Herodotus Quotes
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If an important decision is to be made, they the Persians discuss the question when they are drunk, and the following day the master of the house where the discussion was held submits their decision for reconsideration when they are sober. If they still approve it, it is adopted; if not, it is abandoned. Conversely, any decision they make when they are sober, is reconsidered afterwards when they are drunk.
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History is marked by alternating movements across the imaginary line that separates East from West in Eurasia.
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Although extraordinary valor was displayed by the entire corps of Spartans and Thespians, yet bravest of all was declared the Spartan Dienekes. It is said that on the eve of battle, he was told by a native of Trachis that the Persian archers were so numerous that, their arrows would block out the sun. Dienekes, however, undaunted by this prospect, remarked with a laugh, 'Good. Then we will fight in the shade.
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If one is sufficiently lavish with time, everything possible happens.
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One man envies the success in life of another, and hates him in secret; nor is he willing to give him good advice when he is consulted, except it be by some wonderful effort of good feeling, and there are, alas, few such men in the world. A real friend, on the other hand, exults in his friend's happiness, rejoices in all his joys, and is ready to afford him the best advice.
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A woman takes off her claim to respect along with her garments.
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Call no man happy before he dies.
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Happiness is not fame or riches or heroic virtues, but a state that will inspire posterity to think in reflecting upon our life, that it was the life they would wish to live.
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Before a man dies, hold back and call him not happy but lucky.
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We are less convinced by what we hear than by what we see.
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Circumstances rule men; men do not rule circumstances.
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When life is so burdensome death has become a sought after refuge.
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Not snow, no, nor rain, nor heat, nor night keeps them from accomplishing their appointed courses with all speed.
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The Lacedaemonians fought a memorable battle; they made it quite clear that they were the experts, and that they were fighting against amateurs.
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These 'messengers' will not be hindered from accomplishing at their best speed the distance which they have to go, either by snow, or rain, or heat, or by the darkness of night.
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This king Sesostris divided the land among all Egyptians so as to give each one a quadrangle of equal size and to draw from each his revenues, by imposing a tax to be levied yearly. But everyone from whose part the river tore anything away, had to go to him to notify what had happened; he then sent overseers who had to measure out how much the land had become smaller, in order that the owner might pay on what was left, in proportion to the entire tax imposed. In this way, it appears to me, geometry originated, which passed thence to Hellas.
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It is clear that not in one thing alone, but in many ways equality and freedom of speech are a good thing.
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The worst part a man can suffer is to have insight into much and power over nothing.
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The Egyptians were the first to discover the solar year, and to portion out its course into twelve parts both the space of time and the seasons which they delimit. It was observation of the course of the stars which led them to adopt this divisionIt is also the Egyptians who first bought into use the names of the twelve gods, which the Greeks adopted from them.
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Where even a falsehood must be told, let it be told.
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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.
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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.
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Mens fortunes are on a wheel, which in its turning suffers not the same man to prosper for ever.
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A multitude of rulers is not a good thing. Let there be one ruler, one king.