Thucydides
Thucydides
Thucydideswas an Athenian historian and general. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of "scientific history" because of his strict standards of evidence-gathering and analysis of cause and effect without reference to intervention by the gods, as outlined in his introduction to his work...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionHistorian
war spring anger
Wars spring from unseen and generally insignificant causes, the first outbreak being often but an explosion of anger.
war history growth
What made the war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta.
courage secret
The secret of freedom, courage....
long safety training
For they had learned that true safety was to be found in long previous training, and not in eloquent exhortations uttered when they were going into action.
war believe memorable
Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote the history of the war between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, he began at the moment that it broke out, believing that it would be a great war, and more memorable than any that had preceded it.
beautiful names use
The superior gratification derived from the use and contemplation of costly and supposedly beautiful products is, commonly, in great measure a gratification of our sense of costliness masquerading under the name of beauty.
luck modern reason
Those who have experienced good and bad luck many times have every reason to be skeptical of successes
thinking people desire
People get into the habit of entrusting the things they desire to wishful thinking, and subjecting things they don't desire to exhaustive thinking
opportunity deeds wealth
Amassing of wealth is an opportunity for good deeds, not hubris
understanding useless
Knowledge without understanding is useless.
people looks human-nature
It is a general rule of human nature that people despise those who treat them well, and look up to those who make no concessions.
fall men brave
I could have wished that the reputations of many brave men were not to be imperilled in the mouth of a single individual, to stand or fall according as he spoke well or ill. For it is hard to speak properly upon a subject where it is even difficult to convince your hearers that you are speaking the truth.
envy hatred forever
Hatred also is short lived; but that which makes the splendor of the present and the glory of the future remains forever unforgotten here we bless your simplicity but do not envy your folly.
believe historical-value crafts
On the whole, however, the conclusions I have drawn from the proofs quoted may, I believe, safely be relied on. Assuredly they will not be disturbed either by the lays of a poet displaying the exaggeration of his craft, or by the compositions of the chroniclers that are attractive at truth's expense; the subjects they treat of being out of the reach of evidence, and time having robbed most of them of historical value by enthroning them in the region of legend.