<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<!--  do not duplicate title bloginfo_rss('name'); wp_title_rss(); -->
<channel>

	<title>WIST Quotations</title>
	<atom:link href="https://wist.info/topic/precept/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>https://wist.info</link>
	<description>Wish I&#039;d Said That!</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 03:20:32 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4</generator>
	<language></language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4</generator>

<image>
	<url>https://wist.info/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/little-w-little-box-60x60.jpg</url>
	<title>precept &#8211; WIST Quotations</title>
	<link>https://wist.info</link>
	<width>32</width>
	<height>32</height>
</image> 
<atom:link rel="hub" href="https://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com"/>
<atom:link rel="hub" href="https://pubsubhubbub.superfeedr.com"/>
<atom:link rel="hub" href="https://websubhub.com/hub"/>
<atom:link rel="self" href="https://wist.info/topic/precept/feed/"/>
<site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">43606282</site>		<item>

                <!-- DCH Modify the title to give the category (quote author) at the beginning of it. -->
		<title>Horace -- Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 2, ep.  3 &#8220;Art of Poetry [Ars Poetica; To the Pisos],&#8221; l. 335ff (2.3.335-337) (19 BC) [tr. Conington (1874)]</title>
		<link>https://wist.info/horace/33634/</link>
		<comments>https://wist.info/horace/33634/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 May 2016 20:25:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Horace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brevity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[briefness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[counsel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[edification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[keep it simple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lesson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[maxim]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moral]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moralizing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[precept]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[succinct]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wisdom]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wist.info/?p=33634</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Whene&#8217;er you lecture, be concise: the soul Takes in short maxims, and retains them whole: But pour in water when the vessel&#8217;s filled, It simply dribbles over and is spilled. [Quidquid praecipies, esto brevis, ut cito dicta percipiant animi dociles teneantque fideles: omne supervacuum pleno de pectore manat.] On teaching moral lessons when writing. (Source [&#8230;]]]></description>
        <!-- DCH Insert author info (category description) then (Source) and then put the extra info (MORE) below that. -->
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Whene&#8217;er you lecture, be concise: the soul<br />
Takes in short maxims, and retains them whole:<br />
But pour in water when the vessel&#8217;s filled,<br />
It simply dribbles over and is spilled.</p>
<p><em>[Quidquid praecipies, esto brevis, ut cito dicta<br />
percipiant animi dociles teneantque fideles:<br />
omne supervacuum pleno de pectore manat.]</em></p>
<br><b>Horace</b> (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]<br><i>Epistles [Epistularum, Letters]</i>, Book 2, ep.  3 &#8220;Art of Poetry <i>[Ars Poetica;</i> To the Pisos],&#8221; l. 335ff (2.3.335-337) (19 BC) [tr. Conington (1874)] 
									<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(<a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Satires,_Epistles_%26_Art_of_Poetry_of_Horace/Ars_Poetica#:~:text=Whene%27er%20you%20lecture%2C%20be%20concise%3A%20the%20soul%0ATakes%20in%20short%20maxims%2C%20and%20retains%20them%20whole%3A%0ABut%20pour%20in%20water%20when%20the%20vessel%27s%20filled%2C%0AIt%20simply%20dribbles%20over%20and%20is%20spilled." target="_blank">Source</a>)
										<br><br><span class="cite">
						

On teaching moral lessons when writing.<br><br>

(<a href="https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0064%3Acard%3D309#:~:text=quidquid%20praecipies%2C%20esto%20brevis%2C%20ut%20cito%20dicta%0Apercipiant%20animi%20dociles%20teneantque%20fideles%3A%0Aomne%20supervacuum%20pleno%20de%20pectore%20manat.">Source (Latin)</a>). Other translations:<br><br>

