Geoffrey of Monmouth

Geoffrey of Monmouth (12th century)

"I consider theat there is nothing better or more enjoyable than life itself."

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

Read our biography about Geoffrey of Monmouth and his interesting book of pseudo-history, HERE.

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Tacitus

Tacitus (c. 56-117+)

"Impatience has ruined many excellent men who, rejecting the slow, sure way, court destruction by rising too quickly."

• From The Annals of Imperial Rome (Chapter 6), by Tacitus, translated by Michael Grant (Penguin Classics, 1996). 

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Mo Tzu

Mo Tzu (between 479-372 BCE)

"If you ask what it is that has caused the ruler to neglect the affairs of government and the humble man to neglect his tasks, the answer is music. Therefore Mo Tzu said: Making music is wrong."

• From the Basic Writings of Mo Tzu (Against Music, part I, section 32), translated by Burton Watson (Columbia University Press, 1963). 

Read our short biography of Mo Tzu, HERE.

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Gudmund the Powerful (Grettir's Saga)

Gudmund the Powerful (c. 11th century, quoted in the 14th cenuty Grettir's Saga)

"Trust no one so well that you do not rely best on yourself."

• Spoken by the character, Gudmund the Powerful, in the anonymously written Grettir's Saga (c. 14th century), translated by Jesse Byock (Oxford World's Classics, 2009). 

Browse through more quotes from Grettir's Saga, HERE.

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Thucydides

Thucydides (c. 460-400 BCE)

"It is just as true in politics as it is in any art or craft: new methods must drive out the old ones."

• History of the Peloponnesian War (Book I) by Thucydides, translated by Rex Warner (Penguin Classics, 1972).

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Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (c. 1706-1790)

"If you would not be forgotten
As soon as you are dead and rotten,
Either write things worth reading
Or do things worth writing."

• From Poor Richard's Almanac by Benjamin Franklin (Seven Treasures Publications, 2008). 

Have a look at our Benjamin Franklin biography, HERE.

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Christine de Pizan

Christine de Pizan (c. 1364-1430)

"As for the fact that the men who attacked and criticized women haven't yet been challenged, let me tell you that there's a time and a place for everything in the eternal scheme of things."

• From The Book of the City of Ladies (Part II, chapter 53) by Christine de Pizan, translated by Rosalind Brown-Grant (Penguin Classics, 1999).

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