100+ Best Virgil Quotes From The Pioneering Roman Poet

Divya Raghav
Dec 12, 2023 By Divya Raghav
Originally Published on Jan 12, 2021
Edited by Isobel Murphy
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Virgil portrait made of stone

An ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period, Publius Vergilius Maro, also known as Virgil or Vergil, was born on 15 October 70 BC.

Virgil's death was recorded on 21 September 19 BC. Virgil has been remembered as one of the greatest poets of Rome.

Three of the most famous poems in Latin Literature have been written by Virgil: 'The Aeneid', 'The Eclogues', and 'The Georgics'.

Virgil has such deep love for philosophy that he abandoned his study of astronomy, medicine, and rhetoric to pursue it. This clearly shows in his work.

His work is read all across the globe with huge admiration and love for his intellect and thoughts.

The intellect with which he wrote the famous quotes like, "the greatest wealth is health," "fortune favors the bold," "the only hope for the doomed is no hope at all," is commendable and appreciated by many worldwide. These are his most important lines, and they beautifully show how Virgil was a true philosopher.

As Virgil was a famous poet in Rome, you can look up Virgil quotes Latin to find his quotes in the Latin language, but for now, read ahead for Virgil's quotes on love, inexorable fate, and more. If you like Virgil quotes, then explore these Horace quotes and Ovid quotes too.

Virgil Quotes From 'The Eclogues'

Pen, ink and paper

Here are some famous quotes by Virgil from his hexameter, 'The Eclogues.'

1. "Trust not too much to that enchanting face; beauty's a charm, but soon the charm will pass."

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

2. "What madness has seized you?"

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

3. "A snake lurks in the grass."

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

4. "Begin, baby boy, to recognize your mother with a smile."

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

5. "Everyone is dragged on by their favorite pleasure."

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

6. "Your descendants shall gather your fruits."

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

7. "Let us go singing as far as we go: the road will be less tedious."

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

8. "To compare great things with small."

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

9. "The great line of the centuries begins anew."

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

10. "Now I know what love is."

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

11. "Love conquers all; let us, too, yield to Love!"

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

12. "We cannot all do everything."

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

13. "Every field, every tree is now budding; now the woods are green, now the year is at its loveliest."

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

14. "Time bears away all things, even our minds."

- Virgil, 'The Eclogues.'

Virgil Quotes From 'The Georgics'

In this section, the quotes from his next hexameter 'The Georgics' are gathered for you.

15. "Above all, worship the gods."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

16. "There is no place for death."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

17. "O farmers, pray that your summers be wet and your winters clear."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

18. "Let my delight be the country, and the running streams amid the dells—may I love the waters and the woods, though I be unknown to fame."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

19. "Look with favor upon a bold beginning."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

20. "So strong is habit in tender years."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

21. "How lucky, if they know their happiness,

Are farmers, more than lucky, they for whom,

Far from the clash of arms, the earth herself,

Most fair in dealing, freely lavishes

An easy livelihood."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

22. "If we may compare small things with great."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

23. "Toil conquered the world, unrelenting toil, and want that pinches when life is hard."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

24. "In youth alone, unhappy mortals live;

But, ah! the mighty bliss is fugitive:

Discolored sickness, anxious labor, come,

And age, and death's inexorable doom."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

25. "Practice and thought might gradually forge many an art."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

26. "Vice thrives and lives by concealment."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

27. "Blessed is he who has been able to win knowledge of the causes of things."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

28. "But meanwhile it is flying, irretrievable time is flying."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

29. "Love is Lord of all, and is in all the same."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

30. "The fates call."

- Virgil, 'The Georgics.'

Quotes By Virgil From 'The Aeneid, Book I'

This category includes quotes from Virgil's most famous book, 'The Aeneid.'

31. "So hard and huge a task it was to found the Roman people."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book I.'

32. "No stranger to trouble myself I am learning to care for the unhappy."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book I.'

