5 cryptograms to solve with a pencil. Each letter of the quote has been swapped for another letter, and the same swap holds all the way through.
20 pt ciphertext — the size a newspaper puzzle page never gives you. 26 pt ciphertext with wide letter spacing and room to write. Both sizes print on US Letter with the answer key on its own page.
Printing this web page instead? Press Ctrl+P (⌘+P on a Mac). The navigation and buttons drop away, and the answer key prints on its own page — open it below first if you want it included.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Solver's cheat sheet
Most common letters
E T A O I N S H R D L U
Most common 1-letter words
A I
Most common 2-letter words
OF TO IN IT IS BE AS AT SO WE HE BY OR ON DO IF ME MY UP AN GO NO US AM
Most common 3-letter words
THE AND FOR ARE BUT NOT YOU ALL ANY CAN HER WAS ONE OUR OUT DAY GET HAS HIM HIS HOW MAN NEW NOW OLD SEE TWO WAY WHO BOY DID ITS LET PUT SAY SHE TOO USE
Common double letters
LL EE SS OO TT FF RR NN PP CC
Common word endings
-ING -ION -ENT -TION -LY -ED -ER -EST
After an apostrophe
T (don't) S (it's) RE (we're) VE (I've) LL (we'll) D (I'd)
“Some things are hurrying into existence, and others are hurrying out of it; and of that which is coming into existence part is already extinguished.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=J B=V C=T D=C E=M F=H G=B H=F I=D J=N K=W L=U M=O N=R O=X P=Y Q=L R=P S=Q T=S U=Z V=I W=E X=A Y=G Z=K
“One is that things do not touch the soul, for they are external and remain immovable; but our perturbations come only from the opinion which is within.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=S B=Z C=M D=I E=J F=Y G=F H=T I=O J=K K=X L=R M=H N=E O=V P=N Q=G R=A S=D T=B U=L V=C W=Q X=U Y=W Z=P
“It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul; for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgments.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=N B=J C=H D=S E=M F=R G=O H=C I=Q J=G K=A L=D M=Y N=X O=U P=B Q=I R=P S=Z T=K U=V V=F W=E X=T Y=L Z=W
“Remember that this which pulls the strings is the thing which is hidden within: this is the power of persuasion, this is life, this, if one may so say, is man.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=K B=Y C=V D=X E=P F=I G=Z H=G I=W J=B K=J L=A M=O N=M O=H P=N Q=R R=C S=U T=Q U=L V=F W=D X=T Y=S Z=E
“Remember that what pulls the strings is the force hidden within; there lies the power to persuade, there the life, - there, if one must speak out, the real man.”— Marcus Aurelius, 170, Meditations, X. 38 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=W C=B D=X E=R F=E G=M H=T I=Z J=O K=P L=U M=C N=A O=S P=N Q=G R=I S=K T=H U=J V=Y W=Q X=F Y=L Z=V