AGO

The notes here are taken from the actual Scala, so be warned that references to the "previous" proverb refer to its order in the Scala, not its order here. You can read more about the word at the Verbosum blog: AGO.

Tuas res tibi habeto, tuas res tibi agito. ~ Note: This was a formula for requesting a divorce; both habeto and agito are future imperatives, commonly found in ritualistic expressions.

Age quod agis. ~ Note: This item is listed in Tosi, 933. You can consider it an argument against multitasking!

Aliter cum aliis agendum. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 3.8.58. It is another of those "aliud…aliud" sayings, this time with the gerundive agendum (see previous proverb): You have to deal with some people one way, and with other people another way.

Actum ne agas. ~ Note: This is an elegant use of the Latin participle: do not do something that has already been done! Latin, of course, manages to say all that with just three little words. This item is listed in Tosi, 1114. Compare the saying cited by Polydorus in his Adagia, A83: Acta agis.

Agamus quod agendum. ~ Note: Note the subjunctive, agamus, "Let us do..." As for agendum, this is the origin of our English word "agenda," "the things which are to be done." As often, the relative pronoun "quod" does not have an expressed antecedent; it is only implied, as is the "est" at the end: Agamus [hoc] quod agendum [est].

Aliter enim cum alio agendum. ~ Note: Here you see the postpositive particle enim in its expected position, indicating that the proverb is being used to explain something that has already been stated: The fact of the matter is, you have to deal with different thing(s) differently.

Nullus agenti dies longus est. ~ Note: Nullus here agrees with dies and give you the subject: "no day" (nullus dies) "is long" (longus est) for the person who is working (agenti).

Age, si quid agis. ~ Note: Note that the quid here is functioning as aliquid (following si). This item is listed in Tosi, 933.

Acta, non verba. ~ Note: As you have seen before, there is proverbial opposition between words and things (res), words and deeds (facta) and, as here, words and actions (acta).

Agere sequitur credere. ~ Note: Here the infinitives are functioning as verbal nouns. The idea is that you have to have faith first, and action then follows: Agere (action) sequitur credere (believing).

Plus valet actum quam scriptum. ~ Note: Compare the sayings you saw earlier that contrasted words and deeds: "Rebus, non verbis," "Factis, non verbis," etc.

Agunt opus suum fata. ~ Note: The words are from Seneca's De Consolatione.

Cura, quidquid agis, te bene nosse magis! ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 201. The rhyme, agis-magis, reveals the medieval provenance of this saying.

Nihil agendo, homines male agere discunt. ~ Note: Here you have the gerund used in the ablative, nihil agendo: by doing nothing, while doing nothing, etc.

Fatis agimur; cedite fatis. ~ Note: Note that the first "fatis" here is ablative (we are driven by the fates), while the second is dative (yield to the fates!). You can find this fatalistic expression spoken by the chorus in Seneca's tragic play, Oedipus.

Nobiliter vivens et agens, haec nobilis est gens. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 691. Compare the earlier sayings you saw about true nobility: "Animus facit nobilem" and "Virtutem, si vis nobilis esse, cole."

Audendum est: age. ~ Note: Here you have the neuter gerundive being used impersonally: "audendum est" would mean something like "You've got to take the risk!" or "The risk must be taken!" The gerundive is then followed by a simple imperative: age! do it!

Cernuntur in agendo virtutes. ~ Note: Here you have the gerund in the ablative, as part of a prepositional phrase: in agendo, "in action."

Nil agenti dies longus est. ~ Note: Notice that the participle agenti here is in the dative case and takes nil as its object: for someone who does nothing (nil agenti), the day is long.

Age officium tuum. ~ Note: This is a motto of the Abbott family.

Quidquid agas, semper respice finem. ~ Note: Here the subjunctive, agas, gives the saying a hypothetical quality: quidquid agas, "whatever you might do..."

Res age quae prosunt. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings included in the distichs attributed to the so-called "Cato." Here is the complete distich: Res age quae prosunt; rursus vitare memento, / in quis error inest nec spes est certa laboris.

Res age quae prosunt. ~ Note: The relative pronoun quae is very ambiguous by itself (feminine nominative plural? neuter nominative plural? neuter accusative plural?) - the neuter forms are more commonly found, but here you can see that the quae goes with res, making it feminine plural. You can find this sentiment expressed in one of the distichs of Cato (so-called).

Illud stude agere, quod iustum est. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings included in the monostichs attributed to the so-called "Cato."

