Plutarch quotes - page 13

Plutarch was an ancient Greek biographer, essayist, and philosopher, renowned for his work "Parallel Lives." His writings have significantly influenced Western literature, ethics, and historical understanding. He is especially remembered for comparing the lives and characters of prominent Greeks and Romans. Here are 308 of his quotes:

There are two sentences inscribed upon the Ancient oracle Know thyself and Nothing too much and upon these all other precepts depend. (Plutarch)

It is no disgrace not to be able to do everything but to undertake or pretend to do what you are not made for, is not only shameful, but extremely troublesome and vexatious.

Plutarch

God is the brave man's hope, and not the coward's excuse.

Plutarch

The whole life of man is but a point of time let us enjoy it, therefore, while it lasts, and not spend it to no purpose.

Plutarch

To an old man who was acting wrongly he said, "My good sir, old age is ugly enough without your adding the deformity of wickedness to it."

Plutarch

This is the only general who, when victorious allows his foe no rest, and when defeated takes none himself. We shall always, it seems, have to be fighting this man, who is equally excited to attack by his confidence when victor, and his shame when vanquished.

Plutarch

... and that though fortune has often the advantage over virtue in its attempts to guard against evils, yet she cannot take away from virtue the power of enduring them with fortitude.

Plutarch

Fortune, dost thou threaten poverty? Metrocles laughs at thee, who sleeps during winter among the sheep, in summer in the vestibules of temples, and challenges the king of the Persians, who winters at Babylon, and summers in Media, to vie with him in happiness. Dost thou bring slavery, and bondage, and sale? Diogenes despises thee, who cried out, as he was being sold by some robbers, "Who will buy a master?" Dost thou mix a cup of poison? Didst not thou offer such a one to Socrates? And cheerfully, and mildly, without fear, without changing colour or countenance, he calmly drank it up: and when he was dead, all who survived deemed him happy, as sure to have a divine lot in Hades. And as to thy fire, did not Decius, the general of the Romans, anticipate it for himself, having piled up a funeral pyre between the two armies, and sacrificed himself to Cronos, dedicating himself for the supremacy of his country?

Plutarch

Previous
1
...
10
11
12
13 (Current)
Next

Plutarch

Plutarch - Image

Photo: Odysses, CC BY-SA 3.0

Occupation: Greek Philosopher
Quotes count: 308
Wikipedia: Plutarch

Related authors

Plato 332

Greek Philosopher

Thucydides 99

Greek Historian

Cicero 490

Roman Statesman

Aristotle 462

Greek Philosopher

Pericles 25

Greek Statesman

Herodotus 81

Greek Historian

Alexander the Great 32

Leader

Livy 76

Roman Historian

Julius Caesar 45

Roman General

Seneca 609

Roman Writer