dimidium facti, qui coepit, habet

“Once you've started, you're halfway there.”

(Horace, Epistles, Book I, Ep. 2)

I could not start with a better quote than this. Since a long time I cherish the idea of starting a blog about Latin Quotes, but distracted by other occupations, the project was always delayed. Today I feel that, as Horace says, an important part of the work is done, perhaps the most difficult part ... beginning.

This quote encapsulates a deep understanding of human nature. Men always have projects and purposes, we are never short of desires and goals, but constantly defer completion for another moment. As if we had an infinite amount of time, we always wait for a better opportunity and we always think it is still too soon...

A Chinese proverb says: "the longest journey begins with the first step." That first step is undoubtedly the most difficult. But once given, the rest follows almost automatically. Once the trip is started, we are convinced of the need to move forward, not to distract, to reach, ultimately, our destiny. Every process has its inertia. Once in motion, less energy is needed to keep moving.

The beauty of this phrase rests not only in its wisdom, but also in the concise elegance of Latin. That is what gives it a special force. It is that ability to synthesize complex thoughts briefly what is unique about Latin quotes.