Sophocles quotes

ca. 497 - 406 BC, Greek playwright

One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.
Sophocles

War never slays a bad man in its course, but the good always!
Sophocles

Reason is God's crowning gift to man.
Sophocles

Money: There's nothing in the world so demoralizing as money.
Sophocles

Wisdom outweighs any wealth.
Sophocles

Of all human ills, greatest is fortune's wayward tyranny.
Sophocles

The tyrant is a child who drinks from his great sickening cup recklessness and vanity, until
from his high crest headlong he plummets to the dust of hope.
Sophocles

Knowledge must come through action; you can have no test which is not fanciful, save by
trial.
Sophocles

Grief teaches the steadiest minds to waver.
Sophocles

For God hates utterly the bray of bragging tongues.
Sophocles

Athens, nurse of men.
Sophocles

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

Time eases all things.
Sophocles

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

Anarchy! Anarchy! Show me a greater evil! This is why cities tumble and the great houses
rain down, this is what scatters armies!
Sophocles

Not to be born surpasses thought and speech. The second best is to have seen the light and
then to go back quickly whence we came.
Sophocles

They are not wise, then, who stand forth to buffet against love; for love rules the gods as he
will, and me.
Sophocles

But since we are all likely to go astray, the reasonable thing is to learn from those who can
teach.
Sophocles

The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves.
Sophocles

But all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal unrecorded laws of God.
Sophocles

Truly, to tell lies is not honorable; but when the truth entails tremendous ruin, to speak
dishonorably is pardonable.
Sophocles

Nobody likes the man who brings bad news.
Sophocles

The good befriend themselves.
Sophocles

To him who is in fear everything rustles.
Sophocles

For kindness begets kindness evermore, but he from whose mind fades the memory of
benefits, noble is he no more.
Sophocles

How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be when there's no help in truth!
Sophocles

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

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

Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life.
Sophocles