Quotes by Greek Authors | Beyond Motive 13/32

top of page

Quotes by Greek Authors

"No one loves the man whom he fears."

"No one loves the man whom he fears."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Relationship, Man

4

"A man without regrets cannot be cured."

"A man without regrets cannot be cured."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Regret, Man, Life, Healing, Forgiveness

4

"The sun is new each day."

"The sun is new each day."

Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher

Renewal, Day, Sun

4

"Practice is everything. This is often misquoted as Practice makes perfect."

"Practice is everything. This is often misquoted as Practice makes perfect."

Periander, Greek Tyrant

4

"Whoever gets up and comes to grips with Love like a boxer is a fool."

"Whoever gets up and comes to grips with Love like a boxer is a fool."

Sophocles, Greek Poet

4

"One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try."

"One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Learning, Action, Knowledge, Practice

4

"No man is free who is not master of himself."

"No man is free who is not master of himself."

Epictetus, Greek Philosopher

4

"Work is no disgrace: it is idleness which is a disgrace."

"Work is no disgrace: it is idleness which is a disgrace."

Hesiod, Greek Poet

Work, Disgrace, Idleness

4

"Every king springs from a race of slaves, and every slave had kings among his ancestors."

"Every king springs from a race of slaves, and every slave had kings among his ancestors."

Plato, Greek Philosopher

Legacy, History, Slavery, Royalty, Ancestry

4

"For to fear death, men, is in fact nothing other than to seem to be wise, but not to be so. For it is to seem to know what one does not know: no one knows whether death does not even happen to be the greatest of all goods for the human being; but people fear it as though they knew well that it is the greatest of evils."

"For to fear death, men, is in fact nothing other than to seem to be wise, but not to be so. For it is to seem to know what one does not know: no one knows whether death does not even happen to be the greatest of all goods for the human being; but people fear it as though they knew well that it is the greatest of evils."

Plato, Greek Philosopher

Philosophy, Fear, Death, Wisdom, Knowledge

4

"The sword the body wounds, sharp words the mind."

"The sword the body wounds, sharp words the mind."

Menander, Greek Poet

Body, Mind, Words, Wounds

3

"He is a man of courage who does not run away, but remains at his post and fights against the enemy."

"He is a man of courage who does not run away, but remains at his post and fights against the enemy."

Socrates, Greek Philosopher

Courage, Enemy, Man, Post

3

"Do not measure your loss by itself; if you do, it will seem intolerable; but if you will take all human affairs into account you will find that some comfort is to be derived from them."

"Do not measure your loss by itself; if you do, it will seem intolerable; but if you will take all human affairs into account you will find that some comfort is to be derived from them."

Saint Basil, Greek Saint

Comfort, Loss, Measure, Will

3

"Science is nothing but perception."

"Science is nothing but perception."

Plato, Greek Philosopher

Wisdom, Science, Perception, Nothing

3

"A man's character is his fate."

"A man's character is his fate."

Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher

Character, Fate, Man

3

"As the builders say, the larger stones do not lie well without the lesser."

"As the builders say, the larger stones do not lie well without the lesser."

Plato, Greek Philosopher

3

"In soft regions are born soft men."

"In soft regions are born soft men."

Herodotus, Greek Historian

3

"The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it."

"The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it."

Epicurus, Greek Philosopher

Achievement, Difficulty, Glory

3

"Men would live exceedingly quiet if these two words, mine and thine, were taken away."

"Men would live exceedingly quiet if these two words, mine and thine, were taken away."

Anaxagoras, Greek Philosopher

Man, Men, Quiet, Words

3

"There is an ancient saying among men that you cannot thoroughly understand the life of mortals before the man has died, then only can you call it good or bad."

"There is an ancient saying among men that you cannot thoroughly understand the life of mortals before the man has died, then only can you call it good or bad."

Sophocles, Greek Poet

Life, Men, Man, Saying

3

"Memory is the mother of all wisdom."

"Memory is the mother of all wisdom."

Aeschylus, Greek Poet

Wisdom, Mother, Memory

3

"There is only one theology, but there are many theologians."

"There is only one theology, but there are many theologians."

Athenagoras I, Greek Clergyman

3

"Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little."

"Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little."

Plutarch, Greek Philosopher

Persistence, Perseverance, Violence, Yield

3

"There is the sky, which is all men's together."

"There is the sky, which is all men's together."

Euripides, Greek Poet

3

"People who decide they came to earth to work, who make work their personal philosophy, are kept very busy."

"People who decide they came to earth to work, who make work their personal philosophy, are kept very busy."

Constantine Karamanlis, Greek Leader

Work, People, Earth, Philosophy

3

"Silence is true wisdom's best reply."

