25 Quotes From Ancient Greeks That Every American Should Read

There are a lot of people who seem to believe that humans only started to become wise about the time they were born and that previous generations don’t have much to teach us. Not only is this untrue, but many human problems are so timeless that our ancestors, thousands of years ago, had already been grappling with them for countless generations. This could be said of many civilizations and it’s particularly true of the ancient Greeks, who have long been renowned for their wisdom and who lived in what we now consider to be the cradle of Western civilization. Here are 25 quotes from ancient Greece that are still relevant to our lives today.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 [Open in app]( or [online]() [25 Quotes From Ancient Greeks That Every American Should Read]( [John Hawkins]( May 19   [Share](   There are a lot of people who seem to believe that humans only started to become wise about the time they were born and that previous generations don’t have much to teach us. Not only is this untrue, but many human problems are so timeless that our ancestors, thousands of years ago, had already been grappling with them for countless generations. This could be said of many civilizations and it’s particularly true of the ancient Greeks, who have long been renowned for their wisdom and who lived in what we now consider to be the cradle of Western civilization. Here are 25 quotes from ancient Greece that are still relevant to our lives today. 1) "There are only two people who can tell you the truth about yourself - an enemy who has lost his temper and a friend who loves you dearly." -- Antisthenes (445 – 365 BC) 2) "The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." -- Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) 3) "The generality of men are naturally apt to be swayed by fear rather than reverence, and to refrain from evil rather because of the punishment that it brings than because of its own foulness." -- Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) 4) "Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy." -- Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) 5) "Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms." -- Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) 6) "Do not trust all men, but trust men of worth; the former course is silly, the latter a mark of prudence." -- Democritus of Abdera (460 – 370 BC) 7) "The pleasant life is not produced by continual drinking and dancing, nor sexual intercourse, nor rare dishes of seafood and other delicacies of a luxurious table. On the contrary, it is produced by sober reasoning which examines the motives for every choice and avoidance, driving away beliefs which are the source of mental disturbances."  -- Epicurus (341 – 270 BC) 8) "The things you really need are few and easy to come by, but the things you can imagine you need are infinite, and you will never be satisfied." -- Epicurus (341 – 270 BC) 9) "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 (341 – 270 BC) 10) "When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger." -- Epictetus (55AD - 135AD) 11) "Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it." -- Epictetus (55AD - 135AD) 12) "Character is destiny." -- Heraclitus of Ephesus (535 – 475 BC) 13) "A slave is he who cannot speak his thoughts." -- Euripides (485BC - 406BC) 14) "Toil is no source of shame; idleness is shame." -- Hesiod (800BC - 720BC) 15) "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." -- Plato (424/423 BC – 348/347 BC) 16) "The curse of me and my nation is that we always think things can be bettered by immediate action of some sort, any sort rather than no sort." -- Plato (424/423 BC – 348/347 BC) 17) "The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations, and benefits." -- Plutarch (45AD - 120 AD) 18) "A few vices are sufficient to darken many virtues." -- Plutarch (45AD - 120 AD) 19) "Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression. No man is free who cannot control himself." -- Pythagoras (c. 570 – c. 495 BC) 20) "True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us." -- Socrates (469/470 BC – 399 BC) 21) "The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be." -- Socrates (469/470 BC – 399 BC) 22) "A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true." -- Socrates (469/470 BC – 399 BC) 23) "If all misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart." -- Socrates (469/470 BC – 399 BC) 24) "Society is well governed when its people obey the magistrates, and the magistrates obey the law." -- Solon (638BC - 558BC) 25) "By silence, I hear other men's imperfections and conceal my own." -- Zeno of Elea (490BC – 430 BC) --------------------------------------------------------------- [Upgrade to paid]( [Share]( [Leave a comment]( [101 Things All Young Adults Should Know](   [Like]( [Comment]( [Restack](   © 2023 John Hawkins 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 [Unsubscribe]() [Start writing]()