Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch; c. AD 46 – AD 120) was a Greek historian, biographer, and essayist, known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia. He is classified as a Middle Platonist. Plutarch's surviving works were written in Greek, but intended for both Greek and Roman readers...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionPhilosopher
tongue fool
A fool cannot hold his tongue.
wise men silence
Silence is an answer to a wise man.
god belief opinion
It were better to have no opinion of God at all than such a one as is unworthy of him; for the one is only belief - the other contempt.
omission evil wickedness
The omission of good is no less reprehensible than the commission of evil.
envy soul disorder
Of all the disorders in the soul, envy is the only one no one confesses to.
book delight bones
Books delight to the very marrow of one's bones. They speak to us, consult with us, and join with us in a living and intense intimacy.
anger wrath fire
For he who gives no fuel to fire puts it out, and likewise he who does not in the beginning nurse his wrath and does not puff himself up with anger takes precautions against it and destroys it.
courage men evil
To do an evil action is base; to do a good action without incurring danger is common enough; but it is the part of a good man to do great and noble deeds, though he risks every thing.
wise men festivals
For the wise man, every day is a festival.
kings army greek
While Leonidas was preparing to make his stand, a Persian envoy arrived. The envoy explained to Leonidas the futility of trying to resist the advance of the Great King's army and demanded that the Greeks lay down their arms and submit to the might of Persia. Leonidas laconically told Xerxes, "Come and get them.
men voice light
I, for my part, wonder of what sort of feeling, mind or reason that man was possessed who was first to pollute his mouth with gore, and to allow his lips to touch the flesh of a murdered being: who spread his table with the mangled forms of dead bodies, and claimed as daily food and dainty dishes what but now were beings endowed with movement, perception and with voice. …but for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh, we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that portion of life and time it had been born in to the world to enjoy.
war fighting delight
The poor go to war, to fight and die for the delights, riches, and superfluities of others.
life men practice
Moral habits, induced by public practices, are far quicker in making their way into men's private lives, than the failings and faults of individuals are in infecting the city at large.
friendship strong money
When the strong box contains no more both friends and flatterers shun the door.