"Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"
— Juvenal
January 1, 1970
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Added on April 10, 2026
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People from Lazio
Poets from Rome
Satirists from Rome
Latin authors
Original Language: English
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The original context is that a husband might lock his wife in the house to prevent her adulteries, but she is cunning and will start with the guards; hence, who guards the guards? The phrase has come to be applied broadly to people or organisations acting against dishonesty or corruption, esp. in public life. See Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? at Wikipedia.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Juvenal
The original context is that a husband might lock his wife in the house to prevent her adulteries, but she is cunning and will start with the guards; hence, who guards the guards? The phrase has come to be applied broadly to people or organisations acting against dishonesty or corruption, esp. in public life. See Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? at Wikipedia.