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The man who has planned badly, if fortune is on his side, may have had a stroke of luck; but his plan was a bad one nonetheless.

Herodotus

If someone were to put a proposition before men bidding them choose, after examination, the best customs in the world, each nation would certainly select its own
HERODOTUS

Bidding Choice Men Nation World
How much better a thing it is to be envied than to be pitied.
HERODOTUS

Better Envy
There is nothing more foolish, nothing more given to outrage than a useless mob.
HERODOTUS

Foolish Outrage Useless War
He is the best man who, when making his plans, fears and reflects on everything that can happen to him, but in the moment of action is bold.
HERODOTUS

Action Bold Men Moments Planning
Illness strikes men when they are exposed to change.
HERODOTUS

Change Men Resistance
Chances rule men and not men chances.
HERODOTUS

Chance Men Rule
The most hateful human misfortune is for a wise man to have no influence.
HERODOTUS

Fortune Hate Human Men Wisdom
I know that human happiness never remains long in the same place.
HERODOTUS

Happiness Human Philosophy Remain
The worst part a man can suffer is to have insight into much and power over nothing.
HERODOTUS

Men Philosophy Power Suffering Worst
Many exceedingly rich men are unhappy, but many middling circumstances are fortunate.
HERODOTUS

Fortunate Happiness Men Rich
It [Egypt] has more wonders in it than any other country in the world and provides more works that defy description than any otherplace.
HERODOTUS

Country Egypt World
When life is so burdensome death has become a sought after refuge.
HERODOTUS

Death Life Refuge
As the old saw says well: every end does not appear together with its beginning. It’s impossible for someone who is human to have all good things together, just as there is no single country able to provide all good things for itself.
HERODOTUS

Country Goodness Human Philosophy Togetherness
Let there be nothing untried; for nothing happens by itself, but men obtain all things by trying.
HERODOTUS

Inspirational Learning Men Philosophy Trying
I never yet feared those men who set a place apart in the middle of their cities where they gather to cheat one another and swear oaths which they break.
HERODOTUS

Break Cheating Fear Men Place
But this I know: if all mankind were to take their troubles to market with the idea of exchanging them, anyone seeing what his neighbor’s troubles were like would be glad to go home with his own.
HERODOTUS

Deep Happiness Home Ideas Philosophy
We are less convinced by what we hear than by what we see.
HERODOTUS

Convinced Nature See
It is a law of nature that fainthearted men should be the fruit of luxurious countries, for we never find that the same soil produces delicacies and heroes.
HERODOTUS

Born Country Hero Law Men Nature
In soft regions are born soft men.
HERODOTUS

Born Life Men
The king’s might is greater than human, and his arm is very long.
HERODOTUS

Greatness Human Kings Power
Where wisdom is called for, force is of little use.
HERODOTUS

Force Little Wisdom
The sun will not shine on any country that has borders with ours.
HERODOTUS

Ourselves Shine War
Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest do not happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects.
HERODOTUS

Forever History Time
The Colchians, Ethiopians and Egyptians have thick lips, broad nose, woolly hair and they are burnt of skin.
HERODOTUS

Appearance Hairs Skin
If you have two loaves of bread, keep one to nourish the body, but sell the other to buy hyacinths for the soul.
HERODOTUS

Body Food Health Soul
Whatever comes from God is impossible for a man to turn back.
HERODOTUS

Divine God Impossible Men People
In peace sons bury fathers, but war violates the order of nature, and fathers bury sons.
HERODOTUS

Death Father Peace War

The man who has planned badly, if fortune is on his side, may have had a stroke of luck; but his plan was a bad one nonetheless.

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The man who has planned badly, if fortune is on his side, may have had a stroke of luck; but his plan was a bad one nonetheless.

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