Publius Cornelius Tacitus, (c.55-c.120 A.D.) Senator and a historian of the Roman Empire Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quote Share via Email Print this Page Publius Cornelius Tacitus Quote “We are corrupted by prosperity. And when the state is corrupt, then the laws are most multiplied.”Publius Cornelius Tacitus ~ Publius Cornelius Tacitus (c.55-c.120 A.D.) Senator and a historian of the Roman Empire Corruption , Law , Prosperity , Statism Ratings and Comments Reply anonymous 3/21/14 We are corrupted by corruption. All that other conflation is garbage. Reply Howard, Bangkok 3/21/14 First half of the quote is BS. The second half is pretty spot on. Corrupt states, yes I know I repeat myself, will have a lot of laws. Reply jim k, austin tx 3/21/14 Howard , Bangkok, summed it up well. The love of money is second to the lack of money as the root of all evil. Reply bruski, naples FL 3/21/14 Our Founders knew this and knew it well.Keep 'em coming and thank you,Cheers,b Reply Walter Clark, Fullerton CA 3/21/14 You guys are right. This is bullshit. Maybe something was lost in translation. How about this as an improvement: Humans are corrupted by prosperity. The more prosperous the state, the more corrupted its laws. Reply Mike, Norwalk 3/21/14 I'm with Howard, the first half is reconstituted alfalfa from the bull. Possibly the love of wealth or prosperity's perception may cause corruption, possibly more often than not ? When the state is corrupt, then the laws are most multiplied is absolutely correct, as exemplified by the United Socialists of Amerika (U.S.A.) Reply Ron w13, Or 3/21/14 This quote does have a sting ! The point is well made. With prosperity comes contempt for the poor and needy. The poor and needy you have always. Riches breed false securities, perpetuating the need for more laws to protect the wealthy. Capitalistic ways wish no hindering of their prosperity. Their false security, is made evident, by their contempt for the poor and needy. Mercy and compassion tempers wealth and the distribution of substance needed. The king is served by the field. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. Prov 21:13 Fifty years after the revolution, materialism through prosperous times, had taken such a hold on the nation, they lost sight of what the fight was all about. Reply E Archer, NYC 3/21/14 A bit too altruistic for me. Not sure if 'prosperity' is the right world -- I would say we are corrupted by 'entitlement.' When there is prosperity without the hard work that comes with it, we essentially are living in a dream world. There's nothing wrong with prosperity -- should we not prosper? What corrupts the state is unchecked power. Reply Ron w13, Or 3/22/14 Entitlement, my what ever, If it were not for the fact that pulling the workers from what feeds them, was to some ones advantage, they would have left them alone !!! Kiss my common sense. Corrupting the local fauna is greed. Hoping to perfect some notion of your on imagination. Had a glass of wine Archer ? Please! These are hard times, There are only two types on the planet, care givers and patients. 1 Reply Abby 1/2/24 Makes sense...and we see it playing out with Biden's current blast of new laws. Reply Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 1/2/24 More of a profit margin is maybe what is referring as a corrupting influencer, not prosperity, because prosperity is not being guided by superficial laws, but by principle. SaveOk2 SaveOk2 View CommentsClick to view or comment. Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print This Publius Cornelius Tacitus quote is found in these categories: Corruption quotes Law quotes Prosperity quotes Statism quotes About Publius Cornelius Tacitus Bio of Publius Cornelius Tacitus Quotations by Publius Cornelius Tacitus Books by/about Publius Cornelius Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus videos Publius Cornelius Tacitus on Wikipedia Astrological chart for Publius Cornelius Tacitus