Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides. Sophocles wrote 120 plays during the course of his life, but only seven have survived in a complete form: Ajax, Antigone, The Women of Trachis, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes and Oedipus at Colonus. For almost 50 years, Sophocles was the most celebrated playwright in the dramatic competitions of...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionPoet
greek-poet whoever
Whoever understands how to do a kindness when he fares well would be a friend better than any possession.
good greek-poet hold ignorant men until
Ignorant men don't know what good they hold in their hands until they've flung it away.
breathing call greek-poet happiness man
When a man has lost all happiness, he's not alive. Call him a breathing corpse.
among ancient call cannot good greek-poet life man men mortals saying thoroughly understand
There is an ancient saying among men that you cannot thoroughly understand the life of mortals before the man has died, then only can you call it good or bad.
accuser dwells greek-poet terrible witness
There is no witness so terrible and no accuser so powerful as conscience which dwells within us.
greek-poet man nature
All is disgust when a man leaves his own nature and does what is unfit.
greek-poet
I see the state of all of us who live, nothing more than phantoms or a weightless shadow.
cure evils greek-poet less possible raise valuable
If it were possible to cure evils by lamentation and to raise the dead with tears, then gold would be a less valuable thing than weeping.
greek-poet justice
There is a point at which even justice does injury.
bad brings loves messenger news none
None loves the messenger who brings bad news.
brevity goes greek-poet wisdom
Much wisdom often goes with brevity of speech.
certainty learns though until
One learns by doing the thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try
love-life men age
No man loves life like him that's growing old.
work men acting
A word does not frighten the man who, in acting feels no fear.