Who said "I see the better path and approve it. I follow the worse."?

Ovid (43 BC–17 AD). Source: Metamorphoses 7.20-21.

What is the original Latin?

video meliora proboque, ... deteriora sequor. Translated from the original Latin by Spartan Surfers.

video meliora proboque, ... deteriora sequor

I see the better path and approve it. I follow the worse.

Ovid, Metamorphoses 7.20-21

What it means

Medea admits she knows what is right and is pulled the other way by desire. Knowing is not the same as doing. Build habits that carry you when willpower slips.

The source

"I see the better path and approve it. I follow the worse." Ovid said it in Metamorphoses 7.20-21. Translated from the original Latin by Spartan Surfers.

"video meliora proboque, ... deteriora sequor"

Original Latin, Metamorphoses 7.20-21. Text read at thelatinlibrary.com.

Who said it

Ovid (43 BC–17 AD). Poet of the Metamorphoses and the Art of Love, exiled by Augustus to the Black Sea. He wrote about change because he lived through plenty of it.

Questions

What does "I see the better path and approve it. I follow the worse." mean?: Medea admits she knows what is right and is pulled the other way by desire. Knowing is not the same as doing. Build habits that carry you when willpower slips.
Who said "I see the better path and approve it. I follow the worse."?: Ovid (43 BC–17 AD). Source: Metamorphoses 7.20-21.
What is the original Latin?: video meliora proboque, ... deteriora sequor. Translated from the original Latin by Spartan Surfers.
Is "I see the better path and approve it. I follow the worse." on a shirt?: Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

Cite this line

"I see the better path and approve it. I follow the worse." (Ovid, Metamorphoses 7.20-21, translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/i-see-the-better-path-and-approve-it