Aristophanes quotes - page 3

Chorus [of Birds]: Full of wiles, full of guile, at all times, in all ways, are the children of Men. (Aristophanes)
Just Cause: [Learn] not to contradict your father in anything; nor by calling him Iapetus, to reproach him with the ills of age, by which you were reared in your infancy. View quote
Aristophanes
[Choir of] Men: There is no beast, no rush of fire, like woman so untamed. She calmly goes her way where even panthers would be shamed. [Choir of] Women: And yet you are fool enough, it seems, to dare to war with me, when for your faithful ally you might win me easily. View quote
Aristophanes
Strepsiades: ‘Tis the Whirlwind, that has driven out Zeus and is King now. View quote
Aristophanes
Chorus [leader]: Ye Children of Man! whose life is a span, / Protracted with sorrow from day to day, / Naked and featherless, feeble and querulous, / Sickly, calamitous creatures of clay! View quote
Aristophanes
Praxagora: I want all to have a share of everything and all property to be in common; there will no longer be either rich or poor; [...] I shall begin by making land, money, everything that is private property, common to all. [...] Blepyrus: But who will till the soil? Praxagora: The slaves. View quote
Aristophanes
Unjust Cause: This art is worth more than ten thousand staters, that one should choose the worse cause, and nevertheless be victorious. View quote
Aristophanes
Dicaeopolis: Well, how are things at Megara? Megarian: We are crying with hunger at our firesides. Dicaeopolis: The fireside is jolly enough with a piper. But what else is doing at Megara, eh? Megarian: What else? When I left for the market, the authorities were taking steps to let us die in the quickest manner. Dicaeopolis: That is the best way to get you out of all your troubles. Megarian: True. Dicaeopolis: What other news of Megara? What is wheat selling at? Megarian: With us it is valued as highly as the very gods in heaven! (tr. Athen. 1912, vol. 1, Perseus) View quote
Aristophanes
Chorus [leader]: Come now, ye men, in nature darkling, like to the race of leaves, of little might, figures of clay, shadowy feeble tribes, wingless creatures of a day, miserable mortals, dream-like men. (tr. Hickie 1853, vol. 1, p. 338) View quote
Aristophanes
Strepsiades: But come, by the Earth, is not Zeus, the Olympian, a god? Socrates: What Zeus? Do not trifle. There is no Zeus. (tr. Hickie 1853, vol. 1, Perseus) View quote
Aristophanes
Chorus: [We] must look beneath every stone, lest it conceal some orator ready to sting us. (tr. O'Neill 1938, Perseus) (Aristophanes)
This is what extremely grieves us, that a man who never fought Should contrive our fees to pilfer, on who for his native land Never to this day had oar, or lance, or blister in his hand. View quote
Aristophanes
Ignorance can be cured, but stupidity is forever. View quote
Aristophanes
Prayers without wine are perfectly pointless. View quote
Aristophanes
Words give wings to the mind and make a man soar to heaven. View quote
Aristophanes
Comedy is allied to justice. View quote
Aristophanes
One bush, they say, can never hide two thieves. View quote
Aristophanes
When men drink, then they are rich and successful and win lawsuits and are happy and help their friends. Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever. View quote
Aristophanes
Today things are better than yesterday. View quote
Aristophanes
An ancient tradition declares that every idiot blunder we pass into law will sooner or later redound to Athens' profit. View quote
Aristophanes
Children have a master to teach them, grown-ups have the poets. (Aristophanes)
There's no art where there's no fee. View quote
Aristophanes
It often happens that less depends upon the valor of an army than the skill of the leader. View quote
Aristophanes
How can I study from below, that which is above? View quote
Aristophanes
I would treat her like an egg, the shell of which we remove before eating it; I would take off her mask and then kiss her pretty face. View quote
Aristophanes