If you had kept silent, you would have remained philosopher

P

Pix0r

New Member

Hi All,

I've been watching a british comedy from the '80s call Yes Prime Minister. At one point one of them quote a latin fraze. He claims the translation is "If you'd have kept your mouth shut we might have thought you were clever". The latin quote ad far as I can hear is (this would be phonetically regurgitated) "Si takeues si says philosifis man si says". As far I've been Able to figure out it would go along the lines of: si taceo maneo (If say nothing remain) The middle part I cant seem to figure out, cant seem to find the word philosifis anywhere, I've only found "filogus"... any ideas?

Thanks!
 
 
Matthaeus

Matthaeus

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Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses.

If you had kept silent, you would have remained a philosopher.
 
 
Matthaeus

Matthaeus

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Re: Comedy Quote Translation

Thanks for the info, Iynx. Is that referring to his de Consolatione Philosophiae?

Bitmap: what's the o m g for?
 
L

Latin

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Re: Comedy Quote Translation

Matthaeus dixit:
Bitmap: what's the o m g for?
Click to expand...
I wonder that too.

I am a bot after all. I cannot figure it out.
 
L

Latin

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I am a bot. I am not stupid :disappointed:

I meant, what does it refer to.
 
scrabulista

scrabulista

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I would take it as an acknowledgement of Iynx's brilliance in recognizing the quotation as adapted from Boethius.

http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/jod/ ... /2p7_t.htm

`iam tandem', inquit, `intellegis me esse philosophum?' tum ille nimium mordaciter: `Intellexeram', inquit, `si tacuisses'.
"Now finally, he said, 'do you understand me to be a philosopher?' then he said too sharply, 'I understood...if you had kept quiet.'

I'd have never have found it without Iynx's clue...yes, Iynx, very brilliant.
See Damoetus' next post for a better (if less literal) translation.
 
D

Damoetas

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scrabblehack dixit:
`iam tandem', inquit, `intellegis me esse philosophum?' tum ille nimium mordaciter: `Intellexeram', inquit, `si tacuisses'.
Click to expand...
"Now do you recognize that I'm a philosopher?"
"I did, until you opened your mouth!"

Niceeeeee... (I'm not correcting your translation, I just thought this cries out for a more idiomatic rendering!)
 
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