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Greek Quotes

“It's no secret that I've always had an interest in mythology. Whether it's Arthurian or ancient Greek or even Marvel universe. I've always connected with it on some level.”

Universe Interest Levels Secret Ancient Connected Mythology Greek Ancient Greek

Author:Nicolas Cage

“Poseidon’s trident was also all over the place, since Peter the Great wanted to stress Russia’s sea power. I especially like the trident on top of an obelisk -- what a great Egyptian/Greek mix up!”

Wanted Sea Stress Russia Greek Peter Egyptian Poseidon Sea Power

Author:Rick Riordan

“An event is not any more intrinsically intelligible or unintelligible because of the pace at which it moves. For a man who does not believe in a miracle, a slow miracle would be just as incredible as a swift one. The Greek witch may have turned sailors to swine with a stroke of the wand. But to see a naval gentleman of our acquaintance looking a little more like a pig every day, till he ended with four trotters and a curly tail, would not be any more soothing. It might be rather more creepy and uncanny.”

“The first thing you notice about New Orleans are the burying grounds - the cemeteries - and they're a cold proposition, one of the best things there are here. Going by, you try to be as quiet as possible, better to let them sleep. Greek, Roman, sepulchres- palatial mausoleums made to order, phantomesque, signs and symbols of hidden decay - ghosts of women and men who have sinned and who've died and are now living in tombs. The past doesn't pass away so quickly here. You could be dead for a long time”

Source: Chronicles

“What happened to the alpha-wolf?" "LEGOs." "Legos?" It sounded Greek but I couldn't recall anything mythological with that name. Wasn't it an island? "He was carrying a load of laundry into the basement and tripped on the old set of LEGOs his kids left on the stairs. Broke two ribs and an ankle.”

Two Kids Names Left Happened Broke Greek Islands Load Recalls Stairs Basements Laundry Ribs Ankles Alphas Legos

Book:Magic Bites: A Special Edition of the First Kate Daniels Novel

Source: Magic Bites: A Special Edition of the First Kate Daniels Novel

“Hey," he said. "It's someday." He said the last word in Greek.”

Said Lasts Hey Greek Someday Last Words

Author:Ann Brashares

“He raised an eyebrow. "You claim not to know me? Of course I'm Thoth. Also called Djehuti. Also called--" I [Sadie] stifled a laugh. "Ja-hooty?" Thoth looked offended. "In Ancient Egyptian, it's a perfectly fine name. The Greeks called me Thoth. Then later they confused me with their god Hermes. Even had the nerve to rename my sacred city Hermopolis, though we're nothing alike. Believe me, if you've ever met Hermes--”

Ifs Knows Believe Courses Names Cities Laughing Fine Mets Claims Sacred Raised Ancient Greek Confused Nerves Believe In Me Know Me Offended Eyebrows Egyptian Sadie Hermes Ancient Egyptian

Author:Rick Riordan

“Why did the old Persians hold the sea holy? Why did the Greeks give it a separate deity, and own brother Jove? Surely all this is not without meaning. And still deeper the meaning of that story of Narcissus, who because he could not grasp the tormenting mild image he saw in the fountain, plunged into it and was drowned. But that same image, we ourselves see in all rivers and oceans. It is the image of the ungraspable phantom of life; and this is the key to it all.”

Giving Stills Stories Saws Sea Brother Keys Holy Ocean Rivers Deeper Greek Fountain Deities Phantoms Narcissus

Book:Moby Dick

Source: Moby Dick

“If there were a god of New York, it would be the Greek's Hermes, the Roman's Mercury. He embodies New York qualities: the quick exchange, the fastness of language and style, craftiness, the mixing of people and crossing of borders, imagination.”

People Ifs Would Be Language Imagination Quality Style New York Borders Greek Crossings Mixing Mercury Hermes Craftiness

Author:James Hillman

“And yes,Percy,of course they are now in our United States. Look at your symbol,the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center,the Greek facades of our government builidings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not proeminently displayed, in multiple places. Like it or not-and believe me,plenty of people weren't very found of Rome,either-America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West.And so Olympus is here.And we are here.”

