Memento mori
Summary
- Latin for 'remember you shall die'
Details
- According to legend, victorius generals would instruct a slave behind to repeat 'memento mori' to guard against pride
References
Quotes
- Such traditions date at least to ancient Rome. There, according to legend, generals who had been victorious in battle would instruct a slave to follow behind as they paraded through the streets; the slave’s task was to keep repeating, for the general’s benefit, a warning against hubris: memento mori, ‘remember you shall die