<blockquote>In all thy preceptes be thou briefe that learners quicklye maie<br>
Conceive thy words, and that the same in faithfull mynde to staye.<br>
What s'euer is superfluose, to muche, and oftens tould,<br>
Doth fill the hearer paste the brim that long he cannot hould.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A03670.0001.001/1:6?rgn=div1;view=fulltext#:~:text=%22In%20all%20thy,mynde%20to%20staye.">Drant</a> (1567)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>Be briefe in what thou wouldst command, that so.<br>
The docill mind may soon thy precepts know,<br>
And hold them faithfully; for nothing rests<br>
But flowes out, that ore swelleth in full brests.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/B14092.0001.001/1:9?rgn=div1;view=fulltext#:~:text=Be%20briefe%20in,in%20full%20brests.">Jonson</a> (1640)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>Let all your precepts be succinct and clear,<br>
That ready wits may comprehend them soon,<br>
And faithfull memories retain them long;<br>
For superfluities are soon forgot.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Horace%27s_Art_of_Poetry_(1680,_Roscommon)/Of_the_Art_of_Poetry#:~:text=Let%20all%20your,are%20soon%20forgot.">Roscommon</a> (1680)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>Short be the precept, which with ease is gain'd, <br>
By docile minds, and faithfully retain'd.<br>
If in dull length your moral is exprest, <br>
The tedious wisdom overflows the breast.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/satiresepistlesi00hora/page/298/mode/2up?q=%22short+be+the+precept%22">Francis</a> (1747)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>Short be your precepts, and th' impression strong,<br>
That minds may catch them quick, and hold them long!<br>
The bosom full, and satisfied the taste,<br>
All that runs over will but run to waste.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/9175/pg9175-images.html#:~:text=%C2%A0Short%20be%20your%20precepts%2C%20and%20th%27%20impression%20strong%2C%0A%C2%A0%C2%A0That%20minds%20may%20catch%20them%20quick%2C%20and%20hold%20them%20long!%0A%C2%A0%C2%A0The%20bosom%20full%2C%20and%20satisfied%20the%20taste%2C%0A%C2%A0%C2%A0All%20that%20runs%20over%20will%20but%20run%20to%20waste.">Coleman</a> (1783)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>In precept be concise: what thus is told<br>
The mind shall grasp with ease, with firmness hold:<br>
While all, that's heap'd superfluous, shocks the taste,<br>
From memory's tablet fades, and runs to waste.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Epodes_Satires_and_Epistles_of_Horac/TPgDAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22in%20precept%20be%22">Howes</a> (1845)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>Whatever precepts you give, be concise; that docile minds may soon comprehend what is said, and faithfully retain it. All superfluous instructions flow from the too full memory.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0065%3Acard%3D309#:~:text=Whatever%20precepts%20you%20give%2C%20be%20concise%3B%20that%20docile%20minds%20may%20soon%20comprehend%20what%20is%20said%2C%20and%20faithfully%20retain%20it.%20All%20superfluous%20instructions%20flow%20from%20the%20too%20full%20memory.">Smart/Buckley</a> (1853)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>Let all your precepts be concise, for these <br>
Stick to men's minds, and they are grasped with ease; <br>
But tax too much their memory or their taste, <br>
And all your surplus words run off to waste!<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/worksofhorace02horauoft/page/392/mode/2up?q=%22Let+all+your+precepts%22">Martin</a> (1881)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>Whenever you instruct, be brief, so that what is quickly said the mind may readily grasp and faithfully hold: every word in excess flows away from the full mind.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/satiresepistlesa00horauoft/page/478/mode/2up?q=%22whenever+you+instruct%22">Fairclough</a> (Loeb) (1926)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>Whatever the lesson you would convey, be brief, that your hearers may catch quickly what is said and faithfully retain it. Every superfluous word is spilled from the too-full memory.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/completeworksofh0000casp_g2w3/page/408/mode/2up?q=%22whatever+the+lesson%22">Blakeney</a>; ed. Kramer, Jr. (1936)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>But when you instruct, be brief, so the mind can clearly<br>
Perceive and firmly retain. When the mind is full,<br>
Everything else that you say just trickles away<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/satiresanndepist0000hora/page/284/mode/2up?q=%22but+when+you+instruct%22">Palmer Bovie</a> (1959)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>Be concise in all you teach, so that attentive minds<br>
can quickly see your point and remember it correctly;<br>
everything poured into a full memory will flow back out.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/horacessatiresep0000hora/page/92/mode/2up?q=%22be+concise+in%22">Fuchs</a> (1977)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab">Whichever,<br>
Say it quickly, so he who runs can listen, and hear, and learn,<br>
And be better for learning. A bursting head<br>
Opens like a bladder, and leaks away.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/essentialhoraceo0000hora/page/252/mode/2up?q=%22say+it+quickly%22">Raffel</a> (1983 ed.)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>As for instruction, make it succinct, so the mind<br>
Can quickly seize on what's being taught and hold it;<br>
Every superfluous word spills out of a full mind.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Epistles_of_Horace/FUyHO-GZ9A8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22as%20for%20instruction%22">Ferry</a> (2001)]</blockquote><br>



