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I would rather excel in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and possessions.
Plutarch -
Where two discourse, if the anger of one rises, he is the wise man who lets the contest fall.
Plutarch
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When Darius offered him ten thousand talents, and to divide Asia equally with him, 'I would accept it,' said Parmenio, 'were I Alexander.' 'And so truly would I,' said Alexander, 'if I were Parmenio.' But he answered Darius that the earth could not bear two suns, nor Asia two kings.
Plutarch -
Blinded as they are to their true character by self-love, every man is his own first and chiefest flatterer, prepared, therefore, to welcome the flatterer from the outside, who only comes confirming the verdict of the flatterer within.
Plutarch -
It is part of a good man to do great and noble deeds, though he risk everything.
Plutarch -
The old proverb was now made good, 'the mountain had brought forth a mouse.'
Plutarch -
A good man will take care of his horses and dogs, not only while they are young, but when old and past service.
Plutarch -
Being conscious of having done a wicked action leaves stings of remorse behind it, which, like an ulcer in the flesh, makes the mind smart with perpetual wounds; for reason, which chases away all other pains, creates repentance, shames the soul with confusion, and punishes it with torment.
Plutarch
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The very spring and root of honesty and virtue lie in good education.
Plutarch -
Hesiod might as well have kept his breath to cool his pottage.
Plutarch -
For he who gives no fuel to fire puts it out, and likewise he who does not in the beginning nurse his wrath and does not puff himself up with anger takes precautions against it and destroys it.
Plutarch -
It is easy to utter what has been kept silent, but impossible to recall what has been uttered.
Plutarch -
So long as he was personally present, [Alcibiades] had the perfect mastery of his political adversaries; calumny only succeeded in his absence.
Plutarch -
For the correct analogy for the mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting.
Plutarch
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And when the physician said, 'Sir, you are an old man,' 'That happens,' replied Pausanias, 'because you never were my doctor.'
Plutarch -
Courage consists not in hazarding without fear; but being resolutely minded in a just cause.
Plutarch -
He [Caesar] loved the treason, but hated the traitor.
Plutarch -
He who owns a hundred sheep must fight with fifty wolves.
Plutarch -
As bees extract honey from thyme, the strongest and driest of herbs, so sensible men often get advantage and profit from the most awkward circumstances.
Plutarch -
They are wrong who think that politics is like an ocean voyage or a military campaign, something to be done with some particular end in view, something which leaves off as soon as that end is reached. It is not a public chore, to be got over with. It is a way of life. It is the life of a domesticated political and social creature who is born with a love for public life, with a desire for honor, with a feeling for his fellows; and it lasts as long as need be.
Plutarch
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What sort of tree is there which will not, if neglected, grow crooked and unfruitful; what but Will, if rightly ordered, prove productive and bring its fruit to maturity? What strength of body is there which will not lose its vigor and fall to decay by laziness, nice usage, and debauchery?
Plutarch -
As soft wax is apt to take the stamp of the seal, so are the minds of young children to receive the instruction imprinted on them.
Plutarch -
Those who aim at great deeds must also suffer greatly.
Plutarch -
Silence is an answer to a wise man.
Plutarch