--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These trifles will lead to serious…" description: "\"These trifles will lead to serious mischief. [Lat., Hae nugae seria ducent In mala.]\" — Horace" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/horace-172_mischief_these-trifles-will-lead-to-serious-misch_786069.jpg" --- # These trifles will lead to serious mischief. \[Lat., Hae… ![“These trifles will lead to serious mischief. [Lat., Hae nugae seria ducent In mala.]” quote by Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/horace-172_mischief_these-trifles-will-lead-to-serious-misch_786069.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/horace-172_mischief_these-trifles-will-lead-to-serious-misch_786069.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/horace-172_mischief_these-trifles-will-lead-to-serious-misch_786069.jpg) > “These trifles will lead to serious mischief. \[Lat., Hae nugae seria ducent In mala.\]” [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Trivial matters can snowball into major problems if ignored **In simple terms:** Small issues can become big problems Key Takeaway Pay attention to minor concerns early Themes responsibility consequences attention Mood reflective warning Type ethical practical When to use this quote - personal habits - organizational management - public policy Key Concepts causality preventive wisdom Questions to Reflect On - Which small habit could cause larger harm? - How can we spot early signs of trouble? A Different Perspective Not all trivialities are harmless ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lead Mischief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lead-mischief-6047418/) [Mischief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mischief/) [Mischief Lat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mischief-lat-6047419/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Trifles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trifles/) [Trifles Lead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trifles-lead-6047417/) ## Related quotes > [ Verses devoid of substance, melodious trifles. \[Lat., Versus inopes rerum, nugaeque canorae.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/verses-devoid-of-substance-melodious-trifles-lat-versus-inopes-rerum/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [We are not to look upon our sins as insignificant trifles. On the other hand, we are not to regard them as so terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/we-are-not-to-look-upon-our-sins-as-insignificant-trifles-on-the/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [A trifle is often pregnant with high importance; the prudent man neglects no circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-trifle-is-often-pregnant-with-high-importance-the-prudent-man/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [If Christ has died for me, I cannot trifle with the evil that killed my best Friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-christ-has-died-for-me-i-cannot-trifle-with-the-evil-that-killed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am satisfied to trifle away my time, rather than let it stick by me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/i-am-satisfied-to-trifle-away-my-time-rather-than-let-it-stick-by-me/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [I have been an "Official" all my life, without the least turn for it. I never could attain a true official manner, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-allingham/i-have-been-an-official-all-my-life-without-the-least-turn-for-it-i/) [William Allingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-allingham/) > [Let no one charge me with ever having abused or encouraged weakness or surrendered on matters of principle. But I have said, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/let-no-one-charge-me-with-ever-having-abused-or-encouraged-weakness/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [She went from opera, park, assembly, play, To morning walks, and prayers three hours a day. To part her time 'twixt reading and bohea,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/she-went-from-opera-park-assembly-play-to-morning-walks-and-prayers/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [“Trifles cannot satisfy our longings. Sensual pleasures, power over our fellow man, the acquisition of things, these are babbles, toys, trifles. Our spirits yearn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaughn-heppner/trifles-cannot-satisfy-our-longings-sensual-pleasures-power-over-our/) [Vaughn Heppner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaughn-heppner/) > [ . . . . \[P\]ersons who love very much, easily take offense at trifles. No doubt your excessive affection for me makes you a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/p-ersons-who-love-very-much-easily-take-offense-at-trifles-no-doubt/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [Hatred like love feeds on the merest trifles. Everything adds to it. Just as the being we love can do no wrong, so the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/hatred-like-love-feeds-on-the-merest-trifles-everything-adds-to-it/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [These cardinals trifle with me; I abhor; This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/these-cardinals-trifle-with-me-i-abhor-this-dilatory-sloth-and-tricks/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [To forsake Christ for the world, is to leave a treasure for a trifle, eternity for a moment, reality for a shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jenkyn/to-forsake-christ-for-the-world-is-to-leave-a-treasure-for-a-trifle/) [William Jenkyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jenkyn/) > [It takes little or nothing to undo reputations, the merest trifle makes and remakes them, it is simply a question of finding the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/it-takes-little-or-nothing-to-undo-reputations-the-merest-trifle/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [There is no real elevation of mind in a contempt of little things; it is, on the contrary, from too narrow views that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/there-is-no-real-elevation-of-mind-in-a-contempt-of-little-things-it/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) ## More by Horace > [Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/strange-is-it-not-that-of-the-myriads-who-before-us-passed-the-door/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis. (To action little, less to words inclinded.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/finxerunt-animi-raro-et-perpauca-loquentis-to-action-little-less-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [No verse can give pleasure for long, nor last, that is written by drinkers of water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/no-verse-can-give-pleasure-for-long-nor-last-that-is-written-by/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Fate with impartial hand turns out the doom of high and low; her capacious urn is constantly shaking the names of all mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/fate-with-impartial-hand-turns-out-the-doom-of-high-and-low-her/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [A word, once sent abroad, flies irrevocably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/a-word-once-sent-abroad-flies-irrevocably/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“Natales grate numeras? (Do you count your birthdays with gratitude?)