"Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc."
The motto of the fictional Addams Family, this phrase means, "We gladly feast on those who would subdue us." Also perfect for use in any conversation where you're eager to terrify someone else.
"De omnibus dubitandum."
Do you think the truth is out there? Do you think there are government secrets that threaten our very existence? If so, this phrase, which means "Be suspicious of everything," should be a welcome addition to your lexicon.
"Ars longa, vita brevis."
There's a reason we still admire the paintings and sculptures of long-dead masters, and luckily, one of the easiest-to-master Latin phrases just about sums it up: "Art is long, life is short."
"Mea navis aëricumbens anguillis abundant."
Of course, not all Latin phrases are useful—some are just funny. This one, in particular—a translation of a humorous saying from Monty Python's "Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook" sketch, simply means, "My hovercraft is full of eels."
ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς
Rhododáktylos Ēōs
"Rosy-fingered Dawn."
This phrase occurs frequently in the Homeric poems referring to Eos, the Titanic goddess of the dawn. Eos opened the gates of heaven so that Helios could ride his chariot across the sky every day.
σπεῦδε βραδέως
Speûde bradéōs.
"Hasten slowly" (cf. Latin festina lente), "less haste, more speed".
According to Suetonius the phrase "σπεῦδε βραδέως, ἀσφαλὴς γάρ ἐστ᾽ ἀμείνων ἢ θρασὺς στρατηλάτης" was a favorite of Augustus as he often quoted it.
τί καινὸν εἴη τεθεαμένος; Γέροντα τύραννον.
Tí kainòn eiē tetheaménos? Géronta týrannon.
"What is the strangest thing to see? "An aged tyrant." — Thales[35]
τὸ δὶς ἐξαμαρτεῖν οὐκ ἀνδρὸς σοφοῦ.
Tò dìs examarteîn ouk andròs sophoû.
"To commit the same sin twice [is] not [a sign] of a wise man."
τὸ πεπρωμένον φυγεῖν ἀδύνατον.
Tò peprōménon phygeîn adýnaton.
"It's impossible to escape from what is destined."
Apparently coined by the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder, a brutum fulmen is a harmless or empty threat. It literally means "senseless thunderbolt."