Thucydides

Quotes

1. The real cause I consider to be the one which was formerly most kept out of sight. The growth of the power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired the Lacedaemon, made war inevitable.

2. 

   In fine, I have written my work, not as an essay which is to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time.

3. 

   But as the power of Hellas grew, and the acquisition of wealth became more an objective, the revenues of the states increasing, tyrannies were established almost everywhere...

   p. 7

4. 

   For the love of gain would reconcile the weaker to the dominion of the stronger, and the possession of capital enabled the more powerful to reduce the smaller cities to subjection.

5. 

   [C]oncessions to adversaries only end in self reproach, and the more strictly they are avoided the greater will be the chance of security.

6. 

   Thus they toil on in trouble and danger all the days of their life, with little opportunity for enjoying, being ever engaged in getting: their only idea of a holiday is to do what the occasion demands, and to them laborious occupation is less of a misfortune than the peace of a quiet life. To describe their character in a word, one might truly say that they were born into the world to take no rest themselves and to give none to others.

7. 

   self-control contains honour as a chief constituent, and honour bravery.

8. 

   [T]he freaks of chance are not determinable by calculation.

9. 

   So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand.

10. 

    To come to this war: despite the known disposition of the actors in a struggle to overrate its importance, and when it is over to return to their admiration of earlier events, yet an examination of the facts will show that it was much greater than the wars which preceded it.

That’s all the quotes.

10 quotes in the collection · come back when we add more