Quotes by Greek Authors | Beyond Motive 7/40

top of page

Quotes by Greek Authors

"The foundation of every state is the education of its youth."

"The foundation of every state is the education of its youth."

Diogenes, Greek Philosopher

Education, State, Youth

51

"Self-conceit may lead to self destruction."

"Self-conceit may lead to self destruction."

Aesop, Greek Author

Destruction, May, Self

51

"Everything in this world has a hidden meaning."

"Everything in this world has a hidden meaning."

Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek Writer

51

"It is greed to do all the talking but not to want to listen at all."

"It is greed to do all the talking but not to want to listen at all."

Democritus, Greek Philosopher

Government, Greed, Talking, Want

51

"Soft men tend to be born from soft countries."

"Soft men tend to be born from soft countries."

Herodotus, Greek Historian

Man, Men, Countries

51

"It is better for you to be free of fear lying upon a pallet, than to have a golden couch and a rich table and be full of trouble."

"It is better for you to be free of fear lying upon a pallet, than to have a golden couch and a rich table and be full of trouble."

Epicurus, Greek Philosopher

Fear, Lying, Trouble

51

"Adventure is worthwhile."

"Adventure is worthwhile."

Aesop, Greek Author

51

"Mortal fate is hard. You'd best get used to it."

"Mortal fate is hard. You'd best get used to it."

Euripides, Greek Poet

Life, Fate, Acceptance, Endurance

51

"Most men are within a finger's breadth of being mad."

"Most men are within a finger's breadth of being mad."

Diogenes, Greek Philosopher

Man, Men, Being

51

"Happiness is brief It will not stay. God batters at its sails."

"Happiness is brief It will not stay. God batters at its sails."

Euripides, Greek Poet

Happiness, Life, God, Spiritual

51

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Success, Art, Habit, Virtue, Act

51

"Art not only imitates nature but also completes its deficiencies."

"Art not only imitates nature but also completes its deficiencies."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Art, Nature, Imitation, Beauty

51

"What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality."

"What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality."

Plutarch, Greek Philosopher

Change, Reality, Will

51

"Change in all things is sweet."

"Change in all things is sweet."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

51

"Marriage, if one will face the truth, is an evil, but a necessary evil."

"Marriage, if one will face the truth, is an evil, but a necessary evil."

Menander, Greek Poet

Marriage, Truth, Evil, Will

51

"Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well."

"Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Education, Art, Life, Children, Living

51

"Why? Will no man ever do something without a why? Just like that? For the hell of it?"

"Why? Will no man ever do something without a why? Just like that? For the hell of it?"

Michael Cacoyannis, Greek Filmmaker

Hell, Man, Will

50

"All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire."

"All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Determination, Nature, Habit, Actions, Chance

50

"Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil."

"Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil."

Plato, Greek Philosopher

Ignorance, Evil

50

"A tomb now suffices him for whom the whole world was not sufficient."

"A tomb now suffices him for whom the whole world was not sufficient."

Alexander the Great, Greek Leader

Wisdom, Now, World

50

"The divine law indeed has excluded women from this ministry, but they endeavour to thrust themselves into it; and since they can effect nothing of themselves, they do all through the agency of others."

"The divine law indeed has excluded women from this ministry, but they endeavour to thrust themselves into it; and since they can effect nothing of themselves, they do all through the agency of others."

John Chrysostom, Greek Clergyman

Woman, Women, Effect, Law, Nothing

50

"The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."

"The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."

Plato, Greek Philosopher

Politics, Apathy, Evil, Responsibility

50

"To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future."

"To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future."

Plutarch, Greek Philosopher

Power, Wisdom, Errors, Future

50

"Democracy arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim to be absolutely equal."

"Democracy arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim to be absolutely equal."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Democracy, Men, Respect

50

"Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow."

"Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow."

Aesop, Greek Author

Illusion, Shadow

50

"We understand and recognize what is good, but we do not labor to bring it to fulfillment, some of us out of laziness, some because we put something else, some pleasure, before virtue--and there are many pleasures in life, long conversations and indolence-that pleasing vice.."

"We understand and recognize what is good, but we do not labor to bring it to fulfillment, some of us out of laziness, some because we put something else, some pleasure, before virtue--and there are many pleasures in life, long conversations and indolence-that pleasing vice.."

Euripides, Greek Poet

Ethics, Virtue, Pleasure, Morality

50

"Stronger than lover's love is lover's hate. Incurable, in each, the wounds they make."

