Our mind sometimes acts | Our mind sometimes acts, sometimes is acted upon instead

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by Baruch (Benedictus) de Spinoza (1632 - 1677)

Translation © by Grant Hicks

Mens nostra quaedam agit...

Language: Latin

Our translations: ENG

Chosen for Diff

Mens nostra quaedam agit, quaedam vero patitur 
nempe quatenus adaequatas habet ideas eatenus quaedam necessario agit 
et quatenus ideas habet inadaequatas eatenus necessario quaedam patitur.

Text Authorship:

by Baruch (Benedictus) de Spinoza (1632 - 1677), appears in Ethica, ordine geometrico demonstrata [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Michael Zev Gordon (b. 1963), "Mens nostra quaedam agit... ", 2020, first performed 2020 [ tenor and piano ], from Baruch - Ten Propositions of Baruch Spinoza, no. 3, confirmed with a concert programme booklet [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "Our mind sometimes acts", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2020-10-13
Line count: 3
Word count: 25

Our mind sometimes acts

Language: English after the Latin

Chosen for Diff

Our mind sometimes acts, sometimes is acted upon instead:
indeed, to the extent that it has adequate ideas, it of necessity acts;
and to the extent that it has inadequate ideas, it is of necessity acted upon.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Latin to English copyright © 2025 by Grant Hicks, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Latin by Baruch (Benedictus) de Spinoza (1632 - 1677), appears in Ethica, ordine geometrico demonstrata
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-07-01
Line count: 3
Word count: 37