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/natales-grate-numeras-do-you-count-your-birthdays-with-gratitude/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [ In a moment comes either death or joyful victory. \[Lat., Horae Momento cita mors venit aut victoria laeta.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/in-a-moment-comes-either-death-or-joyful-victory-lat-horae-momento/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - It is a sweet and becoming thing to die for ones country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/dulce-et-decorum-est-pro-patria-mori-it-is-a-sweet-and-becoming-thing/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [ Neither men, nor gods, nor booksellers' shelves permit ordinary poets to exist. \[Lat., Mediocribus esse poetis Non homines, non di, non concessere columnae.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/neither-men-nor-gods-nor-booksellers-shelves-permit-ordinary-poets-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Don't yield to that alluring witch, laziness, or else be prepared to surrender all that you have won in your better moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/don-t-yield-to-that-alluring-witch-laziness-or-else-be-prepared-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Avoid inquisitive persons, for they are sure to be gossips, their ears are open to hear, but they will not keep what is entrusted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/avoid-inquisitive-persons-for-they-are-sure-to-be-gossips-their-ears/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“You may drive out Nature with a pitchfork, yet she still will hurry back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/you-may-drive-out-nature-with-a-pitchfork-yet-she-still-will-hurry/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [There is a proper measure in all things, certain limits beyond which and short of which right is not to be found. Who so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/there-is-a-proper-measure-in-all-things-certain-limits-beyond-which/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Never despair while under the guidance and auspices of Teucer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/never-despair-while-under-the-guidance-and-auspices-of-teucer/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Alas, Postumus, the fleeting years slip by, nor will piety give any stay to wrinkles and pressing old age and untamable death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/alas-postumus-the-fleeting-years-slip-by-nor-will-piety-give-any-stay/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) [Explore all 1,000 Horace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) ## More Mischief quotes > [No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/no-man-is-exempt-from-saying-silly-things-the-mischief-is-to-say-them/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [“I never met a pig I didn't like. All pigs are intelligent, emotional, and sensitive souls. They all love company. They all crave contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sy-montgomery/i-never-met-a-pig-i-didn-t-like-all-pigs-are-intelligent-emotional/) [Sy Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sy-montgomery/) > [To smile at the jest which plants a thorn in another's breast is to become a principal in the mischief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/to-smile-at-the-jest-which-plants-a-thorn-in-another-s-breast-is-to/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [Certainty is the mother of repose, and therefore the common law aims at certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yorke-1st-earl-of-hardwicke/certainty-is-the-mother-of-repose-and-therefore-the-common-law-aims/) [Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yorke-1st-earl-of-hardwicke/) > [No one has something original or important to say will willing we run the risk of being misunderstood; people who write obscurely are either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/no-one-has-something-original-or-important-to-say-will-willing-we-run/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [The mischiefs of anarchy have been equaled by the mischiefs of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/the-mischiefs-of-anarchy-have-been-equaled-by-the-mischiefs-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [If the Soul sees, after death , what passes on this earth , and watches over the welfare of those it loves, then must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/if-the-soul-sees-after-death-what-passes-on-this-earth-and-watches/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [“The mischief springs from the power which the monied interest derives from a paper currency which they are able to control, from the multitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-jackson/the-mischief-springs-from-the-power-which-the-monied-interest-derives/) [Andrew Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-jackson/) > [The peril of every fine faculty is the delight of playing with it for pride. Talent is commonly developed at the expense of character,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-peril-of-every-fine-faculty-is-the-delight-of-playing-with-it-for/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A pure Democracy, by which I mean a Society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the Government in person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/a-pure-democracy-by-which-i-mean-a-society-consisting-of-a-small/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [That men, in reality, did not have friends in other men. That the fellowship of men, despite its joyous banter, old memories of exaggerated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manu-joseph/that-men-in-reality-did-not-have-friends-in-other-men-that-the/) [Manu Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manu-joseph/) > [You ought to love all mankind; nay, every individual of mankind. You ought not to love the individuals of your domestic circles less, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/you-ought-to-love-all-mankind-nay-every-individual-of-mankind-you/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [... so large a portion of those who hold much capital, instead of using their various advantages for the greatest good of those around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catharine-beecher/so-large-a-portion-of-those-who-hold-much-capital-instead-of-using/) [Catharine Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catharine-beecher/) > [Without religion, I believe that learning does real mischief to the morals and principles of mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-rush/without-religion-i-believe-that-learning-does-real-mischief-to-the/) [Benjamin Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-rush/) > [It's Latin, which is an excellent language for mischief-making, which is why governments are so fond of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/it-s-latin-which-is-an-excellent-language-for-mischief-making-which/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) [Browse all 383 Mischief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mischief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "These trifles will lead to serious mischief. 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