<blockquote>When you are giving advice, be brief, to allow the learner<br>
quickly to seize the point and then retain it firmly.<br>
If the mind is full, every superfluous word is spilt.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/satiresofhoracep00hora/page/130/mode/2up?q=%22giving+advice%22">Rudd</a> (2005)]</blockquote><br>



<blockquote>When you give instruction, be brief, what’s quickly<br>
Said the spirit grasps easily, faithfully retains:<br>
Everything superfluous flows out of a full mind.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/HoraceArsPoetica.php#anchor_Toc98156250:~:text=When%20you%20give,a%20full%20mind.">Kline</a> (2015)]</blockquote><br>						</span>
					]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>https://wist.info/horace/33634/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">33634</post-id>	</item>
		<item>

                <!-- DCH Modify the title to give the category (quote author) at the beginning of it. -->
		<title>Aesop -- Fables [Aesopica], &#8220;The Two Crabs&#8221; (6th C BC) [tr. Jacobs (1894)]</title>
		<link>https://wist.info/aesop/9467/</link>
		<comments>https://wist.info/aesop/9467/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:42:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aesop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[command]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[example]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[instruction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[model]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[precept]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rule]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wist.info/?p=9467</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Example is the best precept. Alternate translation: &#8220;Example is better than precept.&#8221; [tr. James (1848), &#8220;The Crab and Her Mother&#8221;]]]></description>
        <!-- DCH Insert author info (category description) then (Source) and then put the extra info (MORE) below that. -->
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Example is the best precept.</p>
<br><b>Aesop</b> (620?-560? BC) Legendary Greek storyteller<br><i>Fables [Aesopica]</i>, &#8220;The Two Crabs&#8221; (6th C BC) [tr. Jacobs (1894)] 
									<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(<a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Fables_of_%C3%86sop_(Jacobs)/The_Two_Crabs#:~:text=Example%20is%20the%20best%20precept." target="_blank">Source</a>)
										<br><br><span class="cite">
						

Alternate translation: "Example is better than precept." [tr. <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Aesop_s_Fables/cQwqAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA48&printsec=frontcover&bsq=%22example%20is%20better%22">James</a> (1848), "The Crab and Her Mother"]<br><br:

Alternate translation: "Example is more powerful than precept." [tr. <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Three_Hundred_%C3%86sop%27s_Fables/The_Crab_and_its_Mother#:~:text=Example%20is%20more%20powerful%20than%20precept.">Townsend</a> (1887), "The Crab and Its Mother"]

						</span>
					]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>https://wist.info/aesop/9467/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">9467</post-id>	</item>
		<item>

                <!-- DCH Modify the title to give the category (quote author) at the beginning of it. -->
		<title>Burke, Edmund -- &#8220;Reflections on the Revolution in France&#8221; (1790)</title>
		<link>https://wist.info/burke-edmund/5457/</link>
		<comments>https://wist.info/burke-edmund/5457/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:29:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Burke, Edmund]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[civilization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[injustice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[justice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[precept]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[society]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wist.info/wp/?p=5457</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Justice is itself the great standing policy of civil society; and any eminent departure from it, under any circumstances, lies under the suspicion of being no policy at all.]]></description>
        <!-- DCH Insert author info (category description) then (Source) and then put the extra info (MORE) below that. -->
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Justice is itself the great standing policy of civil society; and any eminent departure from it, under any circumstances, lies under the suspicion of being no policy at all.</p>
<br><b>Edmund Burke</b> (1729-1797) Anglo-Irish statesman, orator, philosopher<br>&#8220;Reflections on the Revolution in France&#8221; (1790) 
									<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(<a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Works_of_Edmund_Burke/sRI5AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=burke%20%22great%20standing%20policy%22&pg=PA427&printsec=frontcover&bsq=burke%20%22great%20standing%20policy%22" target="_blank">Source</a>)
				]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>https://wist.info/burke-edmund/5457/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5457</post-id>	</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
