Solon
Solon
Solonwas an Athenian statesman, lawmaker, and poet. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic, and moral decline in archaic Athens. His reforms failed in the short term, yet he is often credited with having laid the foundations for Athenian democracy. He wrote poetry for pleasure, as patriotic propaganda, and in defense of his constitutional reforms...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionStatesman
gentleman weight oath
Consider your honour, as a gentleman, of more weight than an oath.
wisdom sheep people
Rich people without wisdom and learning are but sheep with golden fleeces.
men evil excellence
Many evil men are rich, and good men poor, but we shall not exchange with them our excellence for riches.
lying poet
Poets tell many lies.
fame interest sells
He that will sell his fame will also sell the public interest.
friends praise
Chide a friend in private and praise him in public.
riches satiety
Satiety comes of riches and contumaciousness of satiety.
men disgrace
Call no man happy until he is dead.
death
Say nothing but good of the dead.
happiness men lucky
Let no man be called happy before his death. Till then, he is not happy, only lucky.
learning-something-new something-new grows
I grow old learning something new every day.
men agreement break
Men keep agreements when it is to the advantage of neither to break them.
each-day something-new grows
Each day grow older, and learn something new;
cities wronged
That city in which those who are not wronged, no less than those who are wronged, exert themselves to punish the wrongdoers.