Let them hate me, so long as they fear me.
[Óderint, dum métuant.]
Accius (170-c. 86 BC) Roman tragic poet, literary scholar [Lucius Accius, Lucius Attius]
Atreus (fragment 168) [tr. Kline (2010)]
(Source)
A fragment from Accius' work, known only by its quotation by others. The phrase was often used by classical writers as a hallmark of a tyrannical ruler. This includes:(Source (Latin)). Other translations (from the above works):
- Cicero, Pro Sestio, 48/102 (where he regrets that Accius had "used words for evil-minded men to lay hold of").
- Cicero, Philippics 1.14
- Cicero, De Officiis, 1.28/97.
- Seneca the Younger, De Ira, 1.20.4 (referring to the line as "dread and abominable").
- Seneca the Younger, De Clementia, 1.12.
- Suetonius, Life of Caligula, 30.1 (noting that the emperor liked to quote it).
- Suetonius, Life of Tiberius, 59 (quoting Caligula, and contrasting to Tiberius use of the similar Oderint dum probent ("Let them hate me so long as they approve [of my deeds]").
Ev'n let them hate me, whilst they dread me too.
[tr. Cockman (1699)]Let them hate me, provided they fear me.
[tr. McCartney (1798)]Let them hate me, so they fear me.
[tr. Edmonds (1865)]I scorn their hatred, if they do but fear me.
[tr. Thomson (1883)]No matter how they hate me while they fear me.
[tr. Peabody (1883)]Let them hate, provided they fear me!
[tr. Hickie (1888)]Let them hate me, as long as they fear.
[tr. Yonge (1891)]Let them hate, so long as they fear.
[tr. Gardiner (1899)]Let them hate me, provided they fear me.
[tr. Stewart (1900)]Why, let them hate me, if they fear me too!
[tr. Stewart (1900)]What care I though all men should hate my name,
So long as fear accompanies their hate?
[tr. Yonge (1903)]Let them hate provided that they fear.
[ed. Harbottle (1906); tr. Cooper (1995)]Let them hate me, so they but fear me.
[tr. Rolfe (Loeb) (1913)]Let them hate, if only they fear.
[tr. Miller (1913), Basore (1928)]Let them hate, so but they fear.
[tr. Gardner (Loeb) (1958)]Let them hate me, as long as they fear me.
[tr. @aleator (2010)]They can hate as long as they are in fear.
[tr. Edinger (1974)]Let them hate, so long as they fear.
[tr. Kaster]Let them hate me, so long as they fear me.
[Source]