“Giving importance to what we think because we thought it, taking our own selves not only (to quote the Greek philosopher) as the measure of all things but as their norm or standard, we create in ourselves, if not an interpretation, at least a criticism of the universe, which we don't even know and therefore cannot criticize. The giddiest, most weak-minded of us then promote that criticism to an interpretation that's superimposed, like a hallucination; induced rather than deduced. It's a hallucination in the strict sense, being an illusion based on something only dimly seen.”

Source: The Education of the Stoic: The Only Manuscript of the Baron of Teive

“I think Eros should be dirty. In Greek legend, as I'm sure you are aware, he fell in love with the minor deity Psyche. It was the Greek way of saying that, in spite of what it may believe, Love pursues the Soul, not the body; the Erotic desires the Psychic. If Love was clean and wholesome he wouldn't lust after Psyche.”

Ifs Thinking Way Should Believe May Soul Body Desire Clean Lust Pursue Dirty Greek Spite Legends Minors Psychics Erotic Deities Eros Believe In Love

Author:Stephen Fry

“The gods weave misfortunes for men, so that the generations to come will have something to sing about.” Mallarmé repeats, less beautifully, what Homer said; “tout aboutit en un livre,” everything ends up in a book. The Greeks speak of generations that will sing; Mallarmé speaks of an object, of a thing among things, a book. But the idea is the same; the idea that we are made for art, we are made for memory, we are made for poetry, or perhaps we are made for oblivion. But something remains, and that something is history or poetry, which are not essentially different.”

Men Art Made Said Book Ideas Different Ends Speak Memories Generations Objects Remains Greek Repeats Misfortunes Oblivion

Author:Jorge Luis Borges

“khalepa ta kala, greek. It means 'beauty is harsh'.”

Mean Greek Harsh

Author:Cassandra Clare

“The fool’s life is empty of gratitude and full of fears; its course lies wholly toward the future.”

Life Philosophy Life Is Lying Courses Tears Fool Gratitude Future Empty Philosopher Foolish Greek Emptiness Foolishness Ancient Greek Greek Philosopher Epicurean

Author:Epicurus

“You’re like a god from a Greek myth, Saiman. You have no empathy. You have no concept of the world beyond your ego. Wanting something gives you an automatic right to obtain it by whatever means necessary with no regard to the damage it may do. I would be careful if I were you. Friends and objects of deities’ desires dropped like flies. In the end the gods always ended up miserable and alone." — Kate Daniels”

Ifs World Giving May Mean Ends Would Be Desire Objects Ego Empathy Concepts Regard Careful Myth Mythology Miserable Greek Damage Be Careful Greek Mythology Deities Kate Greek Myth No Empathy

Book:Magic Strikes

Source: Magic Strikes

“I suppose there is no place in the world where snobbery is quite so ever-present or where it is cultivated in such refined and subtle forms as in an English public school. Here at least one cannot say that English ‘education’ fails to do its job. You forget your Latin and Greek within a few months of leaving school — I studied Greek for eight or ten years, and now, at thirty-three, I cannot even repeat the Greek alphabet — but your snobbishness, unless you persistently root it out like the bindweed it is, sticks by you till your grave.”

Source: The Complete Works of George Orwell: The road to Wigan Pier

“What is an adjective? Nouns name the world. Verbs activate the names. Adjectives come from somewhere else. The word adjective (epitheton in Greek) is itself an adjective meaning 'placed on top', 'added', 'appended', 'foreign'. Adjectives seem fairly innocent additions, but look again. These small imported mechanisms are in charge of attaching everything in the world to its place in particularity. They are the latches of being.”

