WIST Quotations

Cicero, Marcus Tullius -- De Natura Deorum [On the Nature of the Gods], Book 2, ch. 56 / sec. 140 (2.140) (45 BC) [tr. Rackham (1933)]

Dave — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 20:41:37 +0000

For men are sprung from the earth not as its inhabitants and denizens, but to be as it were the spectators of things supernal and heavenly, in the contemplation whereof no other species of animals participates.

[Sunt enim ex terra homines non ut incolae atque habitatores sed quasi spectatores superarum rerum atque caelestium, quarum spectaculum ad nullum aliud genus animantium pertinet.]

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) Roman orator, statesman, philosopher
De Natura Deorum [On the Nature of the Gods], Book 2, ch. 56 / sec. 140 (2.140) (45 BC) [tr. Rackham (1933)]
(Source)

(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:

For men are not simply to dwell here as inhabitants of the earth, but to be, as it were, spectators of the heavens and the stars, which is a privilege not granted to any other kind of animated beings.
[tr. Yonge (1877)]

For men are formed from the earth, not as its inhabitants and occupants, but as spectators of the things above them in the sky, the spectacle of which is afforded to no other race of animate beings.
[tr. Brooks (1896)]

Magee, John Gillespie -- “High Flight” (1941)

Dave — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 16:23:15 +0000

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings ….

John Gillespie Magee Jr. (1922-1941) Anglo-American pilot and poet
“High Flight” (1941)
(Source)

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 21, Jingo (1997)

Dave — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 14:04:40 +0000

Night poured over the desert. It came suddenly, in purple. In the clear air, the stars drilled down out of the sky, reminding any thoughtful watcher that it is in the deserts and high places that religions are generated. When men see nothing but bottomless infinity over their heads they have always had a driving and desperate urge to find someone to put in the way.

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Discworld No. 21, Jingo (1997)
(Source)