A garden and a library. You need nothing more.

What it means

Cicero wrote this to his friend Varro, a great scholar with a fine library. Books for the mind and a garden for the body make a full life. Most of what else we chase is extra.

The source

"A garden and a library. You need nothing more." Cicero said it in Letters to Friends 9.4. Translated from the original Latin by Spartan Surfers.

"si hortum in bibliotheca habes, deerit nihil"

Original Latin, Letters to Friends 9.4. Text read at thelatinlibrary.com.

Who said it

Cicero (106–43 BC). Rome's greatest orator and a consul who saved the Republic once and died defending it. He brought Greek philosophy into Latin for everyday Romans.

Questions

What does "A garden and a library. You need nothing more." mean?

Cicero wrote this to his friend Varro, a great scholar with a fine library. Books for the mind and a garden for the body make a full life. Most of what else we chase is extra.

Who said "A garden and a library. You need nothing more."?

Cicero (106–43 BC). Source: Letters to Friends 9.4.

What is the original Latin?

si hortum in bibliotheca habes, deerit nihil. Translated from the original Latin by Spartan Surfers.

Is "A garden and a library. You need nothing more." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"A garden and a library. You need nothing more." (Cicero, Letters to Friends 9.4, translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/a-garden-and-a-library-you-need-nothing