33. "Here and there are seen swimmers in the vast abyss."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book I.'

34. "Friends and companions,

Have we not known hard hours before this?

My men, who have endured still greater dangers,

God will grant us an end to these as well."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book I.'

35. "Can such resentment hold the minds of gods?"

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book I.'

36. "Rage supplies arms."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book I.'

37. "Endure, and keep yourselves for days of happiness."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book I.'

38. "Following what is decreed by fate."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book I.'

39. "Someday, perhaps, remembering even this will be a pleasure."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book I.'

40. "Your honor, your name, your praise will live forever."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book I.'

Virgil Quotes From 'The Aeneid, Book II'

'The Aeneid' has been divided into twelve different books.

41. "From one learn all."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book II.'

42. "Sorrow too deep to tell, your majesty,

You order me to feel and tell once more."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book II.'

43. "Donot trust the horse, Trojans.

Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book II.'

44. "How changed from what he once was!"

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book II.'

45. "Prepared for either alternative."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book II.'

46. "Who could tell such things and still refrain from tears?"

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book II.'

47. "The only hope for the doomed is no hope at all."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book II.'

48. "Force finds a way."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book II.'

49. "I wait with listening ears."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book II.'

50. "Amid the friendly silence of the peaceful moon."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book II.'

Virgil Quotes From 'The Aeneid, Book III'

'The Aeneid' was the last work by Virgil before his death in 19 BC.

51. "Rumor flies."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book III.'

52. "To what extremes won't you compel our hearts, you accursed lust for gold?"

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book III.'

53. "An awful misshapen monster, huge, his eyesight lost."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book III.'

Virgil Quotes From 'The Aeneid, Book IV'

54. "Fate withstands. Never lose faith."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IV.'

55. "Fear is proof of a degenerate mind."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IV.'

56. "Who can deceive a lover?"

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IV.'

57. "I shall never deny what you deserve, my queen, never regret my memories of Dido, not while I can recall myself and draw the breath of life."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IV.'

58. "Rumor, swiftest of all the evils in the world."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IV.'

59. "I feel once more the scars of the old flame."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IV.'

60. "Unconscionable Love, To what extremes will you not drive our hearts!"

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IV.'

61. "I have lived

and journeyed through the course assigned by fortune.

And now my Shade will pass, illustrious,

beneath the earth."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IV.'

62. "I sail for Italy, not of my own free will."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IV.'

63. "'I shall die unavenged, but I shall die,'

she says. 'Thus, thus, I gladly go below

to shadows.'"

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IV.'

64. "Fickle and changeable always is a woman."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IV.'

65. "Let someone arise from my bones as an Avenger."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IV.'

Virgil Quotes From 'The Aeneid, Book V'

There is a lot to learn from these Virgil quotes.

66. "Every misfortune is to be subdued by patience."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book V.'

67. "What a woman can do in frenzy."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book V.'

68. "They can because they think they can."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book V.'

69. "Yield to God."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book V.'

70. "Hug the shore."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book V.'

Virgil Quotes From 'The Aeneid, Book VI'

For more Virgil quotes from 'The Aeneid', read on.

71. "Yield not to misfortunes, but advance all the more boldly against them."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book VI.'

72. "There all stood begging to be first across

And reached out longing hands to the far shore."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book VI.'

73. "The gates of hell are open night and day;

Smooth the descent, and easy is the way:

But to return, and view the cheerful skies,

In this the task and mighty labor lies."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book VI.'

74. "Hunger that persuades to evil."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book VI.'

75. "Each of us bears his own hell."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book VI.'

76. "I will teach you your destiny."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book VI.'

77. "Cease to think that the decrees of the gods can be changed by prayers."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book VI.'

78. "Mind moves matter."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book VI.'

Virgil Quotes From 'The Aeneid, Book VII'

What can you learn from these Virgil quotes?

79. "If I cannot sway the heavens, I'll wake the powers of hell!"

