Talk:Festina lente

"More Haste, Less Speed" Meaning
Annotating and/or resolving several prior notes: 168.98.67.23 (talk) 19:52, 16 July 2015 (UTC)
 * "More haste, less speed"? It sounds backwards to me. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.186.166.197 (talk) 04:02, 18 August 2011 (UTC)
 * "He thought nothing less becoming in a well-trained leader than haste and rashness, and, accordingly, favourite sayings of his were: "More haste, less speed". He dislikes haste AND wants more of it? Shouldn't the translation read  "More Speed, Less Haste"?  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wiki-kun (talk • contribs) 19:46, 11 July 2014 (UTC)

Both of these notes get at the same point, which is that it sounds backwards. That translation appears to be required by the words used, however. Perhaps that is why the more poetic "make haste slowly" is the more popular translation. In this reading, it is a rebuke to the commander that permits his haste to translate into speed, suggesting instead that even great urgency should be expressed as deliberate action. 168.98.67.23 (talk) 19:52, 16 July 2015 (UTC)

Done Quickly/Done Well
The other point that bears discussion is the rendering of the Suetonius quote. "What is done quickly enough is done well enough" seems to be precisely the opposite of the view expressed by Augustus. Moreover, it is inconsistent with the translation offered on List_of_Latin_phrases_(full), which gives the translation as "That which has been done well has been done quickly enough." This appears to be a far better match for the maxim being discussed. Given the above, and subject to revision by a more authoritative contributor, I have taken the liberty of fixing the translation of this quote to be logically consistent and consistent with the List_of_Latin_phrases_(full) entry. 168.98.67.23 (talk) 19:52, 16 July 2015 (UTC)

Relevance of the Goethe Quote?
So Goethe repeated the saying in one of his poems. Was he the only renowned poet or author who ever referred to it? I don't know the poem, but that dull didactic quote alone doesn't throw any new light on "festina lente". It merely repeats what is already obvious, so why is the quote included in the article? Why is it important to know that Goethe parroted the proverb in one of his poems? If Goethe's translation of the expression is in use in German, what does it have to do with English? 88.114.248.163 (talk) 15:09, 20 August 2012 (UTC)


 * You have a point; but this is still better than the "in popular culture" collections we have in other articles, since it is not just an ephemeral fad, but the expression "Eile mit Weile" has become very widely used in German, to the extent that it merits mention even in the English Wikipedia. &mdash; Sebastian 15:09, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

"flow" ?
referring to a modern concept like the state of "flow" for such a classical adage seems out of context to me. Superhiggs (talk) 13:01, 18 August 2015 (UTC)


 * Thanks for pointing this out; I agree with you. This is clearly misplaced in the section on, as the author doesn't even attempt to explain the meaning. It's apparently just used as a section heading because it sounds nice. If the use in the book were noteworthy, it could fit into the  section, but it seems just a gimmick to me, so I'm removing it. &mdash; Sebastian 15:09, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast
What's the relationship between "festina lente" and "slow is smooth, smooth is fast"? The latter is often attributed to the US Navy Seals but it seems likely to be much older to me. 50.5.47.98 (talk) 18:27, 24 February 2023 (UTC)