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From the Outside -- Latin Phrase of the Day

gov.lachoneus@protonmail.com (Jonny) — Wed, 27 May 2026 13:08:43 GMT

I think that today's phrase of the day deserves two complimentary phrases. Have you ever felt that you needed outside help, but when it came, it was not actually what you needed? Don't get me wrong, service and being served is a great thing. But in some things, we need to find the peace from within, instead of with-out. From Amo, Amas, Amat and More:

ab extra
ahb EHK-strah
from the outside

The author gives this explanation: 'This phrase, the opposite of AB INTRA, finds use in such thoughts as "We are mistaken in believing that peace will come to the Middle East through the efforts ab extra of the world powers."'

I recall from this a verse from the Book of Mormon, from Captain Moroni in the book of Alma, chapter 60, verse 23:"Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also." This leads to the next phrase:

ab intra
ahb IHN-trah
from within

The explanation given is: 'The insider's role is played out ab intra. "The only hope for reform of an institution is through effort expended ab intra."'

Whether we want to change an institution or ourselves, the best hope comes from within. A person must make the choice, and be the change. It isn't what is outside of the mind and heart, but within. I find related teaching, from Jesus Christ, in the testimony of Mark, chapter 7, verse 20, "And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man." The things which come from our heart are those things that either defile us, or build us!

Til next time, valete!
Jonny

Wounded But Not Conquered: Latin Phrase of the Day

gov.lachoneus@protonmail.com (Jonny) — Mon, 25 May 2026 14:30:03 GMT

Ah, today I have found another great phrase that depicts the soul of a courageous person. Often times in life, we find ourselves having to face troublesome situations. Maybe you have a big project at work that is beating you up. Maybe you were actually beat up! Or you may have had a health problem, or lost something you love. This phrase can inspire courage:

vulneratus non victus
wuul-neh-RAH-tuus nohn WIH-ktuus
bloodied but unbowed

Again, this comes from the book Amo, Amas, Amat and More. The explanation given from the author is: 'Literally "wounded but not conquered."'

If we can just look forward with an eye of faith, we too can feel unconquered. I remember long ago when I served an LDS mission, at the beginning I felt homesick. I was wandering in a land that was so different from home. I was hesitant, and worried. However, I was not conquered by the fear. I had made up my mind that I would not give in. Although I had many things I was concerned about, none of that was going to make me give up. And I didn't.

I would encourage anyone reading this, that in your righteous and good and wholesome causes, never be conquered by that which might hold you back. Good wins over evil.

Til next time, valete!
Jonny

Blood From a Stone: Latin Phrase of the Day

gov.lachoneus@protonmail.com (Jonny) — Sat, 23 May 2026 13:49:27 GMT

As we Learn various Latin phrases, it is interesting to see more and more vocabulary words, and understand further where our English language has come from. Not all English words are derived from Latin or French, but many are! English is considered a Germanic language, and so there are many parts of our speech that belong to that language group, but there are other parts that belong to French/Latin. This appears to be the result of how England was ruled and conquered over the ages.

Interesting to note, I have heard that there is a group of people there that strive to only use the original English or Germanic roots of English, instead of combining in the Latin influenced words. Many of the shorter words we speak are the originals. And many of the multi-syllable words have come down to us via Greek and Latin.

In any case, today's phrase also comes from the book Amo, Amas, Amat and More, and deserves some explanation:

ab asino lanam
ahb AH-sih-noh LAH-nahm
blood from a stone

Importantly to note, the definition "blood from a stone" is not the literal translation. The author, Ehrlich, gives this explanation: 'Anyone who tries to achieve the impossible is doomed to failure. Thus, an attempt to get ab asino lanam, literally "wool from an ass," will inevitable fail.'

So this phrase is more a euphemism that to tell someone that they are attempting the impossible. We all know that wool does not come from a donkey, so why would you bother trying? So the author gives this the definition of "blood from a stone," because blood only resides within a living organism, not within a non-organic substance (unless if you were to wash out a red rock, maybe?).

