Sapere Aude — Horace | Printable Wall Art

“Sapere Aude”
“Dare to know”

Words by Horace (65-8 BC) — Roman lyric poet.

About this quote

This phrase encourages the reader to exercise their own reason and pursue wisdom courageously. It suggests that acquiring genuine knowledge requires personal effort and bravery, as it often means questioning comfortable assumptions. Immanuel Kant later adopted the phrase as the motto for the Enlightenment, framing it as the courage required to think independently.

First written by the Roman poet Horace in 20 BC, the phrase appears in his First Book of Epistles. It originally formed part of a moral piece of advice about the importance of beginning a worthwhile task promptly.

People often hang this print in a study or home library to inspire independent thought and lifelong learning.

What you get

An instant digital download. Choose your design and size at checkout — 19 typographic designs and 8 print sizes are available for this quote.

• Print-ready PDF with fully embedded vector type — sharp at any scale
• Exact trim size, no cropping required
• Print at home, at a local print shop, or upload to an online printer
• Instant download — no physical item is shipped

Sizes available

5" x 7" · 8" x 10" · 11" x 14" · 12" x 16" · 16" x 20" · 18" x 24" · 24" x 36" · A4 (21 x 29.7 cm)

Designs available

Atelier Serif · Quiet Garamond · Studio Left · Gallery Rule · Midnight Serif · Editorial Left Serif · Modern Sans Calm · Letterpress Caps · Poster Condensed · Script Whisper · Manuscript Italic · Asymmetric Left · Minimal Unsigned · Charcoal Sans · Gallery Frame · Soft Serif Right · Statement Serif · Night Script · Tracked Caps Unsigned

Digital product. Colours may vary slightly between screens and printers. Frames and props are not included.