Latin for Choose

Question

How would you write the following:

“Choose gentleness/kindness” Or even just “choose”, or “make a choice”, said as a directive? Or to say “You have a choice” “One has a choice”?

My thought behind this is to remember that there is always a choice to be made; that we are active agents in this life. I’d prefer something brief and maybe more open-ended. I originally thought to use “optio”. Would that be appropriate?

I’m planning to engrave this on a necklace as a sort of life mantra/ reminder. I might engrave gentleness on the back, if you have a translation suggestion for that as well.

Thanks!

Answer 1

A literal translation would be:

Delige humanitatem.

(One might also say elige. Döderlein's Handbook of Latin Synonyms opines: “Deligere means to choose, in the sense of not remaining undecided in one’s choice; eligere, to choose, in the sense of not taking the first thing that comes.” Make of that what you will …)

I am also partial to saying:

Adhibe humanitatem.

Adhibere is a rather multi-faceted word, but in this case means “use, exercise.” When talking about people, it can also mean “summon, employ.” In my opinion, it does carry the idea of picking something out, consciously choosing something, but, if the idea of choice is important to you, this one does not make it explicit.

About the noun, I went with humanitas. Döderlein again: “Humanitas is a virtue of universal extent, which, like the mental cultivation, proceeding from intelligence, ennobles the whole man in mind and heart, and gives to his nature mildness and philanthropy, as a principle.” Another possibility would be benignitas.