You know, I don't think that this phrase should be something that gets you down. Sometimes our ideas can be impossible ones. But often times, our ideas and dreams aren't impossible. They are just out of reach until we obtain more knowledge, more training, more understanding. Our path in life is not a jump from here to there, but rather a journey.

Til next time, be strong!
Jonny

Willing, but Unable: Latin Phrase of the Day

gov.lachoneus@protonmail.com (Jonny) — Fri, 22 May 2026 16:04:55 GMT

In this series I have found these phrases quite interesting, and also insightful for human behaviour. This next one is another I think is a perfect example of human thought and action:

volo, non valeo
WAW-loh nohn WAH-lay-oh
I am willing, but unable -- page 302 Amo, Amas, Amat and More

There is a number of Latin words that start with "v," such as: veni, vidi, vici, vale, and now volo. I immediately think back to the scripture from Christ, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). Our will-power and our spirit is often stronger than our bodies have strength to accomplish. However, how often is this a problem in reverse, meaning that our body has strength, but our spirit is weak? How does one strengthen their spirit?

Have you ever had a situation where you were willing or wanting or craving to do something, yet your lack of strength or mental fortitude had stopped you? Sometimes when a person experiences a traumatic experience, they might resolve in their mind to overcome their new weakness! Yet, they find that again and again they fall short of their resolutions.

One of the main themes I find in these old phrases and words, is that the troubles of the human condition has existed for a long time! And I find comfort in that, knowing that we truly aren't alone. Whether through our faith in God or our study of the past, or both, we find strength.

Til next time, valete!
Jonny

Since the Beginning of Time: Latin Phrase of the Day

gov.lachoneus@protonmail.com (Jonny) — Thu, 21 May 2026 15:51:49 GMT

I am happy to have another day of life today, and to write about another Latin phrase. Just a recap, I am pulling these phrases from the book Amo, Amas, Amat and More, by Eugene Ehrlich. Let's dive right in!

ab aeterno
ahb i-TEHR-noh
since the beginning of time

The explanation given by the author is: 'Anything that has existed ab aeterno, literally "from eternity," has no assignable date of origin. This phrase can be used to describe almost any human folly: "Wars have been fought ab aeterno."'

In this phrase we see again the word "ab", meaning "from" or "since" in this case. We'll see that word pop-up more in the future, I suspect. Interestingly, although spoken Latin and Hebrew have some overlap in the timeline, this word "ab" is vastly different. So if you are coming from a Hebraic background, you'll have to change how you think of this word.

Also, I like the Latin spelling of eternity, aeterno. It is plain to see how our word for eternity has descended from this. However, for more etymology, I like to use this site:

https://www.etymonline.com/word/eternity

We see here that our use of the word eternity came to us through French, and then from Latin.

Til next time, valete!
Jonny

What Thoughts Do I Owe?

gov.lachoneus@protonmail.com (Jonny) — Wed, 20 May 2026 17:21:11 GMT

Way way back in the day, like 2000+ years ago, people seemed to crave entertainment, like we do today! And at that time, the poets were a big deal. It may sound strange to our ears. But if you think about it, what is your favorite song that you sing along to? That song is essentially a poem, but it is sung. Poets and poems go way back. The power of the word can make or break someone. Using the right words is inherently vital in all we do.

If you pull up a book about the Latin language you will surely see quotes from an old poet. I want to share a poem today from the poet Horace. This is taken from the book Wheelock's Latin:

Maecenas et Vergilius me hodie vocant. Quid cogitare debeo? Quid debeo respondere? Si erro, me saepe monent et culpant; si non erro, me laudant. Quid hodie cogitare debeo? -- page 7

Here is my own translation, which is very subject to change, as I myself learn more:

Maecanas and Vergilius called on me today. What thoughts do I give? What response do I owe? If I am in error, then give council often and blame me. If I don't error, then praise me. What thoughts do I owe?

