True intelligence is prepared for every possible event.
- So “nothing surprises me” (Nil admirari).
Nihil admirari (Latin: Nihil admirari), or nil admirari (Latin: Nil admirari), is a Latin phrase meaning “not to be surprised by anything” or “to be unfazed by anything.
Origin Marcus Tullius Cicero cites the example of Anaxagoras, as true intelligence means being prepared for every possible event and not being surprised by anything. Anaxagoras, when informed of his son’s death, is said to have responded, “I knew that I had been given a mortal (Sciebam me genuisse mortalem).” Horatius and Lucius Annaeus Seneca. (Minor Seneca) mention similar instances and praise the ethical toughness of such an attitude.
relevance - Minimum Surprise Principle - Most cases are expected and not surprising.
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