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Don’t confuse meaning with truth.

Thucydides

We must remember that one man is much the same as another, and that he is best who is trained in the severest school.
THUCYDIDES

Himself Man Remember School Training
Still hope leads men to venture; and no one ever yet put himself in peril without the inward conviction that he would succeed in his design.
THUCYDIDES

Design Hope Man Misery Success
People get into the habit of entrusting the things they desire to wishful thinking, and subjecting things they don’t desire to exhaustive thinking.
THUCYDIDES

Desire Habit People Subject Thinking Trust
Of the gods we believe, and of men we know, that by a necessary law of their nature they rule wherever they can.
THUCYDIDES

Believe God Law Man Nature Necessary Rule
They are surely to be esteemed the bravest spirits who, having the clearest sense of both the pains and pleasures of life, do not on that account shrink from danger.
THUCYDIDES

Brave Dangerous Happiness Pain Spirit
Three of the gravest failings, want of sense, of courage, or of vigilance.
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Courage Failure Need Sense
I think the two things most opposed to good counsel are haste and passion; haste usaully goes hand in hand with folly, passion with coarseness and narrowness of mind.
THUCYDIDES

Goodness Hands Mindset Passion Thinking
Now the only sure basis of an alliance is for each party to be equally afraid of the other.
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Afraid Basis Equality Fear Party
He who graduates the harshest school, succeeds.
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Difficult Graduation Himself School Success
Amassing of wealth is an opportunity for good deeds, not hubris.
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Action Goodness Opportunity Wealth
We secure our friends not by accepting favours but by doing them.
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Acceptance Action Friendship Security
The strong do what they have to do and the weak accept what they have to accept.
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Acceptance Strong Weakness
For so remarkably perverse is the nature of man that he despises whoever courts him, and admires whoever will not bend before him.
THUCYDIDES

Admire Court Himself Man Nature Remark
Men do not rest content with parrying the attacks of a superior, but often strike the first blow to prevent the attack being made.
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Attack Man Prevent Rest Superior
Hope is an expensive commodity. It makes better sense to be prepared.
THUCYDIDES

Better Expensive Hope Item Preparation Sense
The strength of an Army lies in strict discipline and undeviating obedience to its officers.
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Discipline Lying Obedience Strength Strict
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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Believe Goodness Man Public
I am not blaming those who are resolved to rule, only those who show an even greater readiness to submit.
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Blame Greatness Myself Ready Rule Submit
Stories happen to those who tell them.
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Convey Story Talk
I have often before now been convinced that a democracy is incapable of empire.
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Capable Democracy Empire
It is useless to attack men who could not be controlled even if conquered, while failure would leave us in an even worse position.
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Attack Conquer Control Failure Man Position Worst
They whose minds are least sensitive to calamity, and whose hands are most quick to meet it, are the greatest men and the greatest communities.
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Calm Community Greatness Hands Man Mindset Sensitive
For men naturally despise those who court them, but respect those who do not give way to them.
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Man Natural Respect Way
Love of power, operating through greed and through personal ambition, was the cause of all these evils.
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Ambition Evil Love Operation Personal Power Reason
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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Beginning Disaster Discussion Mistake War
War is a matter not so much of arms as of money.
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Arms Money War
Those who have experienced good and bad luck many times have every reason to be skeptical of successes.
THUCYDIDES

Experience Reason Success Time

Don’t confuse meaning with truth.

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Don’t confuse meaning with truth.

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