Lucian

About Lucian

Occupation: warrior, leader, rebel

Notable quotes

“εἰ κατανοήσεις τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πράγματα, εὕροις ἂν αὐτὰ οὔτε ἐλπίδος οὔτε φόβου ἄξια.”
— If you will carefuly consider the affairs of mankind you will find that they are not worth either hopes or fears.
“ἐν σκότῳ γοῦν πλανωμένοις πάντες ἐοίκαμεν, μᾶλλον δὲ τυφλοῖς ὅμοια πεπόνθαμεν, τῷ μὲν προσπταίοντες ἀλόγως, τὸ δὲ ὑπερβαίνοντες, οὐδὲν δέον, καὶ τὸ μὲν πλησίον καὶ παρὰ πόδας οὐχ ὁρῶντες, τὸ δὲ πόρρω καὶ πάμπολυ διεστηκὸς ὡς ἐνοχλοῦν δεδιότες.”
— It is as if we are all wandering in the dark—or rather, our experience is like that of the blind, stumbling over one thing for no reason, jumping over another when there is no need, not seeing what is nearby and before our feet, and fearing discomfort from what is far off and very distant.
“ἐλελήθειν δ᾿ ἐμαυτὸν εἰς αὐτό, φασί, τὸ πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ καπνοῦ βιαζόμενος.”
— The effort only shifted me from the frying-pan into the fire.
“καὶ τοίνυν ἡ ἱστορία, εἰ μὲν ἄλλως τὸ τερπνὸν παρεμπορεύσαιτο, πολλοὺς ἂν τοὺς ἐραστὰς ἐπισπάσαιτο, ἄχρι δ᾿ ἂν καὶ μόνον ἔχῃ τὸ ἴδιον ἐντελές—λέγω δὲ τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας δήλωσιν—ὀλίγον τοῦ κάλλους φροντιεῖ.”
— History, when she adds pleasure to utility, may attract more admirers; though as long as she is possessed of that greatest of perfections, truth, she need not be anxious concerning beauty.
“φημὶ τοίνυν τὸν ἄριστα ἱστορίαν συγγράφοντα δύο μὲν ταῦτα κορυφαιότατα οἴκοθεν ἔχοντα ἥκειν, σύνεσίν τε πολιτικὴν καὶ δύναμιν ἑρμηνευτικήν, τὴν μὲν ἀδίδακτόν τι τῆς φύσεως δῶρον, ἡ δύναμις δὲ πολλῇ τῇ ἀσκήσει καὶ συνεχεῖ τῷ πόνῳ καὶ ζήλῳ τῶν ἀρχαίων προσγεγενημένη ἔστω.”
— I say, therefore, that he who would write history well must be possessed of these two principal qualifications, a fine understanding and a good style: one is the gift of nature, and cannot be taught; the other may be acquired by frequent exercise, perpetual labour and an emulation of the ancients.
“οἷς ἂν τύχωμεν προσπταίοντες καὶ ὅ τι ἂν πρῶτον ἐς τὰς χεῖρας ἔλθῃ, τοῦτο εἶναι τὸ ζητούμενον ὑπολαμβάνοντες διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι τἀληθές. εἰ δὲ καὶ εὕροιμεν ἄλλως κατά τινα ἀγαθὴν τύχην περιπεσόντες αὐτῷ, οὐχ ἕξομεν βεβαίως εἰδέναι εἰ ἐκεῖνό ἐστιν ὃ ζητοῦμεν. πολλὰ γάρ ἐστιν ὅμοια αὑτοῖς, λέγοντα ἕκαστον αὐτὸ εἶναι τἀληθέστατον.”
— Whatever we knock against and get hold of we shall be taking for the thing we want, because the truth is hidden from us. Even if a mere piece of luck brings us straight to it, we shall have no grounded conviction of our success; there are so many similar objects, all claiming to be the real thing.

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.