Inspirational Quotes by Marcus Terentius Varro (Roman Scholar)

Marcus Terentius Varro (116–27 BCE) was a Roman scholar, writer, and polymath, among Rome’s greatest intellectuals. He authored an estimated 74 works in 620 volumes, including the satirical Saturae Menippeae (“Menippean Satires.”)

Born in Reate (modern Rieti, Italy,) he studied under Stoic scholar Stilo Praeconinus and later with Antiochus of Ascalon in Athens. He served Pompey the Great in Spain (76 BCE,) became his pro-quaestor, and fought under him against pirates (67 BCE.) His career blended politics, military service, and scholarship, influencing Roman thought before and after the Empire’s founding (27 BCE.)

In 59 BCE, Varro wrote Trikaranos (“The Three-Headed,”) criticizing the coalition of Pompey, Julius Caesar, and Crassus. Supporting Pompey in Spain (49 BCE,) he was later pardoned by Caesar (47 BCE) and appointed librarian, dedicating part of Antiquitates rerum humanarum et divinarum (“Antiquities of Human and Divine Things”) to him. Mark Antony outlawed him, destroying his books, but Augustus restored his property. He spent his final years in scholarship.

His only surviving complete text, Res rustica (“Farm Topics,”) is a practical guide to agriculture. De lingua Latina (“On the Latin Language,”) dedicated to Cicero, remains a vital linguistic resource, though only fragments of its 25 books survive. His Saturae Menippeae blended prose and verse, mocking societal excesses while championing Roman virtues.

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