ars longa, vita brevis

Latin

Alternative forms

• vīta brevis, ars longa

Etymology

A Latin translation of the Ancient Greek of a phrase from Hippocrates' Aphorisms, section 1, number 1: “Ὁ βίος βραχύς ἡ δὲ τέχνη μακρά (Ho bíos brakhús hē dè tékhnē makrá)”.

Phrase

ars longa, vīta brevis

1. art is long, life is short