MOS

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: MOS.

Mala vita, mali mores.

O tempora, O mores! ~ Note: It probably makes sense to consider this famous saying to be an accusative of exclamation as well. You can read about these famous words of Cicero at Wikipedia.

Suus cuique mos. ~ Note: This dative here is what you could call a dative of possession: each person has their own habit.

Alia tempora, alii mores. ~ Note: This is another of those "aliud…aliud" sayings - the idea is that different times require different customs.

Alii homines, alii mores. ~ Note: This is another of those "aliud…aliud" sayings: Some people act one way, other people act a different way (although Latin manages to say all that with just four words, of course!).

Suus est mos cuique genti. ~ Note: This is another of the many "cuique suum" type of sayings - or, in this case, not "cuique" but "cuique genti," each people, each culture.

Ex malis moribus fiunt bonae leges. ~ Note: As you can see by comparing this proverb to the previous proverb, the world of proverbs is full of contradictions. That is not surprising, of course, since human life itself is full of contradictions and paradoxes, such as the paradox expressed here - that good laws might come from bad habits.

Quid leges sine moribus? ~ Note: The question word "quid" here means "what" in the sense of "what good is there in" or "what is the point of." The saying is adapted from Horace, Satires 3: quid leges sine moribus vanae proficiunt?

Cum fueris Romae, Romano vivito more. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 186: Cum fueris Romae, Romano vivito more, / cum fueris alibi, vivito sic ut ibi.

Mos regit legem. ~ Note: This legal principle was used, for example, to justify the practice of slavery in the American South, where slavery was a long-standing social practice, making a "mos" in Latin, even if the laws of the colonies had not formally legalized the various institutions that made slavery possible.

Tempore mutato, mores mutantur. ~ Note: Note the ablative absolute: tempore mutato, "when the time has changed." You can also find this saying expressed with a parallelism instead of the ablative absolute: Tempora mutantur, mores mutantur.

Honores mutant mores. ~ Note: This proverb also features rhyme: honores-mores. It is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, A207.

Sui cuique mores fingunt fortunam. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 2.4.30.

Leges moribus serviunt. ~ Note: This expresses the same idea as in the previous proverb, but vice-versa. You can say that the custom rules the law, or, as here, that the laws obey the customs. Note the use of the dative complement with the verb servire.

Vultus indicat mores. ~ Note: You will find these words in Cicero's De Legibus, 1.

Moribus antiquis res stat Romana virisque.

Antiqui mores serventur. ~ Note: Note the subjunctive: serventur, "Let the ancient customs be kept."

Ex malis moribus bonae leges natae sunt. ~ Note: This is a variation on a proverb you saw earlier: Ex malis moribus fiunt bonae leges.

Terrae, ad quam pergis, cape mores, quos ibi cernis. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 1362. Note that terrae goes with mores: cape mores terrae, adopt the habits of the land. Compare the English saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Oratio mores animi sequitur. ~ Note: Although sequitur has a passive form, it is a deponent verb which can take a direct object as here: mores sequitur.

Divitiae mutant mores, raro in meliores. ~ Note: The rhyme, mores-meliores, reveals the medieval origin of this saying.

Eunt anni more fluentis aquae. ~ Note: The word more here expresses the idea of a simile: more fluentis aquae, "in the manner of flowing water."

Mores hominum regioni respondent. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 4.3.25.

Vive moribus praeteritis, loquere verbis praesentibus. ~ Note: This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, A197.

Aliud regnum alios mores postulat.

Alia aetas alios mores postulat. ~ Note: Compare the previous saying - now instead of alia vita, you have alia aetas (age, time of life).

Alia vita alios mores postulat. ~ Note: This is another of those "aliud…aliud" sayings: Different lives demand different habits.

Alia terra alios mores postulat. ~ Note: This is another of those "aliud…aliud" sayings. The "alia terra" here is like the "cuique genti" of the proverb cited above - the land stands by metonymy for the people who live in that land.

Bacchus et argentum mutant mores sapientum. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 85.

Leges sine moribus vanae.

Litterae sine moribus vanae.

Quot regiones, tot mores. ~ Note: This is one of those correlative quot...tot sayings that you have seen before, e.g. "Quot servi, tot hostes," "Quot homines, tot sententiae," etc.

Tempora labuntur more fluentis aquae. ~ Note: You can see this inscription on a sun-dial here: image.

Qui proficit in litteris, et deficit in moribus, plus deficit quam proficit.

Quid bonae leges sine moribus proficiunt?

Disce bonos mores, sic te comitantur honores.

Amore, more, ore, re firmantur amicitiae. ~ Note: Notice the amazing play on words, as one letter is dropped each time: amore-more-ore-re. In addition to being incredibly elegant, the meaning is quite profound, too, as friendship really does depend on affection (amore), good character (more), the words friends speak (ore) and the things that they do (re).

Eloquentia male sine moribus discitur. ~ Note: The words are from one of the letters of Pliny the Younger, 3.3.

Sermo hominum mores et celat et indicat idem.

Non unquam sera est ad bonos mores via.

Numquam sera ad bonos mores via. ~ Note: The adjective "sera" is the predicate here; the idea is that it is never too late to start down the road to good behavior.

Nobilitas morum magis ornat quam genitorum.

Nobilitas morum plus ornat, quam genitorum. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 690.

Mores dicentis suadent plus quam oratio.

Sis animo magnus, sis moribus agnus. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 1267.

Mentiri vatibus est mos.

Amici mores noveris, non oderis. ~ Note: This is a piece of advice from Publilius Syrus. Note how the subjunctive here conveys the sense of a command: You should know your friend's habits, but not hate them. It is also one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 2.5.96.

Corrumpunt bonos mores colloquia prava. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 1.10.74.

Corrumpunt bonos mores mala colloquia. ~ Note: This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B149.

Similitudo morum est mater amorum.

Intima per mores cognoscimus exteriores. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 553.

Mutantur mores tum cum cumulantur honores. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 657.

Ridendo castigamus mores.

Ebrietas mores aufert tibi, res et honores.

Invenies multos, mores qui pelle sub agni celant luporum. ~ Note: The proverbial "wolf in sheep's clothing" is transferred to the human world, where people with the character of wolves (mores luporum) are hiding that character in the clothing of a lamb: pelle sub agni.

Ranarum more bibunt, nihil comedentes.

Vulpes pilum mutat, non mores.

Non mens in caelis, si mores in caenis. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 748.

Fortuna simul cum moribus immutatur.

Omnium mores, tuos imprimis observato.

Bonos corrumpunt mores congressus mali.

Bonae leges ex malis moribus procreantur. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 1.10.61; it is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, A52.

Mos est stultorum reprehendere facta bonorum. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 640.

Mutans locum mores tamen mutat nihil.

Saepe patris mores imitatur filius infans. ~ Note: (Verinus)

Disce bonos mores; sic te comitantur honores. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 249.