1001Philosophers

Coluccio Salutati Quotes

Coluccio Salutati was an Italian humanist scholar and statesman, chancellor of Florence from 1375 until his death in 1406, and the foremost civic humanist of the generation between Petrarch and Bruni. From the chancery of the Florentine Republic he conducted the diplomatic correspondence of one of the great Italian powers in elegant classical Latin and used his official position to build a remarkable personal library and to recover neglected ancient manuscripts. The quotes below are attributed to Coluccio Salutati, organized by topic.

Coluccio Salutati on Knowledge

  • Attributed to Coluccio Salutati:

    “Eloquence is the offspring of wisdom united with civic spirit.”

  • Attributed to Coluccio Salutati:

    “To love letters is to love what is most fully human.”

  • Attributed to Coluccio Salutati:

    “What we read shapes who we become.”

Coluccio Salutati on Politics

  • Attributed to Coluccio Salutati:

    “The active life of the citizen is no less noble than the contemplative.”

  • Attributed to Coluccio Salutati:

    “The republic is a school of virtue.”