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book VII.'

80. "A greater history opens before my eyes,

A greater task awaits me."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book VII.'

Virgil Quotes From 'The Aeneid, Book VIII'

Do you already recognize any of these quotes?

81. "Fear gave wings to his feet."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book VIII.'

82. "If only Jupiter would give me back

The past years and the man I was..."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book VIII.'

Virgil Quotes From 'The Aeneid, Book IX'

What is your favorite Virgil quote?

83. "I cannot bear a mother's tears."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IX.'

84. "Do the gods light this fire in our hearts

or does each man's mad desire become his god?"

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IX.'

85. "Blessings on your young courage, boy; that's the way to the stars."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book IX.'

Virgil Quotes From 'The Aeneid, Book X'

These quotes are very influential.

86. "Fortune favors the bold."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book X.'

87. "Fate will find a way."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book X.'

88. "Every man's last day is fixed.

Lifetimes are brief and not to be regained,

For all mankind. But by their deeds to make

Their fame last: that is labor for the brave."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book X.'

Virgil Quotes From 'The Aeneid, Book XI'

Virgil quotes from 'The Aeneid' are his most famous.

89. "Each one his own hope."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book XI.'

90. "Trust the expert."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book XI.'

91. "There is no salvation in war."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book XI.'

Virgil Quotes From 'The Aeneid, Book XII'

Enjoy this final installment of Virgil quotes from 'The Aeneid'.

92. "Who knows? Better times may come to those in pain."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book XII.'

93. "And with a groan for that indignity

His spirit fled into the gloom below."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book XII.'

94. "Learn fortitude and toil from me, my son,

The ache of true toil. Good fortune learns from others."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book XII.'

95. "The attempts to heal enflame the fever more."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book XII.'

96. "Go no further down the road of hatred."

- Virgil, 'The Aeneid, Book XII.'

Other Famous Quotes by Virgil

This section includes some more quotes from Virgil that are loved by people all around the world, including the famous . They are all attributed to his full name, Publius Vergilius Maro.

97. "I sing of arms and a man."

- Publius Vergilius Maro.

98. "Even here, merit will have its true reward...

even here, the world is a world of tears

and the burdens of mortality touch the heart."

- Publius Vergilius Maro.

99. "Be warned; learn ye to be just and not to slight the gods!"

- Publius Vergilius Maro.

100. "The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that count."

- Publius Vergilius Maro.

101. "Myself acquainted with misfortune, I learn to help the unfortunate."

- Publius Vergilius Maro.

102. "The greatest wealth is health."

- Publius Vergilius Maro.

103. "Death twitches my ear, "live," he says, "I'm coming."

- Publius Vergilius Maro.

104. "The gates of hell are open night and day;

Smooth the descent, and easy is the way:

But to return, and view the cheerful skies,

In this, the task and mighty labor lies."

- Publius Vergilius Maro.

105. "Love conquers all."

- Publius Vergilius Maro.

106. "Easy is to descent to hell but to retrace one's steps to the upper air, this indeed is a task."

- Publius Vergilius Maro.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for the best Virgil quotes from the pioneering Roman poet, then why not take a look at these [poetry quotes], or [Shakespeare quotes about death] for more?

‍Main image credit: ChiccoDodiFC / Shutterstock.com

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Written by Divya Raghav

Bachelor of Commerce specializing in Accounting and Finance, Master of Business Administration

Divya Raghav picture

Divya RaghavBachelor of Commerce specializing in Accounting and Finance, Master of Business Administration

With a diverse range of experience in finance, administration, and operations, Divya is a diligent worker known for her attention to detail. Born and raised in Bangalore, she completed her Bachelor's in Commerce from Christ University and is now pursuing an MBA at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Bangalore. Along with her professional pursuits, Divya has a passion for baking, dancing, and writing content. She is also an avid animal lover who dedicates her time to volunteering for animal welfare causes.

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