World Looks Seems Names Innocent Greek Mechanism Somewhere Else Verbs Adjectives Nouns Activate Latches

Book:Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse

Source: Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse

“I see murky visions of other gods and rival magic." That REALLY didn't sound good. "What do you mean?" I asked. "what OTHER GODS?" "I don't know, Sadie. But Egypt has always faced challenges from outside –– magicians from elsewhere, even gods from elsewhere. Just be vigilant." ~Ruby & Sadie Kane about...? Possibly Greeks?”

Knows Mean Sound Challenges Vision Magic Greek Elsewhere Egypt Magician Rivals Vigilant Sadie Sadie Kane

Author:Rick Riordan

“When I first started studying Greek, one of my absolute favorite parts was realizing that so many English words had these old, secret roots. Learning Greek was like being given a super-power: linguistic x-ray vision.”

Firsts Given Realizing Secret Vision Study Roots Absolutes Greek Rays Super Power English Words

Author:Madeline Miller

“Minus my relationship with Kennedy, I had no automatic invitation to Greek Parties or events, though Chaz and Erin could invite me to some stuff since I fell under the heading of acceptable things to bring to any party: alcohol and girls. Awesome. I'd gone from independent girlfriend to party paraphernalia.”

Girl Stuff Party Gone Events Independent Alcohol Greek Girlfriend Invites Acceptable Invitations Headings Minus Erin

Author:Tammara Webber

“He beat back the Greeks and reclaimed Rome for our people. Indeed, he was the one who destroyed the Macedonian threat and who single-handedly annihilated the greatest Greek general who had ever lived. Kyrian of Thrace.” Real hatred gleamed in his eyes, but she wasn’t sure who it was meant for. His grandfather or Kyrian. “You mean Kyrian Hunter?” she asked. “The guy with the minivan who lives a few blocks over?” Valerius’s eyes sparked at that. “He’s driving a minivan?” There was no mistaking the humor in his tone.”

People Mean Real Eye Guy Beats Hatred Threat Driving Block Destroyed Greek Tone His Eyes Rome Grandfather Hunters Minivans

Book:Night Play

Source: Night Play

“Cosmos is a Greek word for the order of the universe. It is, in a way, the opposite of Chaos. It implies the deep interconnectedness of all things. It conveys awe for the intricate and subtle way in which the universe is put together.”

Way Together Order Universe All Things Opposites Chaos Greek Awe Cosmos Subtle Intricate Interconnectedness

Book:Cosmos

Source: Cosmos

“Cacus.” I’d had years of practice looking dumb when people threw out Greek names I didn’t know. It’s a skill of mine. Annabeth keeps telling me to read a book of Greek myths, but I don’t see the need. It’s easier just to have folks explain stuff.”

People Knows Needs Years Book Names Stuff Practice Mines Easier Skills Folks Myth Dumb Greek Annabeth Greek Myth

Book:The Demigod Diaries (Heroes of Olympus)

Source: The Demigod Diaries (Heroes of Olympus)

“His scowl returned. "Why, if they're supposed to be Greek, are all of them speaking with an English accent?" She laughed. "Didn't you know that British is, like, the universal 'foreign' language in Hollywood? They use it in any movie where they want to have a foreign feel to it, regardless of where it's set”

Ifs Knows Want Feels Use Language Hollywood Universal British Supposed To Be Greek Laughed Accents Foreign Language

Author:Sherrilyn Kenyon

“I could hear hopefulness in her voice, but also doubt. She was waiting for me to admit the obvious: I'd forgotten. I was toast. I was boyfriend roadkill. Just because I forgot, you shouldn't take that as a sign I didn't care about Annabeth. Seriously, the last month with her had been awesome. I was the luckiest demigod ever. But a special dinner... when had I mentioned that? Maybe I'd said it after Annabeth kissed me, which had sort of sent me into a fog. Maybe a Greek gos had disguised himself as me as and made her that promise as a prank. Or maybe I was just a rotten boyfriend.”

