Sophocles Men Quotations

Men should pledge themselves to nothing; for reflection makes a liar of their resolution.

Men of ill judgment ignore the good that lies within their hands, till they have lost it.

A man growing old becomes a child again.

A wise man does not chatter with one whose mind is sick.

To be doing good deeds is man's most glorious task.

If you were to offer a thirsty man all wisdom, you would not please him more than if you gave him a drink.

Time alone reveals the just man; but you might discern a bad man in a single day.

A word does not frighten the man who, in acting feels no fear.

It is the task of a good man to help those in misfortune.

War never takes a wicked man by chance, the good man always.

There is an ancient saying among men that you cannot thoroughly understand the life of mortals before the man has died, then only can you call it good or bad.

Ignorant men don't know what good they hold in their hands until they've flung it away.

Whoever thinks that he alone has speech, or possesses speech or mind above others, when unfolded such men are seen to be empty.

Fortune raises up and fortune brings low both the man who fares well and the one who fares badly; and there is no prophet of the future for mortal men.

There is no greater evil for men than the constraint of fortune.

It is a base thing for a man among the people not to obey those in command. Never in a state can the laws be well administered when fear does not stand firm.

Money is the worst currency that ever grew among mankind. This sacks cities, this drives men from their homes, this teaches and corrupts the worthiest minds to turn base deeds.

Men may know many things by seeing; but no prophet can see before the event, nor what end waits for him.

You should not consider a man's age but his acts.

All a man's affairs become diseased when he wishes to cure evils by evils.

Deem no man happy until he passes the edo fhis life without suffering grief.

But this is a true saying among men: the gifts of enemies are no gifts and profitless.

There are some who praise a man free from disease; to me no man who is poor seems free from disease but to be constantly sick.

A state is not a state if it belongs to one man.

Every man can see things far off but is blind to what is near.

No man loves the bearer of bad tidings.

Man is not constituted to take pleasure in the same things always.

Now I see that going out into the testing ground of men it is the tongue and not the deed that wins the day.

No man loves life like him that's growing old.

All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.

Let men be wise by instinct if they can, but when this fails be wise by good advice.

Nobody likes the man who brings bad news.

Fear? What has a man to do with fear? Chance rules our lives, and the future is all unknown. Best live as we may, from day to day.

The golden eye of justice sees, and requites the unjust man.

The ideal condition would be, I admit, that men should be right by instinct; but since we are all likely to go astray, The reasonable thing is to learn from those who can teach

Men of perverse opinion do not know the excellence of what is in their hands, till someone dash it from them.

To the man who is afraid everything rustles.

Many are the wonders of the world, and none so wonderful as man.

Men whose wit has been mother of villainy once have learned from it to be evil in all things.

The man the state has put in place must have obedient hearing to his least command when it is right, and even when it's not.

Strike at a great man, and you will not miss.

All concerns of men go wrong when they wish to cure evil with evil.

Even a poor man can receive honors.

Often have brief words laid men low and then raise them up.

For most men friendship is a faithless harbor.

The curse of ignorance is that man without being good or evil is nevertheless satisfied with himself

The man from whom the joys of life have departed is living no more, but should be counted with the dead.

When men have killed joy, I do not believe they still live.

Henceforth ye may thieve with better knowledge whence lucre should be won, and learn that it is not well to love gain from every source. For thou wilt find that ill-gotten pelf brings more men to ruin than to weal.

Nothing so evil as money ever grew to be current among men. This lays cities low, this drives men from their homes, this trains and warps honest souls till they set themselves to works of shame; this still teaches folk to practise villainies, and to know every godless deed. But all the men who wrought this thing for hire have made it sure that, soon or late, they shall pay the price.

Man's highest blessedness, In wisdom chiefly stands; And in the things that touch upon the Gods, 'Tis best in word or deed To shun unholy pride; Great words of boasting bring great punishments, And so to grey-haired age Teach wisdom at the last.

Many are the things that man seeing must understand. Not seeing, how shall he know what lies in the hand of time to come?

Surely there never was so evil a thing as money, which maketh cities into ruinous heaps, and banisheth men from their houses, and turneth their thoughts from good unto evil.

Ah, race of mortal men, How as a thing of nought I count ye, though ye live; For who is there of men That more of blessing knows, Than just a little while To seem to prosper well, And, having seemed, to fall?

No greater evil can a man endure Than a bad wife, nor find a greater good Than one both good and wise; and each man speaks As judging by the experience of his life.

Though a man be wise it is no shame for him to live and learn.

Man's worst ill is stubbornness of heart.

A prudent man should neglect no circumstances.

Let every man in mankind's frailtyConsider his last day; and let nonePresume on his good fortune until he findLife, at his death, a memory without pain.

The sleep of a sick man has keen eyes. It is a sleep unsleeping.

Numberless are the world's wonders, but none More wonderful than man.

It is not righteousness to outrage A brave man dead, not even though you hate him.

When he endures nothing but endless miseries-- What pleasure is there in living the day after day, Edging slowly back and forth toward death? Anyone who warms their heart with the glow Of flickering hope is worth nothing at all. The noble man should either live with honor or die with honor. That's all there is to be said.

Show me the man who keeps his house in hand, He's fit for public authority.

There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; No wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big words are always punished, And proud men in old age learn to be wise.

A man is nothing but breath and shadow.

A fearful man is always hearing things.

From suffering that has been/ Decreed no man will ever find escape

It is no weakness for the wisest man to learn when he is wrong.

Nobody loves life like an old man.

The eyes of men love to pluck the blossoms from the faded flowers they turn away.

Ignorant men do not know what good they hold in their hands until they've flung it away.

Reason is God's crowning gift to man.

Heaven never helps the man who will not help himself

How terrible is wisdom, when it brings no profit to the man that's wise

It is the brave man's part to live with glory, or with glory die.

You cannot know a man's life before the man has died, then only can you call it good or bad.

A man who takes pleasure in speaking continuously fools himself in thinking he is not unpleasant to those around him.

A man who deals in fairness with his own, he can make manifest justice in the state.

Why should man fear since chance is all in all for him, and he can clearly foreknow nothing? Best to live lightly, as one can, unthinkingly.

If men live decently it is because discipline saves their very lives for them.

Look how men live, always precariously balanced between good and bad fortune.

What men have seen they know; But what shall come hereafter No man before the event can see, Nor what end waits for him.

More men come to doom through dirty profits than are kept by them.

God will not punish the man Who makes return for an injury.

No honest man will argue on every side

What men have seen they know. . . .

Do not believe that you alone can be right.The man who thinks that,The man who maintains that only he has the powerTo reason correctly, the gift to speak, the soul-A man like that, when you know him, turns out empty.

Many the wonders but nothing walks stranger than man.

Let a man nobly live or nobly die.

Of no mortal say, 'That man is happy,' till vexed by no grievous ill he pass Life's goal.

Time is the only test of honest men, one day is space enough to know a rogue.

Men's minds are given to change in hate and friendship.

Heaven ne'er helps the men who will not act.

You can kill a man but you cant kill a idea.

Wonders are many, and none is more wonderful than man; the power that crosses the white sea, driven by the stormy wind, making a path under surges that threaten to engulf him...

A trifle is often pregnant with high importance; the prudent man neglects no circumstance.

I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is best for the State; and as for the man who sets private friendship above the public welfare - I have no use for him either.

One must obey the man whom the city sets up in power in small things and in justice and in its opposite.

Many things are formidable, and none more formidable than man.