Plutarch Quotes

Biographer

Plutarch, a renowned Greek historian and biographer, was born in 45 AD and died in 120 AD. His works are characterized by rigorous historical research and profound moral contemplation, having a profound impact on later generations.

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All Men Said Ifs Firsts Mind World Character Should Action Giving Wise Life Doe Littles Made People Politics Soul Virtue Enemy

Famous Plutarch Quotes

“Zeno first started that doctrine, that knavery is the best defence against a knave.”

Firsts Doctrine Defence Knaves Knavery

Book:Plutarch's Morals

Source: Plutarch's Morals

“When Demosthenes was asked what was the first part of Oratory, he answered, "Action," and which was the second, he replied, "action," and which was the third, he still answered "Action.”

Firsts Stills Action Thirds Oratory

Book:Delphi Complete Works of Plutarch (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of Plutarch (Illustrated)

“He (Cato) used to say that in all his life he never repented but of three things. The first was that he had trusted a woman with a secret; the second that he had gone by sea when he might have gone by land; and the third, that had passed one day without having a will by him.”

Firsts Might Used Three Secret Gone Sea Land One Day Thirds Repentance Trusted Three Things Cato

Book:Lives, Translated from the Original Greek: With Notes, Historical and Critical; and a Life of Plutarch

Source: Lives, Translated from the Original Greek: With Notes, Historical and Critical; and a Life of Plutarch

“Nothing exists in the intellect that has not first gone through the senses.”

Firsts Gone Intellect Senses

Author:Plutarch

“He who first called money the sinews of the state seems to have said this with special reference to war.”

Firsts Said War States Seems Special

Author:Plutarch

“Though others before him had triumphed three times, Pompeius, by having gained his first triumph over Libya, his second over Europe, and this the last over Asia, seemed in a manner to have brought the whole world into his three triumphs.”

World Firsts Whole Lasts Three Europe Whole World Triumph Asia Three Times Libya

Book:Parallel Lives -

Source: Parallel Lives -

“Lycurgus the Lacedæmonian brought long hair into fashion among his countrymen, saying that it rendered those that were handsome more beautiful, and those that were deformed more terrible. To one that advised him to set up a democracy in Sparta, "Pray," said Lycurgus, "do you first set up a democracy in your own house."”

Firsts Long Said Beautiful House Democracy Fashion Hair Praying Terrible Handsome Countrymen Long Hair Sparta

Author:Plutarch

“Athenodorus says hydrophobia, or water-dread, was first discovered in the time of Asclepiades.”

Firsts Water Dread

Author:Plutarch

“Anaximander says that men were first produced in fishes, and when they were grown up and able to help themselves were thrown up, and so lived upon the land.”

Men Firsts Helping Able Land Fishes Thrown

Book:Delphi Complete Works of Plutarch (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of Plutarch (Illustrated)

“After he routed Pharnaces Ponticus at the first assault, he wrote thus to his friends: "I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Firsts Saws Assault

Book:Plutarch's Morals

Source: Plutarch's Morals

“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.”

Men Firsts Self Character Self Love Prepared Every Man Welcome Flattery Blinded Verdict Flatterer True Character

Author:Plutarch

“Philosophy finds talkativeness a disease very difficult and hard to cure. For its remedy, conversation, requires hearers: but talkative people hear nobody, for they are ever prating. And the first evil this inability to keep silence produces is an inability to listen.”

People Firsts Hard Philosophy Evil Difficult Silence Talking Produce Conversation Disease Cures Remedy Inability Talkative

Book:Plutarch's Complete Works

Source: Plutarch's Complete Works

“The talkative listen to no one, for they are ever speaking. And the first evil that attends those who know not to be silent is that they hear nothing.”

Knows Firsts Evil Talking Silent Talkative

Author:Plutarch

“But the Lacedaemonians, who make it their first principle of action to serve their country's interest, know not any thing to be just or unjust by any measure but that.”

Knows Firsts Country Action Interest Principles Unjust

Book:Plutarch's Lives: The Translation Called Dryden's Corrected from the Greek

Source: Plutarch's Lives: The Translation Called Dryden's Corrected from the Greek

“I, for my part, wonder of what sort of feeling, mind or reason that man was possessed who was first to pollute his mouth with gore, and to allow his lips to touch the flesh of a murdered being: who spread his table with the mangled forms of dead bodies, and claimed as daily food and dainty dishes what but now were beings endowed with movement, perception and with voice. …but for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh, we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that portion of life and time it had been born in to the world to enjoy.”

“The Epicureans, according to whom animals had no creation, doe suppose that by mutation of one into another, they were first made; for they are the substantial part of the world; like as Anaxagoras and Euripides affirme in these tearmes: nothing dieth, but in changing as they doe one for another they show sundry formes.”

World Firsts Doe Made Shows Science Change Animal Creation Evolution Mutation Epicurean

Author:Plutarch

“The same intelligence is required to marshal an army in battle and to order a good dinner. The first must be as formidable as possible, the second as pleasant as possible, to the participants.”

Firsts Order Food Battle Army Cooking Dinner Pleasant Culinary Vegetables Participants Formidable

Author:Plutarch

“If you declare that you are naturally designed for such a diet, then first kill for yourself what you want to eat. Do it, however, only through your own resources, unaided by cleaver or cudgel or any kind of ax”

Ifs Want Firsts Kind Animal Resources Philosophical What You Want Diets Vegetarian Vegetarianism Cleaver

Author:Plutarch

“The man who first brought ruin upon the Roman people was he who pampered them by largesses and amusements.”

People Men Firsts He Man Ruins Amusement Pampered Largesse

Author:Plutarch

“Nature without learning is like a blind man; learning without Nature, like a maimed one; practice without both, incomplete. As in agriculture a good soil is first sought for, then a skilful husbandman, and then good seed; in the same way nature corresponds to the soil, the teacher to the husbandman, precepts and instruction to the seed.”

Men Way Firsts Nature Practice Teacher Blind Seeds Soil Instruction Agriculture Incomplete Blind Man

Author:Plutarch

“Lying is a most disgraceful vice; it first despises God, and then fears men.”

Men Firsts Lying Vices Deceit Despise Dishonesty Disgraceful

Author:Plutarch

“The first man . . . ventured to call food and nourishment the parts that had a little before bellowed and cried, moved and lived. How could his eyes endure the slaughter when throats were slit and hides flayed and limbs torn from limb? How could his nose endure the stench? How was it that the pollution did not turn away his taste, which made contact with the sores of others and sucked juices and serums from mortal wounds?”

“The first evil those who are prone to talk suffer, is that they hear nothing.”

Firsts Suffering Evil Speakers

Author:Plutarch

About the Author

Born: 45
Died: 120
Known for: Biographer
Quotes: 416

Books & Sources

Plutarch's MoralsRelated source material

Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans: Top BiographyRelated source material

Delphi Complete Works of Plutarch (Illustrated)Related source material

Plutarch's LivesRelated source material

Plutarch's Complete WorksRelated source material

Plutarch's Lives: Volume IRelated source material

Plutarch's Morals: Ethical EssaysRelated source material

Greek and Roman LivesRelated source material

Plutarch's Lives: Volume IIRelated source material

Plutarch's essays and miscellanies, comprising all the works collected under the title ofRelated source material

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