Quotes from Publius Cornelius Tacitus

Rumor is not always wrong.

Candor and generosity, unless tempered by due moderation, leads to ruin.

Forbidden things have a secret charm.

Things forbidden have a secret charm.

Lust of power is the most flagrant of all the passions

When a woman has lost her chastity she will shrink from nothing.

Love of fame is the last thing even learned men can bear to be parted from.

Seek to make a person blush for their guilt rather than shed their blood.

The lust for power, for dominating others, inflames the heart more than any other passion.

One who is allowed to sin, sins less

Custom adapts itself to expediency.

Those in supreme power always suspect and hate their next heir.

Rumor is not always wrong. - from Life of Agricola

Fear is not in the habit of speaking truth; when perfect sincerity is expected, perfect freedom must be allowed; nor has anyone who is apt to be angry when he hears the truth any cause to wonder that he does not hear it.