Iucundum nil agere. ~ Note: The Latin infinitive is consider to be a neuter noun, so you have here an infinitive phrase, nil agere, and an adjective agreeing with it, iucundum: It is pleasant to do nothing.

Iucundi acti labores. ~ Note: Here you see the adjective iucundus again, and this time it agrees with labores. I wonder if Hercules thought all his labors were pleasant once they were finished! This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 2.3.43. This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, A304.

Acta est fabula. ~ Note: Here fabula refers to a stage play: acta est fabula, the play is over! The actor (also from the verb agere) might ask for applause as well: Acta est fabula; plaudite. This item is listed in Tosi, 624.

Natura nihil agit frustra. ~ Note: The implied contrast, of course, is that human beings do all kinds of things that are vain or useless. We should take a lesson from nature, who does not waste her time in such things!

Quidquid agis, prudenter agas, et respice finem. ~ Note: Here the subjunctive, agas, has the force of a command, parallel with the imperative, respice.

Recte agens, confido. ~ Note: You can also see this idea expressed as an imperative: Confide, recte agens.

Nihil agere delectat. ~ Note: Here the infinitive phrase, nihil agere, is the subject of the sentence: "To do nothing is delightful."

Te modicum iacta, quoniam probat exitus acta. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 1349.

Non operando, peris; res age, tutus eris. ~ Note: Notice the nice rhyme: peris-eris. Note also the use of the gerund in the ablative: non operando, "by not working, by failing to act."

Omnis enim qui male agit, odit lucem. ~ Note: You can find these words in the Gospel of John, 3.

Omnis qui male agit, odit lucem. ~ Note: This can be literally true (as thieves in the night) or metaphorically, when wrongdoers hate the light of truth that would reveal their wrong-doing. This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B39.

Vulpes bovem agit ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 2.6.28.

Lupus circum puteum chorum agit. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 2.2.76.

Acta exteriora indicant interiora secreta. ~ Note: You can find this phrase in Black's Law Dictionary. You can also find the saying in this form: Exteriora acta indicant interiora animi secreta.

Debito soluto, tranquilla agitur vita. ~ Note: Note the ablative absolute: debito soluto, "once your debts have been paid."

Pauper agat caute. ~ Note: The subjunctive is crucial here: agat. The poor must, should, etc. proceed with caution! He doesn't have the resources that let rich people get away with all kinds of foolishness.

Nil est quod caute simul agas et celeriter. ~ Note: Note how the subjunctive, agas, gives the statement a hypothetical quality.

Iocandum ut seria agas. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 4.8.39.

Tragoedias in nugis agis. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 2.8.91.

Tua res agitur, cum proximus ardet paries. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 3.6.71.

Si non potes bovem, asinum agito. ~ Note: The word agito is the future imperative of agere. Note that this proverb depends on an implied parallelism: Si non potes (agere) bove, asinum agito.

Si nequeas bovem, asinum agito. ~ Note: Compare the saying in the Adagia of Erasmus, 2.8.4: Si bovem non possis, asinum agas.

Simia quidquid agit, simia semper erit. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 1242. The words suppy the moral to an Aesop's fable about the dancing monkeys: Nequidquam viles animae tolluntur in altum. / Simia, quidquid agas, simia semper erit. You can read an English version of the fable here.

Virtus unita fortius agit. ~ Note: Here you have the neuter form of the comparative, fortius, being used adverbially: fortius agit, "acts more strongly."

Agentes et consentientes pari poena digni. ~ Note: You can also find the saying expressed this way: Consentientes et agentes pari poena plectuntur.

Agenda meditare, acta mox examina. ~ Note: This is a saying by Janus Anysius (Giovanni Aniso); his sayings were sometimes published together with the ancient sayings of Publilius Syrus.

Ita age, ut deis et hominibus spectantibus. ~ Note: This is a saying by Janus Anysius (Giovanni Aniso); his sayings were sometimes published together with the ancient sayings of Publilius Syrus.

Sine consilio agens facile fit praeda hostibus. ~ Note: This is a saying by Janus Anysius (Giovanni Aniso); his sayings were sometimes published together with the ancient sayings of Publilius Syrus.

Liber non est, qui non aliquando nihil agit. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 5.2.21.

Aut oportet tragoedias agere omnes, aut insanire. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 3.2.54.

Agere volentem semper meditari decet. ~ Note: The infinitive agere is a complement to the participle volentem; the infinitive meditari is a complement to the verb decet.