# everyone sees what they want to see



## gred

Thanks to everyone in the forum for their assistance, and for their patience with those of us with no formal studies of latin.

I am looking for the way Virgil would have expressed "everyone sees what they want to see, everyone believes what they want to believe."

I take it the verb for see would be animadverto and that for believe would be puto, but will appreciate all the help I can get.


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## XaLeX

My try: "_Quisque animadvertit quod animadvertere vult et putat quod putare vult"_


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## gred

Thanks - that sounds good to me - anyone else confirm this or have another suggestion?


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## Flaminius

Hello *gred*,

A generation before Vergilius, Julius Caesar is believed to have observed, "homines libenter quod volunt credunt" or humans eagerly believe what they want to.


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## gred

Thanks so much Flaminius - that is what I was really hoping for, an ancient quote with the same idea as everyone sees/believes what they want.


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## gred

That quote was indeed said by Caesar as Flaminius observed, but I found that supposedly Caesar borrowed it from Terentius.  Anyone have an idea in what play/work this is located?


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## loco44

I think Terentius wrote:
_... quod possunt homines evadere nolunt, quod non possunt evadere volunt. ...
_


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## gred

Thanks loco44, but could you provide that in English as well?  Any idea what that quote was contained in?


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## loco44

...Men (people) don't want what they can achieve, (but) they want what they can't achieve/reach...

Different from:
_Quod fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt = _Men willingly believe that which they wish to (People gladly believe what they wish to be true, even if it isn't) 
Julius Caesar - De bello gallico, Liber III, Cap.18


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