Patience and long-term thinking
It takes a long time to bring excellence to maturity.
— Publilius Syrus (100 BC–100 BC), Sentences — The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, a Roman Slave, Maxim 780

Patience and long-term thinking

What it means

Excellence takes a long time to mature. Patience is part of mastering anything well.

About the author

Publilius Syrus — 1st century BC Syrian-born Latin writer.

Source and verification

Source
Sentences — The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, a Roman Slave, Maxim 780
Reference
Publilius Syrus on Wikiquote
Checked
Wording and source taken from the sourced section of the author’s Wikiquote page, which cites the work given here (accessed 2026-10-11).
Copyright
Public domain: an ancient work.

The explanation above is ToDoMatriX’s own reading of the quote, not the author’s words.

More on patience and long-term thinking

“It is not that we have a short space of time, but that we waste much of it.”

Seneca

“Be not as one that hath ten thousand years to live; death is nigh at hand: while thou livest, while thou hast time, be good.”

Marcus Aurelius

“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”

Charles Darwin