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
brevity goes greek-poet wisdom
Much wisdom often goes with brevity of speech.
dreadful greek-poet knowledge truth
How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be when there's no help in the truth.
greek-poet men nor prophet waits
Men may know many things by seeing; but no prophet can see before the event, nor what end waits for him.
arts dead greek-poet whoever
Whoever neglects the arts when he is young has lost the past and is dead to the future.
becomes educates greek-poet whose
For those whose wit becomes the mother of villainy, those it educates to be evil in all things.
greek-poet
It's a terrible thing to speak well and be wrong.
cure greek-poet heavier ill
Hush! Check those words. Do not cure ill with ill and make your pain still heavier than it is.
greek-poet
A soul that is kind and intends justice discovers more than any sophist.
greek-poet
Look and you will find it - what is unsought will go undetected.
deeds greek-poet shameful taught
For shameful deeds are taught by shameful deeds.
freedom greek-poet weight word
One word frees us of all the weight and pain in life. That word is love.
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.