Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words.

Consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going through the cites of the word in classical literature, discovered the undoubtable source. Lorem Ipsum comes from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of “de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum” (The Extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero, written in 45 BC. This book is a treatise on the theory of ethics, very popular during the Renaissance. The first line of Lorem Ipsum, “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..”, comes from a line in section 1.10.32.

The standard chunk of Lorem Ipsum used since the 1500s is reproduced below for those interested. Sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 from “de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum” by Cicero are also reproduced in their exact original form, accompanied by English versions from the 1914 translation by H. Rackham.

First We Eat and We Do Everything Else

Proin maximus eleifend malesuada. Etiam dapibus neque in auctor ultrices. Nunc at neque quam. Phasellus tincidunt pharetra quam et tincidunt. Quisque sodales venenatis mattis. Suspendisse eu gravida sapien, egestas mollis eros. In eget gravida sapien. Cras orci lectus, consectetur vitae consequat vel, pretium eget ante. Cras laoreet leo quis turpis luctus, sit amet pharetra enim gravida. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Aenean et orci iaculis, bibendum neque vulputate, tincidunt enim. Sed ac metus et enim luctus vulputate et sit amet ante.

Aliquam pellentesque turpis orci, quis ullamcorper nisi feugiat eget. Cras dolor lorem, porta sit amet erat quis, dignissim dapibus ex. Phasellus quis aliquam orci. Morbi pellentesque sed ante sit amet venenatis. Etiam orci neque, gravida eget arcu vitae, maximus commodo mauris. Fusce magna urna, vehicula ut faucibus sit amet, pellentesque eget ante. Cras viverra sed mauris id tempor. Nullam ipsum lacus, maximus et egestas non, tincidunt vel purus.