Made Said Care Lasts Waiting Voice Doubt Special Months Promise Forgotten Obvious Dinner Greek Fog Rotten Toasts Annabeth Pranks Hopefulness Demigods

Author:Rick Riordan

“And that's how we measure out our real respect for people—by the degree of feeling they can register, the voltage of life they can carry and tolerate—and enjoy. End of sermon. As Buddha says: live like a mighty river. And as the old Greeks said: live as though all your ancestors were living again through you.”

People Said Real Ends Feelings Enjoy Degrees Rivers Greek Ancestor Tolerate Sermons Register Voltage Old Greek

Author:Ted Hughes

“We Greeks are a moody people. Suicide makes sense to us. Putting up Christmas lights after your own daughter does it--that makes no sense. What my yia yia could never understand about America was why everyone pretended to be happy all the time.” -Mrs. Karafilis”

People Doe Light America Daughter Suicide Make Sense Greek Moody Virgin Suicides Christmas Lights

Author:Jeffrey Eugenides

“But in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do.”

Men Stills Eye Action Night Reading Literature Moral Knowing Sky Thousand Worship Greek Night Sky Great Literature Moral Action

Book:An Experiment in Criticism

Source: An Experiment in Criticism

“I would still be with you. But I could sleep outside, so it would not be so obvious. I do not need to attend your councils. I—' 'No. The Phthians will not care. And the others can talk all they like. I will still be Aristos Achaion.' Best of the Greeks. 'Your honor could be darkened by it." 'Then it is darkened.' His jaw shot forward, stubborn. 'They are fools if they let my glory rise or fall on this.”

Ifs Needs Stills Care Fall Sleep Fool Honor Glory Shots Obvious Greek Stubborn Council Your Honor

Author:Madeline Miller

“In Greek tragedy, they fall from great heights. In noir, they fall from the curb.”

Fall Tragedy Greek Height Noir Curb Greek Tragedy Great Heights

Author:Dennis Lehane

“So then there was the Greek, Socrates, he was great... He invented questioning. Before Socrates, no questioning. Everyone sort of went, ''Yeah, I suppose so.”

Yeah Greek Questioning

Author:Eddie Izzard

“Five hundred years before Christ was born, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus told his students that "everything changes except the law of change". He said: "You cannot step in the same river twice." The river changes every second; and so does the man who stepped in it. Life is a ceaseless change. The only certainty is today. Why mar the beauty of living today by trying to solve the problems of a future that is shrouded in ceaseless change and uncertainty-a future that no one can possibly foretell?”

Men Trying Years Doe Said Problem Today Law Life Is Christ Born Steps Five Students Hundred Rivers Philosopher Solve Certainty Uncertainty Greek Mars Every Second Greek Philosopher

Author:Dale Carnegie

“We are usually told that democracy originated in ancient Athens - like science, or philosophy, it was a Greek invention. It's never entirely clear what this is supposed to mean. Are we supposed to believe that before the Athenians, it never really occurred to anyone, anywhere, to gather all the members of their community in order to make joint decisions in a way that gave everyone equal say?”

Way Believe Mean Philosophy Order Community Decision Democracy Clear Equal Members Ancient Invention Greek Joints Athens Athenians

Author:David Graeber

“A legacy that powerful does not disappear. Next to the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans were babies. Our modern nations like Great Britain and America? Blinks of an eye...The very oldest root of civilization, at least of Western civilization, is Egypt. Look at the pyramid on the dollar bill. Look at the Washington Monument—the world’s largest Egyptian obelisk. Egypt is still.......very much alive.”

Source: The Kane Chronicles, The, Book One: Red Pyramid

“My wife, my Mary, goes to her sleep the way you would close the door of a closet. So many times I have watched her with envy. Her lovely body squirms a moment as though she fitted herself into a cocoon. She sighs once and at the end of it her eyes close and her lips, untroubled, fall into that wise and remote smile of the Ancient Greek gods. She smiles all night in her sleep, her breath purrs in her throat, not a snore, a kitten's purr... She loves to sleep and sleep welcomes her.”

Source: The Winter of our Discontent

“To the ancient Greeks the word, dikaiosini,justice was often synonymous with ekdikisis,vengeance.”

