Valerius Maximus was of the Valerian family on his father's side and from the Fabius Maximus family on his mother's side, and he lived during the time of Tiberius. We do not know anything particular about his life.

The only known fact is that he served in Asia under Sextus Pompeius, who was consul in the year of Augustus's death and who enjoyed honors from his successor. When he returned to Rome, Valerius Maximus dedicated himself to the study of history, which he viewed particularly through the lens of morality.

The only work that exists by him is the "Memorable Deeds and Sayings," which he dedicated to Tiberius through a letter that is a web of weak flatteries. He received harsh criticisms.

This book is highly ethnographic and serves as an anthology of the daily life of the Romans at all levels, examining closely their character and flaws. Above all, it praises and extols their virtues as a chosen people, often contrasting the lives of foreigners, becoming quite scathing against the Greeks, whom he sometimes praises and other times denigrates, attempting to belittle them and raise the Roman virtue in contrast.