"Stronger than lover's love is lover's hate. Incurable, in each, the wounds they make."

Euripides, Greek Poet

Relationship, Love, Hate, Intensity, Emotion

50

"Do not grieve so much for a husband lost that it wastes away your life."

"Do not grieve so much for a husband lost that it wastes away your life."

Euripides, Greek Poet

Emotion, Grief, Loss, Life

50

"I grew up thinking that singing was my security."

"I grew up thinking that singing was my security."

Nana Mouskouri, Greek Musician

Security, Singing, Thinking

50

"Whoever is going to listen to the philosophers needs a considerable practice in listening."

"Whoever is going to listen to the philosophers needs a considerable practice in listening."

Epictetus, Greek Philosopher

Philosophy, Listening, Practice, Observation

50

"Our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy."

"Our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy."

Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher

Happiness, Envy

50

"Chance fights ever on the side of the prudent."

"Chance fights ever on the side of the prudent."

Euripides, Greek Poet

50

"Well begun is half done."

"Well begun is half done."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Action, Work, Completion, Effort, Success

50

"That man is happiest who lives from day to day and asks no more garnering the simple goodness of life."

"That man is happiest who lives from day to day and asks no more garnering the simple goodness of life."

Euripides, Greek Poet

Life, Happiness, Gratitude, Simplicity, Contentment

50

"There can be no fairer spectacle than that of a man, who combines the possession of moral beauty in his soul with outward beauty of form, corresponding and harmonizing with the former, because the same great pattern enters both."

"There can be no fairer spectacle than that of a man, who combines the possession of moral beauty in his soul with outward beauty of form, corresponding and harmonizing with the former, because the same great pattern enters both."

Plato, Greek Philosopher

Virtue, Man, Soul, Beauty, Harmony

50

"If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it."

"If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it."

Epictetus, Greek Philosopher

Attitude, Lie, Evil

50

"Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin."

"Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin."

Aesop, Greek Author

Prevention, Evil, Ruin, Will

49

"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

49

"Potter is jealous of potter, and craftsman of craftsman; and the poor have a grudge against the poor, and the poet against the poet."

"Potter is jealous of potter, and craftsman of craftsman; and the poor have a grudge against the poor, and the poet against the poet."

Hesiod, Greek Poet

49

"Acquisition means life to miserable mortals."

"Acquisition means life to miserable mortals."

Hesiod, Greek Poet

49

"We should look to the mind, and not to the outward appearance."

"We should look to the mind, and not to the outward appearance."

Aesop, Greek Author

Character, Appearance, Mind

49

"Observe your enemies, for they first find out your faults."

"Observe your enemies, for they first find out your faults."

Antisthenes, Greek Philosopher

Enemy, Enemies, Faults, First

49

"A few vices are sufficient to darken many virtues."

"A few vices are sufficient to darken many virtues."

Plutarch, Greek Philosopher

Persistence, Vices

49

"The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise."

"The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise."

Socrates, Greek Philosopher

Society, Behavior, Children, Observation

49

"Get not your friends by bare compliments, but by giving them sensible tokens of your love."

"Get not your friends by bare compliments, but by giving them sensible tokens of your love."

Socrates, Greek Philosopher

Friendship, Love, Generosity, Truth

49

"Let each man exercise the art he knows."

"Let each man exercise the art he knows."

Aristophanes, Greek Poet

Art, Exercise, Man

49

"Slander is worse than cannibalism."

"Slander is worse than cannibalism."

John Chrysostom, Greek Clergyman

Cannibalism, Slander

49

"Every time I would open my mouth to sing, everybody was paying attention to me. It became a habit."

"Every time I would open my mouth to sing, everybody was paying attention to me. It became a habit."

Nana Mouskouri, Greek Musician

Time, Habit, Attention, Open

49

"It is this simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing popular audiences-makes them, as the poets tell us, 'charm the crowd's ears more finely.' Educated men lay down broad general principles; uneducated men argue from common knowledge and draw obvious conclusions."

"It is this simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing popular audiences-makes them, as the poets tell us, 'charm the crowd's ears more finely.' Educated men lay down broad general principles; uneducated men argue from common knowledge and draw obvious conclusions."

Aristotle, Greek Philosopher

Rhetoric, Education, Speech, Audience

49

"Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens."

"Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens."

Epictetus, Greek Philosopher

Wisdom, Power, Rest

49

bottom of page