Virgil, Aeneid V.231
Melphi speaks
possunt, quia posse videntur.
The priest translates
«they can, because they feel they can.»
And interprets
It is the right time to believe in yourself. This line tells you something simple: confidence is not a detail, it is a concrete force. If you are preparing for an exam, an interview, a project, a sporting challenge, and you have already scored a few small wins, use them as fuel. Those who come from behind succeed because they feel capable, and each success just won feeds the next one. You do not need to fake a certainty you lack: just look at what you have already done. Only take care not to mistake confidence for arrogance: keep training and doing your part, steadily.
The historical translations
Annibal Caro (1581)
Questi il successo inanima e la speme
Di ciò poter; poi ch’altrui par che possano.
Questi il successo inanima e la speme
Di ciò poter; poi ch’altrui par che possano.
Theodore C. Williams (1910)
honor with life itself; the followers too
are flushed with proud success, and feel them strong
because their strength is proven. Both ships now
honor with life itself; the followers too
are flushed with proud success, and feel them strong
because their strength is proven. Both ships now
Source
Publius Vergilius Maro, Aeneis, ed. J. B. Greenough (1900)
Virgil, Aeneid V.231