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
“吾欲與若（李斯之子李由）復牽黃犬俱出上蔡東門逐狡兔，豈可得乎！”
李斯 (280–208 BC) said by 208 BC at the latest wikiquote:zh, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“誠實比起腐敗會給你贏得更多的好。”
米南德 (341–291 BC) said by 291 BC at the latest wikiquote:zh, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“給我一個支點，我可以撬動地球。”
阿基米德 (287–212 BC) said by 212 BC at the latest wikiquote:zh, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“公等遇雨，皆已失期，失期当斩。藉第令毋斩，而戍死者固十六七。且壮士不死即已，死即举大名耳，王侯将相宁有种乎！”
陈胜 (251–208 BC) said by 208 BC at the latest wikiquote:zh, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“天下共苦战斗不休，以有侯王。赖宗庙，天下初定，又复立国，是树兵也，而求其宁息，岂不难哉？”
秦始皇 (259–210 BC) said by 210 BC at the latest wikiquote:zh, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“且夫水之積也不厚，則其負大舟也無力。覆杯水于坳堂之上，則芥為之舟，置杯焉則膠，水淺而舟大也。風之積也不厚，則其負大翼也無力。”
莊子 (369–288 BC) said by 288 BC at the latest wikiquote:zh, 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
“寿有尽，天下过无已者；以有尽逐无已，所止者寡矣。《韩非子·辩难》”
韓非 (280–233 BC) said by 233 BC at the latest wikiquote:zh, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“τεθναίην ὅτ᾿ ἐκεῖνον ἀποπνεύσαντα πυθοίμην.”
Callimachus (306–240 BC) said by 240 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Fr. 591 (= Hecale, fr. 161 Hollis; tr. D. L. Clayman, 2022)
“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
“ἀλλὰ πέρρ ἀπάλω στύματός σε πεδέρχομαι ὀμνάσθην, ὅτι πέρρυσιν ἦσθα νεώτερος, κὤττι γηράλεοι πέλεμεν πρὶν ἀπύπτυσαι καὶ ῥύσοι, νεότατα δ᾿ ἔχειν παλινάγρετον οὐκ ἔστι· πτέρυγας γὰρ ἐπωμιδίαις φόρη, κἄμμες βαρδύτεροι τὰ ποτήμενα συλλάβην.”
Theocritus (401–260 BC) said by 260 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: XXIX.25–30 (tr. C. S. Calverley, 1869)
“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)
“If a king is energetic, his subjects will be equally energetic. If he is reckless, they will not only be reckless likewise, but also eat into his works. Besides, a reckless king will easily fall into the hands of his enemies. Hence the king shall ever be wakeful.”
Chanakya (375–283 BC) said by 283 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“H. W. Garrod, The Oxford Book of Latin Verse (1912), no. 51”
Laevius (151–201 BC) said by 201 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“天下共苦戰鬥不休，以有侯王。賴宗廟，天下初定，又復立國，是樹兵也，而求其寧息，豈不難哉！”
Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BC) said by 210 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Ὡς δ᾽ ὁπόταν δελφῖνες ὑπὲξ ἁλὸς εὐδιόωντες σπερχομένην ἀγεληδὸν ἑλίσσωνται περὶ νῆα, ἄλλοτε μἑν προπάροιθεν ὁρώμενοι, ἄλλοτ᾽ ὄπισθεν, ἄλλοτε παρβολάδην, ναύτῃσι δὲ χάρμα τέτυκται· ὧς αἱ ὑπεκπροθέουσαι ἐπήτριμοι εἱλίσσοντο Ἀργῴῃ περὶ νηί, Θέτις δ᾽ ἴθυνε κέλευθον..”
Apollonius of Rhodes (295–215 BC) said by 215 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“哲學家們的論證若無法有效治療人類的苦難，這樣的論證是沒有價值的。若是無法解除身體上的疾病，醫學可謂毫無注益；同樣的，若是無法去除心靈上的苦難，哲學亦是毫無用處。”
伊壁鸠鲁 (342–270 BC) said by 270 BC at the latest wikiquote:zh, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“οὐκ ἔστ᾿ ἄπιστον οὐδὲν ἐν θνητῷ βίῳ οὐδ᾿ ἂν γένοιτο· πολλὰ ποικίλλει χρόνος παράδοξα καὶ θαυμαστὰ καὶ ζώντων τρόποι.”
Menander (341–291 BC) said by 291 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“亦余心之所善兮，雖九死其猶未悔。”
屈原 (343–278 BC) said by 278 BC at the latest wikiquote:zh, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Natural justice is a symbol or expression of usefulness, to prevent one person from harming or being harmed by another. (31)”
Epicurus (342–270 BC) said by 270 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Postquam avem aspexit in templo Anchisa, sacra in mensa Penatium ordine ponuntur; immolabat auream victimam pulchram.”
Gnaeus Naevius (275–201 BC) said by 201 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Janet Lembke, "Plasmata: After Ennius, Naevius and Lucilius", Arion, vol. 6, no. 3 (1967), p. 376:
“εἰ δέ γε ᾔδειν ὅτι νοσεῖν μοι καθείμαρται νῦν, καὶ ὥρμων ἂν ἐπ᾿ αὐτό. καὶ γὰρ ὁ ποῦς, εἰ φρένας εἶχεν, ὥρμα ἂν ἐπὶ τὸ πηλοῦσθαι.”
Chrysippus (281–208 BC) said by 208 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: SVF III 191; Epictetus, Discourses, II.6.10 (tr. G. Long, 1952)
“Weep not for me: suffering, as I do, unjustly, I am in a happier case than my murderers.”
Agis IV (265–241 BC) said by 241 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: To one of his executioners, whom he noticed weeping, as quoted in Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1844) by WIlliam Smith, p. 73.
“μὴ εἶναι βασιλικὴν ἀτραπὸν ἐπί γεωμετρίαν.”
Euclid (334–285 BC) said by 285 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source