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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 500 and 401 BC

• “χρόνος καθαιρεῖ πάντα γηράσκων ὁμοῦ.”

  Aeschylus (525–456 BC) said by 456 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Οἱ μὲν ἀδμᾶτες ἀεικελιᾶν νούσων εἰσὶν καὶ ἄνατοι, οὐδὲν ἀνθρώποις ἴκελοι.”

  Bacchylides (516–451 BC) said by 451 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Robert Fagles, 1961

• “Παυροεπὴς Ἤριννα, καὶ οὐ πολύμυθος ἀοιδαῖς: ἀλλ᾽ ἔλαχεν Μούσας τοῦτο τὸ βαιὸν ἔπος. τοιγάρτοι μνήμης οὐκ ἤμβροτεν, οὐδὲ μελαίνης νυκτὸς ὑπὸ σκιερῇ κωλύεται πτέρυγι: αἱ δ᾽ ἀναρίθμητοι νεαρῶν σωρηδὸν ἀοιδῶν μυριάδες λήθῃ, ξεῖνε, μαραινόμεθα. λωίτερος κύκνου μικρὸς θρόος ἠὲ κολοιῶν κρωγμὸς ἐν εἰαριναῖς κιδνάμενος νεφέλαις.”

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

  Recorded in: Antipater of Sidon, Anthologia Palatina, vii, 713, as translated by A. J. Butler, Amaranth and Asphodel (1892), p. 59: "Preface to Êrinna’s Poems

• “Before battle was joined they say that someone from Trachis warned him how many Persians there were by saying that when they fired their bows, they hid the sun with the mass of arrows. Dianeces, so the story goes, was so dismissive of the Persian numbers that he calmly replied, "All to the good, my friend from Trachis. If the Persians hide the sun, the battle will be in shade rather than sunlight.”

  Herodotus (484–425 BC) said by 425 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Sanskrit is a scientific and systematic language. Its grammar is perfect and has attracted scholars worldwide. Sanskrit has a perfect grammar which has been explained to us by the world's greatest grammarian Panini.”

  Pāṇini (520–460 BC) said by 460 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “…καὶ δὶς γάρ, ὅ δεῖ, καλόν ἐστιν ἐνισπεῖν.”

  Empedocles (494–434 BC) said by 434 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “士为知己者死，女为悦己者容。”

  豫让 (died 453 BC) said by 453 BC at the latest wikiquote:zh, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I never learned how to tune a harp, or play upon a lute; but I know how to raise a small and inconsiderable city to glory and greatness.”

  Themistocles (524–459 BC) said by 459 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: As quoted by Plutarch, in Lives as translated by J. Langhorne and W. Langhorne (1836), p. 84

• “στρόβιλος ἀμφ᾿ ἄκανθαν εἱλίξας δέμας κεῖται δακεῖν τε καὶ θιγεῖν ἀμήχανος.”

  Ion of Chios (490–422 BC) said by 422 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Frg. 38.4–5 TrGF; quoted in Plutarch, De sollertia animalium, sec. 16 (tr. Harold Cherniss and William C. Helmbold, 1957): "The way in which hedgehogs defend and guard themselves...when the fox approaches.

• “Statue of Zeus in Olympia”

  Polykleitos (490–420 BC) said by 420 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Also quoted by: Phidias

• “Περὶ μὲν θεῶν οὐκ ἔχω εἰδέναι οὔθ᾽ ὡς εἰσίν, οὔθ᾽ ὡς οὐκ εἰσίν· πολλὰ γὰρ τὰ κωλύοντα εἰδέναι, ἥ τ᾿ ἀδηλότης καὶ βραχὺς ὢν ὁ βίος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.”

  Protagoras (490–420 BC) said by 420 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Quoted in Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, b. 9, sec. 51. Translated by R. D. Hicks, vol. 2 (1925) p. 465. Diogenes adds: "For this introduction to his book the Athenians expelled him; and they burnt hi…

• “... When I became king, I built much excellent (construction). What had been built by my father (Darius I), that I protected, and other building I added. What moreover I built, and what my father built, all that by the favor of Ahuramazda we built.”

  Xerxes I (519–465 BC) said by 465 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “οὔ τοι ἅπασα κερδίων φαίνοισα πρόσωπον ἀλάθει᾿ ἀτρεκές· καὶ τὸ σιγᾶν πολλάκις ἐστὶ σοφώ- τατον ἀνθρώπῳ νοῆσαι.”

  Pindar (517–437 BC) said by 437 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “ἀλλ᾽ εἰ χεῖρας ἔχον βόες ἠὲ λέοντες ἢ γράψαι χείρεσσι καὶ ἔργα τελεῖν ἅπερ ἄνδρες, ἵπποι μέν θ᾽ ἵπποισι βόες δέ τε βουσὶν ὁμοίας καί θεῶν ἰδέας ἔγραφον καὶ σώματ᾽ ἐποίουν τοιαῦθ᾽ οἷόν περ καὐτοὶ δέμας εἶχον .”

  Xenophanes (570–478 BC) said by 478 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “鳥之將死，其鳴也哀；人之將死，其言也善。”

  曾子 (504–435 BC) said by 435 BC at the latest wikiquote:zh, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “νικῷ μὲν ὁ τῇδε πόλει λέγων τὸ λῷστον.”

  Cratinus (500–426 BC) said by 426 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “道聽而途說，德之棄也”。”

  孔子 (551–479 BC) said by 479 BC at the latest wikiquote:zh, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “ἐν δὲ δικαιοσύνῃ συλλήβδην πᾶσ᾿ ἀρετή ᾿στιν, πᾶς δέ τ᾿ ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς Κύρνε δίκαιος ἐών.”

  Theognis of Megara (570–485 BC) said by 485 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Lines 147–148 (tr. H. B. Harbottle, 1897)

• “Ἀπόλοιτο πρῶτος αὐτὸς ὁ τὸν ἄργυρον φιλήσας διὰ τοῦτον οὐκ ἀδελφὸς, διὰ τοῦτον οὐ τοκῆες· πόλεμοι, φόνοι δι᾽ αὐτόν.”

  Anacreon (570–485 BC) said by 485 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Odes, XXIX (XXVIL, b), 8 (tr. Harbottle, 1897, p. 333)

• “For this reason Ahuramazda bore aid, and the other gods who are, because I was not hostile, I was not a Lie-follower, I was not a doer of wrong -- neither I nor my family. According to righteousness I conducted myself. Neither to the weak nor to the powerful did I do wrong.”

  Darius I of Persia (550–486 BC) said by 486 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “ἔννους τὰ καινὰ τοῖς πάλαι τεκμαίρεται.”

  Sophocles (496–406 BC) said by 406 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Line 916 (Cassell's, 1907)