quot homines tot sententiæ

English - English

Definition of quot homines tot sententiæ in English English dictionary

There are as many opinions as there are people who hold them

Different auditors, as he observes, have different habitudes; so that, were we to put this assertion to the proof by particular applications, we should possibly find quot homines tot sententiæ.

Etymology

() From Latin, echoing line 454 of Terence’s Phormio:, by Terence (161 BC), line 454 quot homines tot sententiae: suo’ quoique mos as many men, so many minds: to every one his own way quot (“how many”) + hominēs (“men”, “people”; nominative plural form of homō: “man”, “person”) + tot (“so many”) + sententiae (“opinions”, “thoughts”; nominative plural form of sententia: “opinion”, “thought”).