Non omnes eandem viam sequuntur: alii celeriter currunt, alii tardius ambulant; sed finis bonus est, si quisque bene laborat.

There is no separate word for the because Latin does not have articles like English a/an/the.

So Latin words like viam can mean a road or the road, depending on context. In eandem viam, English naturally says the same road/path, because same in English usually goes with the. Latin does not need to add anything extra.

The same is true elsewhere in the sentence: context tells you how definite the noun is.

Non omnes means not all.

That is the normal Latin way to negate omnes here. The negation applies to the whole idea of all people, so non comes before omnes.

This is an important distinction:

• non omnes = not all
• omnes non would suggest all... not, which is much less natural here and would sound like none of them or all of them do not, a stronger and different idea

So Non omnes eandem viam sequuntur means that people do not all act in the same way, not that nobody does.

Eandem means the same, and it comes from the pronoun-adjective idem, eadem, idem.

Here it must agree with viam, which is:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative

So eandem is the feminine singular accusative form.

This word is somewhat irregular. Its forms are not always what a beginner would guess. In particular:

• masculine accusative singular: eundem
• feminine accusative singular: eandem
• neuter nominative/accusative singular: idem

So eandem viam means the same road/path.

Because viam is the direct object of sequuntur.

The verb sequor takes an object in the accusative, so:

• via = road/path, nominative singular
• viam = road/path, accusative singular

In other words, they are following the same path, so the path is the thing being followed.

Because sequor is a deponent verb.

Deponent verbs use passive-looking forms but have active meanings. So:

• sequor = I follow
• sequeris = you follow
• sequitur = he/she/it follows
• sequuntur = they follow

So although sequuntur has a passive ending, it is translated actively here: they follow.

This is one of the most important things to learn about common Latin verbs like sequor, loquor, hortor, and others.

This repeated pattern means some ... others.

So:

• alii celeriter currunt = some run quickly
• alii tardius ambulant = others walk more slowly

This is a very common Latin way to divide a group into contrasting parts.

Grammatically, alii here is nominative plural and refers to people. Even though the form is masculine plural, Latin often uses the masculine plural for mixed or unspecified groups.

Both are adverbs, but they are in different degrees.

• celeriter = quickly
• tardius = more slowly

Celeriter is a regular adverb in the positive degree.
Tardius is a comparative adverb.

Latin often uses a comparative adverb without stating the second half of the comparison explicitly. Here the contrast itself makes it clear:

• some run quickly
• others walk more slowly

So tardius makes good sense because it is naturally understood in comparison with the runners.

In finis bonus est:

• finis is the subject, nominative singular
• bonus is also nominative singular, agreeing with finis
• est links them

So bonus is a predicate adjective: it describes the subject through est.

This is like:

• puella laeta est = the girl is happy
• finis bonus est = the end/goal is good

As for word order, Latin is much freer than English. Both bonus finis est and finis bonus est are possible. The endings show the grammar, so the order can vary for style, rhythm, or emphasis.

Quisque means each or each person.

It is a distributive word: it treats people one by one, individually. Because of that, it normally takes a singular verb when it refers to each person separately.

So:

• quisque laborat = each person works

That is why the sentence has si quisque bene laborat, not si quisque bene laborant.

Because bene is an adverb, and it modifies the verb laborat.

• bonus = good, an adjective
• bene = well, an adverb

English works the same way:

• a good worker = adjective modifying a noun
• works well = adverb modifying a verb

So bene laborat means works well or does good work.

Because this is a straightforward, general condition.

• si quisque bene laborat = if each person works well

Latin commonly uses si + indicative for real or neutral conditions, especially when stating a general truth or practical principle.

The sentence is not presenting something remote, imaginary, or contrary to fact. It is saying something like a proverb:

• if each person works well, the result is good

So the indicative is exactly what you would expect.

Because the sentence expresses a general truth or habitual pattern, not a one-time event.

The present tense in Latin often works this way, just as in English:

• people do not all follow the same path
• some run, others walk
• the end is good if each person works well

This is sometimes called a gnomic or general present: the speaker is stating something broadly true, almost proverbial.