Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,269 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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Said between 300 and 201 BC
“Μή εἶναι βασιλικήν ἀτραπόν ἐπί γεωμετρίαν”
Ευκλείδης (334–285 BC) said by 285 BC at the latest wikiquote:el, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Το ανέρωτο κρασί σε κάνει να μην μπορείς να σκεφθείς λογικά”
Μένανδρος (341–291 BC) said by 291 BC at the latest wikiquote:el, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Τὰν ἐκφυγοῦσαν ματρὸς ἐκ κόλπων, ἔτι ἀφρῷ τε μορμύρουσαν, εὐλεχῆ Κύπριν ἰδὼν Ἀπελλῆς, κάλλος ἱμερώτατον, οὐ γραπτόν, ἀλλ᾽ ἔμψυχον ἐξεμάξατο. εὖ μὲν γὰρ ἄκραις χερσὶν ἐκθλίβει κόμαν, εὖ δ᾽ ὀμμάτων γαληνὸς ἐκλάμπει πόθος, καὶ μαζός, ἀκμῆς ἄγγελος, κυδωνιᾷ: αὐτὰ δ᾽ Ἀθάνα καὶ Διὸς συνευνέτις φάσουσιν ‘ὦ Ζεῦ, λειπόμεσθα τῇ κρίσει.’”
Leonidas of Tarentum (320–260 BC) said by 260 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Anthologia Palatina, xvi, 182, "On the of ", as translated by Charles Whibley, Selections from the Greek Anthology (1895), p. 119.
“Ὀψὲ δὲ αὐτῷ γεωμετροῦντι λέγει τις, "εἶτα νῦν καιρός;" "εἶτα μηδὲ νῦν.”
Lacydes of Cyrene (301–205 BC) said by 205 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Translated by C. D. Yonge (1853)
“Ὁ θάνατος οὐδὲν πρὸς ἡμᾶς· τὸ γὰρ διαλυθὲν ἀναισθητεῖ͵ τὸ δ΄ ἀναισθητοῦν οὐδὲν πρὸς ἡμᾶς.”
Επίκουρος (342–270 BC) said by 270 BC at the latest wikiquote:el, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Before a man can do things there must be things he will not do.”
Mencius (372–289 BC) said by 289 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Book 4, part 2, v. 8, as translated by John T. McNeill, A History of the Cure of Souls (New York: Harper & Bros, 1951), p. 59
“No evil is honorable; but death is honorable; therefore death is not evil.”
Zeno of Citium (334–263 BC) said by 263 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“ὑπαλείφεται τὰς ῥῖνας· ὑγιείας μέρος μέγιστον ὀσμὰς ἐγκεφάλῳ χρηστὰς ποιεῖν.”
Alexis (372–270 BC) said by 270 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Frg. 195.2–3 K.-A. (tr. C. D. Yonge, 1854); cf. Posidonius
“To his friends he said that he thought the man who feared gibes and jeers was more of a coward than the one who ran away from the enemy.”
Fabius Maximus (died 203 BC) said by 203 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have collected all the writings of the Empire and burnt those which were of no use.”
Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BC) said by 210 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in The Tyrants: 2500 Years of Absolute Power and Corruption (2006) by Clive Foss, p. 10, ISBN 1905204965
“惟夫党人之偷乐兮，路幽昧以险隘。”
Qu Yuan (343–278 BC) said by 278 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“τὸ γαμεῖν, ἐάν τις τὴν ἀλήθειαν σκοπῇ, κακὸν μέν ἐστιν, ἀλλ᾿ ἀναγκαῖον κακόν.”
Menander (341–291 BC) said by 291 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The wise man should restrain his senses like the crane and accomplish his purpose with due knowledge of his place, time and ability.”
Chanakya (375–283 BC) said by 283 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Δεν διαπιστώνουμε την ενάρετη ζωή ενός ατόμου από τα ωραία λόγια που λέει, αλλά από τις πράξεις του”
Θεόφραστος (371–287 BC) said by 287 BC at the latest wikiquote:el, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Αν γνώριζες τα βάσανα των άλλων, τότε ευκολότερα θα υπόφερες και τα δικά σου.”
Φιλήμων (360–263 BC) said by 263 BC at the latest wikiquote:el, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“sapientem nulla re egere et tamen multis illi rebus opus esse. contra stulto nulla re opus est, nulla enim re uti scit, sed omnibus eget.”
Chrysippus (281–208 BC) said by 208 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: SVF III 674; Seneca, Moral Epistles, 9.14 (tr. R. M. Gummere, 1918)
“«Αν πολιτευθώ ψευδόμενος δεν θα αρέσω στους θεούς και αν πολιτευθώ χρηστά δεν θα αρέσω στους πολίτες».”
Χρύσιππος ο Σολεύς (281–208 BC) said by 208 BC at the latest wikiquote:el, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“ἄφοβον ὁ θεός, ἀνύποπτον ὁ θάνατος, καὶ τἀγαθὸν μὲν εὔκτητον, τὸ δὲ δεινὸν εὐεκκαρτέρητον.”
Epicurus (342–270 BC) said by 270 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Don't fear god, Don't worry about death; What is good is easy to get, and What is terrible is easy to endure. (tr. D. S. Hutchinson, 1994)
“[Their] law ordains that no one among them shall, under any circumstances, be a slave, but that, enjoying freedom, they shall respect the equal right to it which all possess: for it is but fair and reasonable to institute laws which bind all equally, but allow property to bo unevenly distributed.”
Megasthenes (351–291 BC) said by 291 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And now, from somewhere in the bowels of the earth, from the smoky stronghold where they slept, the pair of bulls appeared, breathing flames of fire. The Argonauts were terrified at the sight. But Jason planting his feet apart stood to receive them... He held his shield in front of him, and the two bulls, bellowing loudly, charged and butted it with their strong horns...”
Apollonius of Rhodes (295–215 BC) said by 215 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lines 1289–1294 and 1296–1297
“Δῶς μοι πᾶ στῶ καὶ τὰν γᾶν κινάσω”
Αρχιμήδης (287–212 BC) said by 212 BC at the latest wikiquote:el, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Η λαϊκή γνώμη είναι μια εταίρα, την οποία προσπαθούμε να ευχαριστήσουμε, χωρίς να τη σεβόμαστε”
Απολλώνιος ο Ρόδιος (295–215 BC) said by 215 BC at the latest wikiquote:el, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Συνεχές τε … πολυτελὲς ἀνάλωμα εἶναι τὸν χρόνον.”
Theophrastus (371–287 BC) said by 287 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Also quoted by: Θεόφραστος (el)
“οἱ δὲ ποθεῦντες ἐν ἤματι γηράσκουσιν.”
Theocritus (401–260 BC) said by 260 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: XII.2 (tr. A. S. F. Gow, 1952)