Commonplace Book: sad and sappily inspirational Latin

[ricardienne]

...but it makes me happy anyway.

vetustas pauca non depravat, multa tollit // there are few things age does not distort, much it deletes (Varro, De Lingua Latina, 5.5.1

Ego multos homines excellenti animo ac virtute fuisse sine doctrina, et naturae ipsius habitu prope divino per se ipsos et moderatos et gravis exstitisse fateor; etiam illud adiungo, saepius ad laudem atque virtutem naturam sine doctrina quam sine natura valuisse doctrinam. Atque idem ego hoc contendo, cum ad naturam eximiam et inlustrem accesserit ratio quaedam conformatioque doctrinae, tum illud nescio quid praeclarum ac singulare solere exsistere // I admit that many men have been of a superlative spirit and valor without training, and that by an almost divine personality of their very nature they have been through their very own capabilities self-controlled and worthy of consideration. I even add this: that nature has oftener been capabale of praise and valor without training than training without nature. And yet I would argue this, too: when some method and the shaping of training is applied to an outstanding and brilliant nature, then something amazing and really special usually comes about. (Cicero, Pro Archia Poeta, 15.5)