The Stoics and Epicureans agree philosophy is the way.

Philosophiae servias oportet, ut tibi contingat vera libertas.

It is necessary that you must serve philosophy, so that you may gain true freedom.

Philosophiae: to philosophy

Servias: may you serve, you must serve

Oportet: it is necessary

Ut contingat: so that it may happen

Tibi: to you

Vera libertas: true freedom

Virgil prophesies Carthage’s avenger.

Exoriare aliquis nostris ex ossibus ultor

May someone arise, an avenger, out of our bones

Exoriare: may you arise

Aliquis: someone

Nostris: our (abl. pl.)

Ex ossibus: from (our) bones

Ultor: avenger

Ausonius shows battles won without weapons, or anything else really.

Armatam vidit Venerem Lacedaemone Pallas.

“Nunc certemus,” ait, “iudice vel Paride.”

Cui Venus: “Armatam tu me, temeraria, temnis,

quae, quo te vici tempore, nuda fui?”

Minerva saw Venus armed in Sparta.

“Now let us fight,” she said, “with Paris as judge, even.”

To whom Venus: “reckless are you to scorn me, now I am armed, 

I, who at the time when I last defeated you, was naked?”

Armatam: armed

Vidit: she saw

Venerem: Venus

Lacedaemone: in Sparta

Pallas: Pallas Athene / Minerva

Nunc: now

Certemus: let us compete

Ait: she said

Iudice vel Paride: even with Paris as judge

Cui: to whom

Te: you

Me: me

Temeraria: reckless

Temnis: you scorn

Quae: who, which, that (relative pronoun)

Quo … tempore: at the time when

Te vici: I defeated you

Nuda fui: I was naked

Statius on the power of dignity and justice.

Vade, atra dature supplicia, extremique tamen secure sepulcri.

Go, you who are destined to suffer dark punishments, yet without fear of your final tomb.

Vade: Go!

Atra: black, gloomy

Dature: about to give, suffer

Supplicia: punishments

Extremi sepulcri: of the final tomb

Tamen: yet, nevertheless

Secure: without fear, safely

Lucretius on how to live in the world.

Quod siquis vera vitam ratione gubernet, divitiae grandes homini sunt vivere parce aequo animo; neque enim est umquam penuria parvi.

That if anyone should govern their life with true reason, there are great riches to a man who may live simply with a calm mind; for indeed one lacks not, who has little.

Quod: but, because, that

Siquis: if anyone

Vera: true

Ratione: reason

Vitam: life

Gubernet: should govern

Divitiae grandes: great riches

Homini sunt: are to a man

Vivere parce: to live frugally, simply

Aequo animo: with a calm mind

Neque enim: for indeed not

Est umquam: as ever

Penuria: poverty, lack

Parvi: of little

Ovid drinks to oblivion

Aut nulla ebrietas, aut tanta sit, ut tibi curas eripiat

Either no drunkenness, or let it be so great that it dispels your worries

Aut … aut: either … or

Nulla: no

Ebrietas: drunkenness

Tanta: so great, much

Sit: let it be

Ut: so that

Tibi: for you 

Curas: cares, worries

Eripiat: takes away, dispels

Martial says the rich get richer.

Dantur opes nullis nunc nisi divitibus.

Wealth is now given to no one but the rich.

Dantur: are given

Opes: wealth

Nullis: to no one

Nunc: now

Nisi: except, unless

Divitibus: to the rich

Statius on the fatalism of epic warfare.

Huc mecum ad manes.

Come here, with me, to the spirits of the dead.

Huc: to here

Mecum: with me

Ad: to, toward

Manes: the spirits of the dead

Seneca is circumspect on success.

Non est tuum, fortuna quod fecit tuum.

It is not yours, what Fortune has made yours.

Non est: it is not

Tuum: yours

Fortuna: the goddess of luck

Quod: what

Fecit: made

Tuum: yours

Gellius sets the stage for a morality tale.

"In Circo Maximo," inquit, "venationis amplissimae, pugna populo dabatur."

“In the Circus Maximus,” he said, “a most magnificent hunt and fight was being given to the people.”

In Circo Maximo: in the Circus Maximus

Inquit: he said

Venationis: of a hunt

Amplissimae: most magnificent (superlative agreeing with venationis)

Pugna: fight, combat

Populo: for the people

Dabatur: was being given