πείθεται πᾶς ἥδιον ἢ βιάζεται (Dio Cassius, Historiae Romanae 8.36.3) → it's always more pleasant to be persuaded than to be forced
dēlăpĭdo: āre, v. a. *
I To clear from stones: locum, Cato R. R. 46, 1.—*
II To lay with stones, to pave: DELAPIDATA lapide strata, Paul. ex Fest. p. 73, 13 Müll.; cf.: DELAPIDATA, λιθόστρωτα, Gloss.