As baby children believe that all bronze statues are alive and are men, so these (superstitious grown-ups) think the fictions of dreams are real, and believe that bronze statues have a living heart inside. These things are a painters' gallery, nothing real, all make-believe.
• Fragment of Book XV, quoted by Lactantius, Divine Institutes, I, 22, 13; Warmington (1935), p. 167
• Fragment of Book XV, quoted by Lactantius, Divine Institutes, I, 22, 13; Warmington (1935), p. 167
“
Ut pueri infantes credunt signa omnia aena
vivere et esse homines, sic isti somnia ficta
vera putant, credunt signis cor inesse in aenis.
Pergula pictorum, veri nil, omnia ficta.
— Gaius Lucilius
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Ut pueri infantes credunt signa omnia aena
vivere et esse homines, sic isti somnia ficta
vera putant, credunt signis cor inesse in aenis.
Pergula pictorum, veri nil, omnia ficta." in the context of "As baby children believe that all bronze statues are alive and are men, so these (superstitious grown-ups) think the fictions of dreams are real, and believe that bronze statues have a living heart inside. These things are a painters' gallery, nothing real, all make-believe.
• Fragment of Book XV, quoted by Lactantius, Divine Institutes, I, 22, 13; Warmington (1935), p. 167" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Gaius Lucilius" (Quotes: E. H. Warmington, Remains of Old Latin, vol. 3, LCL 329 (1935)
Norbert Gutterman, A Book of Latin Quotations (1966), pp. 40–42)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 19, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Gaius Lucilius
Gaius Lucilius (180, 168 or 148 – 103 BC) was the earliest Roman satirist, of whose writings only fragments remain. A Roman citizen of the equestrian class, he was born at Suessa Aurunca in Campania, and was a member of the Scipionic Circle.
About Gaius Lucilius
Gaius Lucilius (180, 168 or 148 – 103 BC) was the earliest Roman satirist, of whose writings only fragments remain. A Roman citizen of the equestrian class, he was born at Suessa Aurunca in Campania, and was a member of the Scipionic Circle.
View all quotes →