Plutarch Quotes

“Silence at the proper season is wisdom, and better than any speech.”

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”

“To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future.”

“Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.”

“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.”

“Socrates said, "Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live."”

“For to err in opinion, though it be not the part of wise men, is at least human.”

“And it is said that when he took his seat for the first time under the golden canopy on the royal throne, Demaratus the Corinthian, a well-meaning man and a friend of Alexander's, as he had been of Alexander's father, burst into tears, as old men will, and declared that those Hellenes were deprived of great pleasure who had died before seeing Alexander seated on the throne of Dareius.”

“Cato used to assert that wise men profited more by fools than fools by wise men; for that wise men avoided the faults of fools, but that fools would not imitate the good examples of wise men.”

“Cato requested old men not to add the disgrace of wickedness to old age, which was accompanied with many other evils.”

“Adversity is the only balance to weigh friends.”

“Do not speak of your happiness to one less fortunate than yourself.”

“When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer. (Technically a misquote, but I like the misquote better)”

“It is part of a good man to do great and noble deeds, though he risk everything.”

“It does not follow, that because a particular work of art succeeds in charming us, its creator also deserves our admiration.”

“Using the proverb frequently in their mouths who enter upon dangerous and bold attempts, "The die is cast," he took the river.”

“The poor go to war, to fight and die for the delights, riches, and superfluities of others.”

“The whole of life is but a moment of time. It is our duty, therefore to use it, not to misuse it.”

“Neither blame or praise yourself.”

“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.”

“Of all the disorders in the soul, envy is the only one no one confesses to.”

“It is a desirable thing to be well descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors.”

“Character is simply habit long continued.”

“But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy.”

“Music, to create harmony, must investigate discord.”

“Courage stands halfway between cowardice and rashness, one of which is a lack, the other an excess of courage.”

“It is a thing of no great difficulty to raise objections against another man's oration,—nay, it is a very easy matter; but to produce a better in its place is a work extremely troublesome.”

“In words are seen the state of mind and character and disposition of the speaker.”

“When some were saying that if Cæsar should march against the city they could not see what forces there were to resist him, Pompey replied with a smile, bidding them be in no concern, "for whenever I stamp my foot in any part of Italy there will rise up forces enough in an instant, both horse and foot."”

“When Demaratus was asked whether he held his tongue because he was a fool or for want of words, he replied, "A fool cannot hold his tongue."”

“A very bold political measure of Lycurgus is his redistribution of the land. For there was a dreadful inequality in this regard, the city was heavily burdened with indigent and helpless people, and wealth was wholly concentrated in the hands of a few. Determined, therefore, to banish insolence and envy and crime and luxury, and those yet more deep-seated and afflictive diseases of the state, poverty and wealth, he persuaded his fellow-citizens to make one parcel of all their territory and divide it up anew, and to live with one another on a basis of entire uniformity and equality in the means of subsistence, seeking preëminence through virtue alone, assured that there was no other difference or inequality between man and man than that which was established by blame for base actions and praise for good ones.”

“Themistocles said that he certainly could not make use of any stringed instrument; could only, were a small and obscure city put into his hands, make it great and glorious.”

“Lysander said, "Where the lion's skin will not reach, it must be pieced with the fox's."”

“After the battle in Pharsalia, when Pompey was fled, one Nonius said they had seven eagles left still, and advised to try what they would do. "Your advice," said Cicero, "were good if we were to fight jackdaws."”

“There are two sentences inscribed upon the Delphic oracle, hugely accommodated to the usages of man's life: "Know thyself," and "Nothing too much;" and upon these all other precepts depend.”

“From Themistocles began the saying, "He is a second Hercules."”

“Even a nod from a person who is esteemed is of more force than a thousand arguments or studied sentences from others.”

“As geographers, Sosius, crowd into the edges of their maps parts of the world which they do not know about, adding notes in the margin to the effect that beyond this lies nothing but sandy deserts full of wild beasts, and unapproachable bogs.”

“Pythias once, scoffing at Demosthenes, said that his arguments smelt of the lamp.”

“When Hermodotus in his poems described Antigonus as the son of Helios, "My valet-de-chambre," said he, "is not aware of this."”

“To Harmodius, descended from the ancient Harmodius, when he reviled Iphicrates [a shoemaker's son] for his mean birth, "My nobility," said he, "begins in me, but yours ends in you."”

“Pompey bade Sylla recollect that more worshipped the rising than the setting sun.”

“So very difficult a matter is it to trace and find out the truth of anything by history.”

“Empire may be gained by gold, not gold by empire. It used, indeed, to be a proverb that "It is not Philip, but Philip's gold that takes the cities of Greece."”

“As Cæsar was at supper the discourse was of death,—which sort was the best. "That," said he, "which is unexpected."”

“Have in readiness this saying of Solon, "But we will not give up our virtue in exchange for their wealth."”

“The old proverb was now made good, "the mountain had brought forth a mouse."”

“Said Scopas of Thessaly, "We rich men count our felicity and happiness to lie in these superfluities, and not in those necessary things."”

“Spintharus, speaking in commendation of Epaminondas, says he scarce ever met with any man who knew more and spoke less.”

“Lampis, the sea commander, being asked how he got his wealth, answered, "My greatest estate I gained easily enough, but the smaller slowly and with much labour."”

“Xenophanes said, "I confess myself the greatest coward in the world, for I dare not do an ill thing."”

“Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little.”

“Epaminondas is reported wittily to have said of a good man that died about the time of the battle of Leuctra, "How came he to have so much leisure as to die, when there was so much stirring?"”

“I am whatever was, or is, or will be; and my veil no mortal ever took up.”

“Philip being arbitrator betwixt two wicked persons, he commanded one to fly out of Macedonia and the other to pursue him.”

“Moral good is a practical stimulus; it is no sooner seen than it inspires an impulse to practise.”

“The most glorious exploits do not always furnish us with the clearest discoveries of virtue or vice in men.”

“Democritus said, words are but the shadows of actions.”

“Thus our judgments, if they do not borrow from reason and philosophy a fixity and steadiness of purpose in their acts, are easily swayed and influenced by the praise or blame of others, which make us distrust our own opinions.”

“By the study of their biographies, we receive each man as a guest into our minds, and we seem to understand their character as the result of a personal acquaintance, because we have obtained from their acts the best and most important means of forming an opinion about them. "What greater pleasure could'st thou gain than this?"”

“Lysander, when Dionysius sent him two gowns, and bade him choose which he would carry to his daughter, said, "She can choose best," and so took both away with him.”