I find this poem to be quite reflective of the duty of a person. When your friends call upon you, when they visit you, what do you owe them? Anything? I suppose that a person that strives for moral uprightness, charity, virtue, might feel that they owe great and useful thoughts and ideas to their friends. You might owe to them the truth, and a helping hand. Whereas, if you follow another path in life, you might feel that you owe your friends nothing. What would result if you felt this way? How might they respond if you feel no duty to your friends?

Years ago, I found some of the thoughts and ideas that I owe to others. Long ago, I was performing missionary service for a long stretch of time, meeting many many new people. I found that, very frequently, people had trouble articulating the right words to share what their true meaning and intent was! Their hearts contained one thing, but their words contained yet another, and they clashed! Because of this human foible, it is easy to misread people, or get the wrong idea about what they want to convey. I found that I needed to listen deeper to what these people were saying (or shouting), rather than simply taking their words or actions at face-value. I found that listening actively or deeply is what I owe to others today, and every day.

What thoughts do you owe today?

Til next time amice, valete!
Jonny

The Face is the Mirror of the Soul: Latin Phrase of the Day

gov.lachoneus@protonmail.com (Jonny) — Wed, 20 May 2026 15:12:04 GMT

In these blog posts, I will be basing a lot of this from the book Amo, Amas, Amat and More, which I talked about in the last post. This is filled with lots of phrases and an explanation.

Today's phrase is:

vultus est index animi
WUUL-tuus est IHN-deks AH-nih-mee
the face is the mirror of the soul

From Amo, Amas, Amat and More, this explanation is given: 'Literally "the expression on one's face is a sign of the soul."' I love these old sayings, as they provide much insight, and I would even suggest that they provide spiritual insight, regardless of your belief.

Think about it, your facial expression is mirroring what is in your soul! Jesus teaches a similar thing, that the light of the body is the eye. Alma, in the Book of Mormon teaches another similar thing, about your countenance, how it should reflect that of the Lord's.

I do believe that you can learn much about a person by examining their eyes, and the expression on their face. Although, looks can often be deceiving, yet the eyes do reveal sadness, joy, hope, anxiety, grief, and whatever other emotion a human may experience.

I have found through my time of study, that learning Latin isn't just about learning a language or the roots of many of our words today. It's about learning wisdom from the past. Now, it's not everything from the past that is good and virtuous, but there are many things that seem God-inspired, and ring true in my ears. Latin isn't just about language, it's about spirit, and connecting back to the wisdom of our ancestors (I'm not sure if I have Roman ancestors, maybe, maybe not--but you get the gist).

Til next time, Valete!
Jonny

From the Absurd: Latin Phrase of the Day

gov.lachoneus@protonmail.com (Jonny) — Tue, 19 May 2026 14:52:45 GMT

I would like to start my "Latin Phrase of the Day" blog roll. Today's phrase is:

ab absurdo
ahb ahb-SUUR-doh
from the absurd

Many of these Latin phrases may be something you've heard before, or maybe you heard in some legal talk. But I actually haven't really come across this in the course of life before.

The first word, ab, mean "from," and the second word is very similar to our English word, absurdo, or, absurd.

From the book Amo, Amas, Amat and More, by Eugene Ehrlich, we get this definition of the phrase:

One who argues ab absurdo seeks to establish the validity of his own position by pointing out the absurdity of his opponent's position. While an argument ab absurdo may have the effect of demolishing one's opponent's position in debate, it usually does not of itself prove the validity of one's own position. - p.11 Amo, Amas, Amat and More

The interesting thing to me about this phrase, is that the phrase is not saying that "you" are absurd, rather it suggests that "your argument is coming from the absurd." That seems to be an important distinction. In fact, I think that if I was told this, I may reflect back on what my argument is, and consider whether the source is absurd or not. So I find this to be a statement that may cause reflection, rather than an ad hominem attack.

Til next time, Valete!

Jonny