"Silence is true wisdom's best reply."

Euripides, Greek Poet

Wisdom, Silence

3

"Life is full of chances and changes and the most prosperous of men may ... meet with great misfortunes."

"Life is full of chances and changes and the most prosperous of men may ... meet with great misfortunes."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Fortune, Life, Chance, Change

3

"It is not living that matters, but living rightly."

"It is not living that matters, but living rightly."

Socrates, Greek Philosopher

3

"The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance."

"The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance."

Herodotus, Greek Historian

Knowledge, Evil, Ignorance

3

"Young people are in a condition like permanent intoxication, because life is sweet and they are growing."

"Young people are in a condition like permanent intoxication, because life is sweet and they are growing."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Youth, Life, Growth, Energy

3

"The matter is as it is in all other cases: if it is naturally in you to be a good orator, a notable orator you will be when you have acquired knowledge and practice."

"The matter is as it is in all other cases: if it is naturally in you to be a good orator, a notable orator you will be when you have acquired knowledge and practice."

Plato, Greek Philosopher

Rhetoric, Skill, Nature, Knowledge, Practice

3

"Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant."

"Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant."

Epictetus, Greek Philosopher

Education, Wealth, Sons

3

"At the beginning of the cask and the end take thy fill but be saving in the middle; for at the bottom the savings comes too late."

"At the beginning of the cask and the end take thy fill but be saving in the middle; for at the bottom the savings comes too late."

Hesiod, Greek Poet

3

"A human being is only breath and shadow."

"A human being is only breath and shadow."

Sophocles, Greek Poet

3

"The omission of good is no less reprehensible than the commission of evil."

"The omission of good is no less reprehensible than the commission of evil."

Plutarch, Greek Philosopher

3

"Rhetoric may be defined as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion. This is not a function of any other art."

"Rhetoric may be defined as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion. This is not a function of any other art."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Rhetoric, Persuasion, Observation, Speech

3

"It is terrible to speak well and be wrong."

"It is terrible to speak well and be wrong."

Sophocles, Greek Poet

3

"Never make a companion equal to a brother."

"Never make a companion equal to a brother."

Hesiod, Greek Poet

Family, Brother

3

"I am what libraries and librarians have made me, with little assistance from a professor of Greek and poets."

"I am what libraries and librarians have made me, with little assistance from a professor of Greek and poets."

Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher

Literature, Libraries, Poets

3

"There were wonderful moments when I was singing for the first time in the Olympia Theatre and I was pregnant with my son, which was very, very strange for a singer."

"There were wonderful moments when I was singing for the first time in the Olympia Theatre and I was pregnant with my son, which was very, very strange for a singer."

Nana Mouskouri, Greek Musician

Time, Son, First, Moments

3

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."

Epicurus, Greek Philosopher

3

"Death is easier than a wretched life; and better never to have born than to live and fare badly."

"Death is easier than a wretched life; and better never to have born than to live and fare badly."

Aeschylus, Greek Poet

3

"Whom the gods love dies young."

"Whom the gods love dies young."

Menander, Greek Poet

3

"If God listened to the prayers of men, all men would quickly have perished: for they are forever praying for evil against one another."

"If God listened to the prayers of men, all men would quickly have perished: for they are forever praying for evil against one another."

Epicurus, Greek Philosopher

Man, Men, God, Evil

3

"The true test of a leader is whether his followers will adhere to his cause from their own volition, enduring the most arduous hardships without being forced to do so, and remaining steadfast in the moments of greatest peril."

"The true test of a leader is whether his followers will adhere to his cause from their own volition, enduring the most arduous hardships without being forced to do so, and remaining steadfast in the moments of greatest peril."

Xenophon, Greek Soldier

Leadership, Leader, Being, Cause, Followers

3

"Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for."

"Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for."

Socrates, Greek Philosopher

Learning, Time, Men, Gain

3

"Ordinary people seem not to realize that those who really apply themselves in the right way to philosophy are directly and of their own accord preparing themselves for dying and death."

"Ordinary people seem not to realize that those who really apply themselves in the right way to philosophy are directly and of their own accord preparing themselves for dying and death."

Socrates, Greek Philosopher

Education, Death, People, Dying, Philosophy

3

"It is better to destroy one's own errors than those of others."

"It is better to destroy one's own errors than those of others."

Democritus, Greek Philosopher

3

"Nothing endures but change."

"Nothing endures but change."

Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher

Change, Nothing

3

"Modesty is the color of virtue."

"Modesty is the color of virtue."

Diogenes of Sinope, Greek Philosopher

Virtue, Modesty

3

bottom of page