Clement of Alexandria

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215 CE)

"Extremes, in fact, are dangerous, but the mean is good, and all that avoids dire need is a mean."

• From "The Educator" by Clement of Alexandria, translated by Simon P. Wood (Catholic University Press of America, 1954).

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Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

"When I wish to find out how wise, or how stupid, or how good, or how wicked is any one, or what are his thoughts at the moment, I fashion the expression of my face, as accurately as possible, in accordance with the expression of his, and then wait to see what thought or sentiments arise in my mind or heart, as if to match or correspond with the expression."

• From Edgar Allan Poe's The Purloined Letter in Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Works (JKL Classics, 2017).

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Plato

Plato (c.427-347 BCE)
"Do you agree, then, that the best course is for the men and women to receive the same education, share children, and co-operate in the guarding of the rest of their fellow citizens, as we've described?"

• From Republic (Chapter 7) by Plato, translated by Robin Waterfield (Oxford World's Classics, 2008).

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Buddha

The Buddha (This quote recorded in the 3rd century BCE)

"A person is not skilled
just because he talks a lot.
Peaceful, friendly, secure--
that one is called 'skilled.'"

• From The Dhammapada (Verses on the Way, Chapter 19), recorded in the 3rd century BCE. Translation by Glenn Wallis, 2004.

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W. T. Sherman

General Sherman (1820-1891)

"The great end of peace has been attained, with little or no change in our form of government, and the duty of all good men is to allow the passions of that period to subside, that we may direct our physical and mental labor to repair the waste of war, and to engage in the greater task of continuing our hitherto wonderful national development."

• From The Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman (Chapter IX) by W. T. Sherman. (Renaissance Classics, 2012).

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Thucydides

Thucydides (Athenian general and historian, c. 460-404 BCE)

"My work is not a piece of writing designed to meet the taste of an immediate public, but was done to last for ever."

• History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, translated by Rex Warner and introduced by M. I. Finley. New York: Penguin Classics, 1972.

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Cassius Dio

Cassius Dio (c. 163-235)

"To tolerate the offences of the great mass of citizens is a task which demands great prudence and great power, but if anyone were to punish them all indiscriminately as they deserve, he would destroy before he knew it the greater part of mankind."

• From Cassius Dio's The Roman History (Book 55, chapter 20), translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert (Penguin Classics, 1987). Dio wrote this quote in the character of Livia, Augustus' wife, in a scene where she gives advice to her husband. 

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Geoffrey of Monmouth

Geoffrey of Monmouth (12th century Welsh-English writer, quote c. 1136)

"Surely you will not always put your trust in being protected by someone else! Won't you accustom your hands to brandish shields, swords, and spears against those who would be no mightier than you yourselves, if only you could throw off your laziness and your lethargy?"

• From Geoffrey of Monmouth's The History of the Kings of Britain (Part Three), completed in 1136 CE, translated from Latin into English by Lewis Thorpe (Penguin Classics, 1966).

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Anna Komnene

Anna Komnene (Princess of the Byzantine Empire, c. 1083-1153)

"It is the mark of a bad general, when all is peaceful, to incite his neighbors to war intentionally--for peace is the objective of all wars."

• From The Alexiad (Book XII) by Anna Komnene, translated by E.R.A. Sewter, (Penguin Classics, 2009).

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Aristotle

Aristotle (c. 384-322 BCE)

"The man who shuns and fears everything and stands up to nothing becomes a coward; the man who is afraid of nothing at all, but marches up to every danger, becomes foolhardy. Similarly the man who indulges in every pleasure and refrains from none becomes licentious; but if a man behaves like a boor and turns his back on every pleasure, he is a case of insensibility."

• From The Nicomachean Ethics (Book II, ii) by Aristotle, translated by J. A. K. Thomson (Penguin Classics, 2004).

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George Orwell

George Orwell (1903-1950)

"One of the most horrible features of war is that all the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting."

• From Homage to Catalonia (Chapter V) written by George Orwell and edited by Adam Hochschild and Lionel Trilling (Mariner Books, 1969).

