Princeps dicit se patriam magis amare quam gloriam suam.

Because this is an indirect statement after dicit (says).

In Latin, after verbs like dicit, putat, scit, audit, and so on, the reported statement is often expressed with:

• accusative subject
  • infinitive verb

So:

• se ... amare = that he loves ...

Here se is the reflexive accusative pronoun, referring back to the subject of dicit, namely princeps.

So the sense is:

• Princeps dicit se ... amare = The leader says that he loves ...

If Latin used eum, that would usually mean that he loves where he refers to someone else, not back to princeps.

Because it is part of the indirect statement construction.

After dicit, Latin does not usually say that he loves with a separate word for that. Instead, it uses:

• se = the subject of the reported statement, in the accusative
• amare = the verb of the reported statement, in the infinitive

So:

• dicit se amare literally looks like says himself to love
• but in natural English it means says that he loves

This is one of the most important Latin constructions to learn.

Because they are the direct objects of amare (to love).

The verb amo, amare takes an accusative object:

• patriam amare = to love one’s country
• gloriam amare = to love glory

So both nouns are accusative singular:

• patriam from patria
• gloriam from gloria

Magis ... quam means more ... than.

So:

• magis amare quam = to love more than

In this sentence:

• patriam magis amare quam gloriam suam

means:

• to love his country more than his own glory

It is the normal Latin way to make a comparison with an adverb like more.

Because suus, -a, -um is a reflexive possessive adjective. It refers back to the subject of the clause it belongs to.

Here suam goes with gloriam and refers back to se, the subject of amare in the indirect statement.

So:

• gloriam suam = his own glory

Latin prefers suus when the possession belongs to the subject of that clause.

By contrast:

• eius gloria = his/her glory of some other person

So suam is correct because the glory belongs to the same person who is doing the loving.

Grammatically, it refers to the subject of the clause it is in.

Inside the indirect statement, the subject is se:

• se patriam magis amare quam gloriam suam

So suam refers to se.

But since se itself refers back to princeps, the meaning is still:

• the leader says that he loves his country more than his own glory

This is a useful point: in indirect statement, the reflexive often works inside the subordinate clause, even though in meaning it points back to the main subject through se.

Because Latin often does not use a separate word like English that in this kind of sentence.

English says:

• The leader says that he loves...

Latin usually says:

• Princeps dicit se ... amare

This is the accusative-and-infinitive construction, often abbreviated as ACI.

So the idea of that is built into the structure itself, not expressed by a separate word.

Princeps literally means first man, leader, chief, or ruler, depending on context.

It is a third-declension noun:

• nominative singular: princeps
• genitive singular: principis

In this sentence, it is the subject of dicit:

• Princeps dicit = The leader says

Depending on context, a translator might choose leader, chief, ruler, or even emperor, but grammatically it is simply the nominative subject.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English because Latin uses case endings to show grammatical function.

In English, position matters a lot:

• The leader says that he loves his country more than his glory

In Latin, endings show who is doing what:

• Princeps = subject of dicit
• se = subject of the infinitive amare
• patriam and gloriam = objects of amare

So Latin can place words in an order that emphasizes meaning or style rather than strict grammatical necessity.

Here the order is quite natural:

• Princeps dicit = opening statement
• se = subject of the reported statement
• patriam = first thing he loves
• magis ... quam = comparison
• gloriam suam = the thing loved less

No. Here quam introduces the second part of the comparison, and gloriam suam is clearly another object of amare.

So the structure is:

• patriam magis amare quam gloriam suam

That means:

• to love country more than glory

Latin often leaves out repeated words when they are easily understood. The verb amare is understood with both objects:

• patriam magis amare quam gloriam suam
• literally: to love country more than [to love] his glory

So gloriam suam is not a subject; it is the second thing being compared as an object of love.

Often it means more than just land on a map.

Patria can mean:

• fatherland
• native country
• homeland

For Romans especially, it often had a strong emotional and political sense: one’s country, civic community, or native state.

So in a sentence like this, patriam can carry a noble or patriotic tone.

Because magis is an adverb, and adverbs normally modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

Here it goes with amare:

• magis amare = to love more

It is not describing patriam or gloriam. Instead, it tells us the degree of the loving.

So the comparison is about how much he loves each thing:

• he loves his country more
• than his own glory

Yes. A very important one.

When the subject of the reported statement is the same as the subject of the main verb, Latin often uses:

• se for himself/herself/themselves
• suus, sua, suum for his/her/their own

So after dicit:

• se venire = that he is coming
• se filium suum laudare = that he praises his own son

In your sentence:

• se ... gloriam suam ... = that he ... his own glory ...

This is a standard reflexive pattern and very common in Latin prose.