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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

• “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)

• “Ναυηγοῦ τάφος εἰμί: σὺ δὲ πλέε: καὶ γὰρ ὅθ᾽ ἡμεῖς ὠλλύμεθ᾽, αἱ λοιπαὶ νῆες ἐποντοπόρουν.”

  Theodoridas of Syracuse (301–261 BC) said by 261 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Palatine Anthology, bk. 7, no. 282 (ed. W. R. Paton, vol. 2, 1917)

• “The centre of gravity of any parallelogram lies on the straight line joining the middle points of opposite sides.”

  Archimedes (287–212 BC) said by 212 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Continence is a branch of temperance, which prevents the diseases, infamy, remorse, and punishment, to which those are exposed, who indulge themselves in unlawful amours.”

  Epicurus (342–270 BC) said by 270 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “[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

• “L'âme ne se contente pas de payer au corps le loyer de son habitation : mais elle s'y livre toute entière.”

  Théophraste (371–287 BC) said by 287 BC at the latest wikiquote:fr, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Those who are humane achieve glory. Those who are inhumane suffer disgrace.”

  Mencius (372–289 BC) said by 289 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Beloved-of-the-Gods speaks thus: Father and mother should be respected and so should elders, kindness to living beings should be made strong and the truth should be spoken. In these ways, the Dhamma should be promoted. Likewise, a teacher should be honored by his pupil and proper manners should be shown towards relations. This is an ancient rule that conduces to long life. Thus should one act.”

  Ashoka (304–232 BC) said by 232 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “[L]a fin [est] de vivre en accord avec la nature, ce qui signifie vivre selon la vertu. Car la nature nous conduit vers cette dernière.”

  Zénon de Kition (334–263 BC) said by 263 BC at the latest wikiquote:fr, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Vies et Doctrines des philosophes illustres Diogène Laërce Librairie générale française 1999 847 {{VII

• “A bad feeling is a commotion of the mind repugnant to reason, and against nature.”

  Zeno of Citium (334–263 BC) said by 263 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “ἐλπίδες ἐν ζωοῖσιν, ἀνέλπιστοι δὲ θανόντες.”

  Theocritus (401–260 BC) said by 260 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: IV.42 (tr. A. S. F. Gow, 1952)

• “Εὐκαπὲς ἄγκιστρον, καὶ δούρατα δουλιχόεντα, χὠρμιήν, καὶ τὰς ἰχθυδόκους σπυρίδας, καὶ τοῦτον νηκτοῖσιν ἐπ᾽ ἰχθύσι τεχνασθέντα κύρτον, ἁλιπλάγκτων εὕρεμα δικτυβόλων, τρηχύν τε τριόδοντα, Ποσειδαώνιον ἔγχος, καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἀκάτων διχθαδίους ἐρέτας, ὁ γριπεὺς Διόφαντος ἀνάκτορι θήκατο τέχνας, ὡς θέμις, ἀρχαίας λείψανα τεχνοσύνας.”

  Leonidas of Tarentum (320–260 BC) said by 260 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Anthologia Palatina, vi, 4, as translated by Herbert Kynaston, ed. E. D. Stone (1912), pp. 19–20

• “Saôn fils d'Acanthos, fils de Dicôn, dort un religieux sommeil ; ne dis pas qu'ils meurent, les gens de bien.”

  Callimaque de Cyrène (306–240 BC) said by 240 BC at the latest wikiquote:fr, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “C'est là que les filles de Nérée arrivaient de toute part à leur aide ; la divine Thétis, par derrière, avait saisi la pale du gouvernail pour la guider dans les récifs des Planctes.”

  Apollonios de Rhodes (295–215 BC) said by 215 BC at the latest wikiquote:fr, 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

• “[C]haque chose n’est pas davantage ceci que cela.”

  Pyrrhon d'Élis (361–271 BC) said by 271 BC at the latest wikiquote:fr, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Vies et Doctrines des philosophes illustres Diogène Laërce Librairie générale française 1999 1100 {{IX

• “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

• “Lie-tseu au cours d'un voyage prenait son repas au bord du chemin lorsque soudain il aperçut un vieux crâne au milieu de touffes d'herbe. Il arracha les herbes, pointa l'index vers le crâne et lui dit : « Seuls, toi et moi nous savons que tu n'es ni mort ni vivant. Es-tu vraiment malheureux ? Suis-je vraiment heureux ? »”

  Tchouang-tseu (369–288 BC) said by 288 BC at the latest wikiquote:fr, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “πολλάκι λήθει τοῖχον ὑποτρώγων ἡσύχιος ποταμός.”

  Callimachus (306–240 BC) said by 240 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Epigram 44.3–4 (tr. T. B. Harbottle, 1902)

• “All urgent calls he shall hear at once, but never put off; for when postponed, they will prove too hard or impossible to accomplish.”

  Chanakya (375–283 BC) said by 283 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Εἰ δ᾽ ἄγε νῦν, Ἐρατώ, παρά θ᾽ ἵστασο, καί μοι ἔνισπε, ἔνθεν ὅπως ἐς Ἰωλκὸν ἀνήγαγε κῶας Ἰήσων Μηδείης ὑπ᾽ ἔρωτι.”

  Apollonius of Rhodes (295–215 BC) said by 215 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “La parole est une arme puissante pour les hommes.”

  Ménandre (341–291 BC) said by 291 BC at the latest wikiquote:fr, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Non est regia [inquit Euclides] ad Geometriam via.”

  Euclid (334–285 BC) said by 285 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: The Greek is from Proclus (412–485 AD) in his Commentary on the First Book of Euclid's Elements, the Latin translation is by Francesco Barozzi (1560), the English translation follows Glenn R. Morrow (1970), p. 57.

• “εἰ τοῖς πολλοῖς προσεῖχον, οὐκ ἂν ἐφιλοσόφησα.”

  Chrysippus (281–208 BC) said by 208 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: SVF II 10; Diogenes Laërtius, VII.182 (tr. R. D. Hicks, 1925)