Pericles Quotes

The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it.
PERICLES

Brave Clear Danger Glory Meet Vision
Fishes live in the sea, as men do on land: the great ones eat up the little ones.
PERICLES

Business Earth Eat Fish Men Power Sea
For grief is felt not so much for the want of what we have never known, as for the loss of that to which we have been long accustomed.
PERICLES

Death Grief Loss Want
We do not imitate, but are a model to others.
PERICLES

Imitate Model Reality
Those who are politically apathetic can only survive if they are supported by people who are capable of taking action.
PERICLES

Action Capable People Politics Support Survival
For a man’s counsel cannot have equal weight or worth, when he alone has no children to risk in the general danger.
PERICLES

Alone Children Counsel Danger Equality General Man Risk Weight Worth
What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.
PERICLES

Engrave Live Monument Past Stone
Time is the wisest counsellor of all.
PERICLES

Counsellor One Liner Time Wise
Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.
PERICLES

Alone Courage Defend Freedom Possession
It is difficult to argue with the belly, for it has no ears.
PERICLES

Agrument Belly Difficult Ears
I am more afraid of our own mistakes than of our enemies’ designs.
PERICLES

Afraid Design Enemy Mistake
Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.
PERICLES

Humor Interest Politics
We Athenians hold that it is not poverty that is disgraceful but the failure to struggle against it.
PERICLES

Against Failure Grace Poverty Struggle
Time as he grows old teaches many lessons. – Aeschylus Time is the wisest counsellor of all.
PERICLES

Counsellor Growth Lesson Teaching Time Wise
Wait for that wisest of all counselors, Time.
PERICLES

Counsellor One Liner Time Wait Wise
Trees, though they are cut and lopped, grow up again quickly, but if men are destroyed, it is not easy to get them again.
PERICLES

Broken Heart Cut Destroy Easy Man Quick Tree
It is right to endure with resignation what the gods send, and to face one’s enemies with courage.
PERICLES

Courage Endurance Enemy Face God Resignation
The marketplace is democratic.
PERICLES

Demorcracy Market One Liner
Your empire is now like a tyranny: it may have been wrong to take it; it is certainly dangerous to let it go.
PERICLES

Dangerous Empire Let Go Wrong
Not to be able to bear poverty is a shameful thing, but not to know how to chase it away by work is a more shameful thing yet.
PERICLES

Chase Poverty Shame Work
Instead of looking on discussion as a stumbling block in the way of action, we think it an indispensable preliminary to any wise action at all.
PERICLES

Action Discussion Indispensable Stumble Wise
Future ages will wonder at us, as the present age wonders at us now.
PERICLES

Age Future Present Wonder
As for poverty, no one need be ashamed to admit it, the real shame is in not taking practical measures to escape from it.
PERICLES

Admit Ashame Escape Measure Poverty Practical Real Shame
A woman’s greatest glory is to be little talked about by men, whether for good or ill.
PERICLES

Glory Goodness Ill Men Talk Women
Instead of looking on discussion as a stumbling block in the way of action, we think it an indispensable preliminary to any wise action at all.
PERICLES

Action Discussion Indispensable Stumble Wise
We Athenians hold that it is not poverty that is disgraceful but the failure to struggle against it.
PERICLES

Against Failure Grace Poverty Struggle
Although only a few may originate a policy, we are all able to judge it.
PERICLES

Judgment Policy

Other Famous Personalities