Lima, Peru - In Spanish we have lots of nice, often contradictory sayings. They are unpretentious, witty observations that have stood the test of time by sometimes mimicking wisdom and other times achieving it.
I don't know of anybody that leads his or her life according to the guidance of proverbs or sayings. They come handy, though, for the guilty moments. And nothing beats the Latin proverbs in that regard.
My two favorite, or rather the most recurring ones, are: Nulla dies sine linea, which Pliny attributed to the great painter Apelles. Over the centuries, writers have confiscated the saying as sort of incantation against writer's block. I usually remember it just before going to sleep.
The other is better known: Carpe diem. Seize the day. It often jumps into consciousness as a short-lived mantra as I approach one of the incredibly beautiful Peruvian beaches at the start of our Southern Hemisphere summer, which is now. As the waves beckon, Latin fades away.
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