For so remarkably perverse is the nature of man that he despises whoever courts him, and admires whoever will not bend before him.
THUCYDIDESThe growth of the power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired in Sparta, made war inevitable.
More Thucydides Quotes
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It is men who make a city, not walls or ships.
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The whole earth is the sepulchre of famous men.
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It is frequently a misfortune to have very brilliant men in charge of affairs. They expect too much of ordinary men.
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We Greeks believe that a man who takes no part in public affairs is not merely lazy, but good for nothing.
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War is a matter not so much of arms as of money.
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You should punish in the same manner those who commit crimes with those who accuse falsely.
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When a man finds a conclusion agreeable, he accepts it without argument, but when he finds it disagreeable, he will bring against it all the forces of logic and reason.
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Hope, danger’s comforter.
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I am not blaming those who are resolved to rule, only those who show an even greater readiness to submit.
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Mankind apparently find it easier to drive away adversity than to retain prosperity.
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But the prize for courage will surely be awarded most justly to those who best know the difference between hardship and pleasure and yet are never tempted to shrink from danger.
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You shouldn’t feel sorry for the lifestyle you haven’t tasted, but for the one you are about to lose.
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It is a common mistake in going to war to begin at the wrong end, to act first, and wait for disasters to discuss the matter.
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Hope is an expensive commodity. It makes better sense to be prepared.
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Of all manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most.
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The cause of all these evils was the lust for power arising from greed and ambition; and from these passions proceeded the violence of parties once engaged in contention.
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It is the habit of mankind to entrust to careless hope what they long for, and to use sovereign reason to thrust aside what they do not desire.
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What made the war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta.
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We secure our friends not by accepting favours but by doing them.
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In a democracy, someone who fails to get elected to office can always console himself with the thought that there was something not quite fair about it.
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Now the only sure basis of an alliance is for each party to be equally afraid of the other.
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We Greeks are lovers of the beautiful, yet simple in our tastes, and we cultivate the mind without loss of manliness.
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Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave. Therefore do not take lightly the perils of war.
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Those who have experienced good and bad luck many times have every reason to be skeptical of successes.
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Those who really deserve praise are the people who, while human enough to enjoy power, nevertheless pay more attention to justice than they are compelled to do by their situation.
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Three of the gravest failings, want of sense, of courage, or of vigilance.
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