Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto

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Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto is a phrase in Latin that means "I am man, nothing that is human is indifferent to me". [1]

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It is a phrase originating from Publius Terence Afer (c. 184 BC - ~ 159 BC), from his comedy Heautontimorumenos ( The tormentor of himself ), from the year 165 BC, where it is pronounced by the character Cremes to justify his meddling.

Nevertheless, the quote has remained for posterity as a justification of what human behavior should be.

The phrase is often linked with pride, yet it usually reflects humility and an acknowledgment of personal fallibility, much like the sayings "to err is human" and "let him who is without sin cast the first stone." [1]

Wolfson College's (Oxford) motto is a shortened version of the Latin phrase: Humani nil alienum.[ citation needed ]

A shortened version of the line, HVMANI NIHIL ALIENVM, is used as the motto of various institutions, such as the Law Society of Scotland and the Australian Academy of the Humanities.[ citation needed ]

Grammatical analysis

The text contains two declarative sentences with the following literal meaning:

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References

  1. 1 2 Jocelyn, H. D. (January 1973). "Homo sum: humani nil a me alienum puto (Terence, Heauton timorumenos 77)". Antichthon. 7: 14–46. doi:10.1017/S0066477400004299. ISSN   0066-4774.

Further reading