Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto

Portrait of the author, Terence

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

It is a phrase originating from Publius Terentius Afer aka Terence (c. 184 BC – c. 159 BC), from his comedy Heauton Timorumenos ('The Self-Tormentor'), 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]

Legacy

• 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 ]}
• Karl Marx considered this passage a personal maxim. ^[2]
• In the 1880 novel The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, a character references the line. ^[3]

References

1. 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.
2. "Karl Marx's "Confession"". www.marxists.org. 1 April 1865. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
3. Dostoevsky, Fyodor (1880). The Brothers Karamazov. Translated by Pevear; Volokhonsky. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (published 1990). p. 639. ISBN   9780374528379.

Further reading

• Nowak, Olgierd Sebastian (2020). "Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto – the imperative of the principle of humanitas in views on slavery derived from natural law. M.T. Cicero's views on the subject of slavery and slaves". The Person and the Challenges. The Journal of Theology, Education, Canon Law and Social Studies Inspired by Pope John Paul II. 11 (2): 155–186. doi:10.15633/pch.3756. ISSN   2083-8018.
• Smith, Jonathan Z. (October 1996). "Nothing Human is Alien to Me" . Religion. 26 (4): 297–309. doi:10.1006/reli.1996.0024. ISSN   0048-721X.
• Wharram, C. C. (October 2014). "Nothing Human" . Educational Theory. 64 (5): 515–532. doi:10.1111/edth.12078. ISSN   0013-2004.