtud como una cosa antigua buena; el primer estoico a quien uno encuentra, si bien sea el propio Séneca -que tiene quinientas mesas de madera de limonero-, ensalza la continencia, recomienda la verdad, la paciencia en la adversidades, la fortaleza en el infortunio; y todo eso es como el trigo viejo, que se comen los ratones, pero que la gente rechaza porque huele mal.”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“-¡Qué sociedad!
-A tal sociedad, tal César.[...]”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“More than once have I thought, Why does crime, even when as powerful as Cæsar, and assured of being beyond punishment, strive always for the appearances of truth, justice, and virtue? Why does it take the trouble? I consider that to murder a brother, a mother, a wife, is a thing worthy of some petty Asiatic king, not a Roman Cæsar; but if that position were mine, I should not write justifying letters to the Senate. But Nero writes. Nero is looking for appearances, for Nero is a coward. But Tiberius was not a coward; still he justified every step he took. Why is this? What a marvellous, involuntary homage paid to virtue by evil! And knowest thou what strikes me? This, that it is done because transgression is ugly and virtue is beautiful. Therefore a man of genuine æsthetic feeling is also a virtuous man. Hence I am virtuous.”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“It seemed that out of every tear of a martyr new confessors were born, and that every groan on the arena found an echo in thousands of breasts. Caesar was swimming in blood, Rome and the whole pagan world was mad.

But those who had had enough of transgression and madness, those who were trampled upon, those whose lives were misery and oppression, all the weighed down, all the sad, all the unfortunate, came to hear the wonderful tidings of God, who out of love for men had given Himself to be crucified and redeem their sins.

When they found a God whom they could love, they had found that which the society of the time could not give any one, -- happiness and love.”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“mandassero con lei il suo seguito, il”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“Youth is the one worthwhile treasure in this world, no matter how miserable the rest of life might be.”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“»Roma se tapa los oídos cuando te oye; y el mundo se ríe de ti.”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

“If we repay evil with good, then how do we repay the good?”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, quote from Quo Vadis

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BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

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