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Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer (1342-1400)

"When Fortune flees a man is left forsaken
Of glory, wealth and kingdom; all's past cure.
Even the friends he has will not endure,
For if good fortune makes your friends for you
Ill fortune makes them enemies for sure,
A proverb very trite and very true."

• From The Canterbury Tales (The Monk's Tale) by Geoffrey Chaucer, translated to modern English by Nevill Coghill (Penguin Classics, 2003).

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Cassius Dio

Cassius Dio (Roman statesman and historian, c. 163-235)

"Whatever you wish your subjects to think and to do, you must say and do yourself. You can better educate them in this way, rather than by terrorizing them through the penalties laid down by the laws."

• From Cassius Dio's The Roman History (Book 52, chapter 34), translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert (Penguin Classics, 1987). Dio wrote this quote in the character of Maecenas for a scene where Octavian was hearing advice from his advisors before deciding if Rome should become a democracy or remain dictatorial.

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Geoffrey of Monmouth

Geoffrey of Monmouth (12th century Welsh/English writer)

"Men will become drunk with the wine which is offered to them: they will turn their backs on Heaven and fix their eyes on the earth."

• From Geoffrey of Monmouth's The History of the Kings of Britain (Part Five), completed in 1136 CE, translated from Latin into English by Lewis Thorpe (Penguin Classics, 1966).

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Aristotle

Aristotle (c. 384-322 BCE)

"It is the way that we behave in our dealings with other people that makes us just or unjust, and the way that we behave in the face of danger, accustoming ourselves to be timid or confident, that makes us brave or cowardly."

• From The Nicomachean Ethics (Book II, i) by Aristotle, translated by J. A. K. Thomson (Penguin Classics, 2004).

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Mo Tzu

Mo Tzu (Ancient Chinese philosopher and theologian, 5th Century BCE)

"[Heaven] desires that among men those who have strength will work for others, those who understand the Way will teach other, and those who possess wealth will share it with others."

• From the Basic Writings of Mo Tzu (The Will of Heaven, part II, section 27), translated by Burton Watson (Columbia University Press, 1963).

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Plato

Plato (427-347 BCE)

"Anyone who is going to be a truly good guardian of our community, then, will have a philosopher's love of knowledge, and will be passionate, quick on his feet, and strong."

• From Republic (Chapter 3) by Plato, translated by Robin Waterfield (Oxford World's Classics, 2008).

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Cassius Dio

Cassius Dio (c. 163-235)

"Your position should be invulnerable to any insolence and too exalted for such conduct to come near you; and you should never allow it to enter your head or allow others to imagine that you can be treated with disrespect. In short, men should regard you just as they do the gods, as surrounded by an inviolable sanctity."

• From Cassius Dio's The Roman History (Book 52, chapter 31), translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert (Penguin Classics, 1987). Dio wrote this quote in the character of Maecenas for a scene where Octavian was hearing advice from his advisors before deciding if Rome should become a democracy or remain dictatorial.

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Snorri Sturlusson / Sibyl Prophecy

"Brothers will fight,
bringing death to each other.
Sons of sisters
will split their kin bonds.
Hard times for men,
rampant depravity,
age of axes, age of swords,
shields split,
wind age, wolf age,
until the world falls into ruin."

• From The Sibyl's Prophecy in The Prose Edda (Gylfaginning) by Snorri Sturluson, translated by Jesse Byock (Penguin Classics, 2005).

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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930)

"One's ideas must be as broad as Nature if they are to interpret Nature."

• From A Study in Scarlet, in Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate Collection (Enhanced Media, 2016).

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Miyamoto Musashi

Miyamoto Musashi (Japanese master duelist, c. 1584-1645)

"If you do not look at things on a large scale it will be difficult for you to master strategy."

• From Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings, (Lord Majesty Productions, 2005 edition).

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Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (American writer, 1809-1849)

"Nothing is more vague than impressions of individual identity. Each man recognizes his neighbor, yet there are few instances in which any one is prepared to give a reason for his recognition."

• From Edgar Allan Poe's The Mystery of Marie Roget in Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Works (JKL Classics, 2017).

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