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)
“No man will hinder thee from living according to the reason of thy own nature: nothing will happen to thee contrary to the reason of the universal nature.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=G B=L C=F D=C E=S F=M G=R H=P I=K J=V K=U L=Z M=E N=O O=B P=Y Q=W R=N S=A T=Q U=I V=T W=J X=D Y=X Z=H
“Take away then, when thou choosest, thy opinion, and like a mariner who has doubled the promontory, thou wilt find calm, everything stable, and a waveless bay.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=S B=L C=D D=B E=W F=Q G=Z H=K I=O J=V K=R L=A M=X N=G O=P P=M Q=U R=N S=T T=Y U=E V=H W=F X=C Y=J Z=I
“Remember too on every occasion which leads thee to vexation to apply this principle; not that this is a misfortune, but that to bear it nobly is good fortune.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=I B=D C=Y D=K E=S F=J G=C H=O I=R J=Q K=Z L=T M=N N=F O=U P=B Q=P R=G S=W T=V U=E V=M W=A X=L Y=H Z=X
“Every part of me then will be reduced by change into some part of the universe, and that again will change into another part of the universe, and so on forever.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=S B=L C=O D=R E=D F=U G=K H=G I=M J=P K=Z L=Q M=V N=X O=C P=A Q=H R=E S=W T=Y U=B V=T W=J X=N Y=F Z=I
“The things however which are proper to the understanding no other man is used to impede, for neither fire, nor iron, nor tyrant, nor abuse, touches it in any way.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=K B=S C=Z D=I E=Q F=R G=W H=C I=F J=L K=V L=B M=H N=Y O=M P=U Q=N R=J S=D T=E U=P V=T W=X X=O Y=G Z=A