Aristophanes
Aristophanes (c. 450 BC - c. 384 BC) was a great Greek comic playwright, dramatist, satirist and comic poet. He lived in Athens, directed the shafts of his wit, which were very keen, against all of whatever rank who sought in any way to alter, and, as it was presumed, amend, the religious, philosophical, social, political, or literary creed and practice of the country, and held up to ridicule such men as Socrates and Euripides, as well as Cleon the tanner. He wrote 54 plays, of which 11 have come down to us, of these the "Clouds" aim at Socrates, the "Acharnians" and the "Frogs" at Euripides, and the "Knights" at Cleon. His other notable works are Lysistrata and ''The Birds".Wisdom & Quotes
- You should not decide until you have heard what both have to say.
-The Wasps
- Hunger knows no friend but its feeder.
- Demosthenes: A demagogue must be neither an educated nor an honest man; he has to be an ignoramus and a rogue.
- Knights
- Demosthenes [to the Sausage-Seller]: Mix and knead together all the state business as you do for your sausages. To win the people, always cook them some savoury that pleases them. Besides, you possess all the attributes of a demagogue; a screeching, horrible voice, a perverse, crossgrained nature and the language of the market-place. In you all is united which is needful for governing.
- Knights
- Demosthenes: You have all the characteristics of a popular politician; a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner.
- (an alternative translation) Knights
- Sausage-Seller: You [demagogues] are like the fishers for eels; in still waters they catch nothing, but if they thoroughly stir up the slime, their fishing is good; in the same way it's only in troublous times that you line your pockets.
- Knights
- Wise men, though all laws were abolished, would lead the same lives.
- attributed
- Epops: A man may learn wisdom even from a foe.
- Birds
- Full of wiles, full of guile, at all times, in all ways, are the children of Men.
- Birds
- Ye Children of Man! whose life is a span,
Protracted with sorrow from day to day,
Naked and featherless, feeble and querulous,
Sickly, calamitous creatures of clay!
- Chorus in Birds
- Pisthetaerus: Undoubtedly; words give wings to the mind and make a man soar to heaven. Thus I hope that my wise words will give you wings to fly to some less degrading trade.
- Birds
- Old age is second childhood.
- Clouds
- Just Discourse: Do not bandy words with your father, nor treat him as a dotard, nor reproach the old man, who has cherished you, with his age.
- Clouds
- Praxagora: Woman is adept at getting money for herself and will not easily let herself be deceived; she understands deceit too well herself.
- Ecclesiazusae
- Aeschylus: High thoughts must have high language.
- Frogs
- [Choir of] Men: There is no beast, no rush of fire, like woman so untamed. She calmly goes her way where even panthers would be shamed.
[Choir of] Women: And yet you are fool enough, it seems, to dare to war with me, when for your faithful ally you might win me easily.
- Lysistrata
- [Choir of] Men: O botheration take you all! How you cajole and flatter.
A hell it is to live with you; to live without, a hell:
- Lysistrata
- Hierocles: You will never make the crab walk straight.
- Peace
- Chremylus: [Wealth], the most excellent of all the gods.
- Plutus
- Blepsidemus: There is no honest man! not one, that can resist the attraction of gold!
- Plutus
- Chorus: Under every stone lurks a politician.
- Thesmophoriazusae
- Sosias: The love of wine is a good man's failing.
- Wasps
- Times change. The vices of your age are stylish today.
- The Clouds
- Ignorance can be cured, but stupidity is forever.
Xenophon