Some quotes are far more famous than the people who invented of them. The best example of this was a man named Publilius Syrus. Syrus was a slave from Syria, brought to Rome and freed by his master on account of his wit. His master then educated Syrus, who ended up a writer.
Among the enduring sayings of Publilius Syrus, we count, for instance “ignorance is bliss”. He also coined “the end justifies the means” and “honour among thieves”, all of these from a humble Syrian slave who lived and died decades before Jesus was born. Another great quote by the man that I hear less often, but that is no less apt: “To do two things at once is to do neither.” And of course the legendary and still-relevant: "Pardon one offense and you encourage the commission of many."
It’s remarkable to me how almost everyone on earth knows these sayings. Yet so very few people know the name of the man who coined them. His name was Publilius Syrus. A great mind who found himself in a shitty situation, climbing out of it by sheer power of will, using only that great and enduring mind.
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