Justice Ancient Greek Vengeance Ancient Greek

Book:Memories of Midnight

Source: Memories of Midnight

“I'll tell you a secret. Something they don't teach you in your temple. The Gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.”

“Of all the small nations of this earth, perhaps only the ancient Greeks surpass the Scots in their contribution to mankind.”

Earth Nations Mankind Ancient Greek Contribution Scotland Scottish Ancient Greek Scots Small Nations

Author:Winston Churchill

“You think I'm cute?" He said thinkly, pulling on her hand. She was glad he couldn't see her face. "I think you're..." Beautiful. Breathtaking. Like the person in a Greek myth who makes one of the gods stop caring about being a god.”

Thinking Persons Said Hands Beautiful Faces Caring Myth Glad Greek Cute Pulling Breathtaking You Re Beautiful Greek Myth Stop Caring

Author:Rainbow Rowell

“Once Henry had heard a crying noise at sea, and had seen a mermaid floating on the ocean's surface. The mermaid had been injured by a shark. Henry had pulled the mermaid out of the water with a rope, and she had died in his arms..."what language did the mermaid speak?" Alma wanted to know, imagining that it like almost have to be Greek. "English!" Henry said. "By God, plum, why would I rescue a deuced foreign mermaid?”

Knows Said Wanted Speak Language Water Heard Sea Cry Arms Ocean Died Surface Noise Greek Rescue Floating Rope Injured Sharks Mermaid Plums

Author:Elizabeth Gilbert

“Sydney: I can do a lot of things, Adrian. And—at the risk of sounding egotistical —I mean, well, I can do a lot of pretty awesome things that most people can’t." Adrian: “Don’t I know it. You can change a tire in ten minutes while speaking Greek.” Sydney: “Five minutes.”

People Knows Wells Mean I Can Can Do Five Risk Minutes Ten Greek Tire Five Minutes Egotistical Sydney Awesome Things

Author:Richelle Mead

“Wonderful, Annabeth thought. Her own mother, the most levelheaded Olympian, was reduced to a raving, vicious scatterbrain in a subway station. And, of all the gods who might help them, the only ones not affected by the Greek-Roman schism seemed to be Aphrodite, Nemesis and Dionysus. Love, revenge, wine. Very helpful.”

Helping Might Mother Wonderful Wine Revenge Greek Helpful Stations Affected Vicious Subway Annabeth Annabeth Chase Olympian Aphrodite Nemesis Dionysus Schism Scatterbrain

Author:Rick Riordan

“Not specifically. "Demons have been on Earth as long as we have. They're all over the world, in their different forms – Greek daemons, Persian daevas, Hindu asuras, Japanese oni. Most belief systems have some method of incorporating both their existence and the fight against them. Shadowhunters cleave to no single religion, and in turn all religions assist us in our battle. I could as easily have gone for help to a Jewish synagogue or a Shinto temple, or – Ah. Here it is.”

Source: Cassandra Clare: The Mortal Instruments Series (5 books): City of Bones; City of Ashes; City of Glass; City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls

“You mix Greek and Roman, you know what you get? You get BAM!”

Book:The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus Book 4)

Source: The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus Book 4)

“When I was young I was amazed at Plutarch's statement that the elder Cato began at the age of eighty to learn Greek. I am amazed no longer. Old age is ready to undertake tasks that youth shirked because they would take too long.”

Long Age Young Time Learning Youth Ready Tasks Aging Statements Old Age Greek Amazed Elders Eighty Cato

Book:Mr. Maugham Himself

Source: Mr. Maugham Himself

“Science, also, is most largely indebted to these beauty-loving Greeks, for truth is one form of loveliness.”

Form Science Truth Is Accounts Greek Loveliness Indebted

Book:The Collected Works of Theodore Parker: Discourses of politics

Source: The Collected Works of Theodore Parker: Discourses of politics

“Television: The word is half Greek, half Latin. No good can come of it.”

Funny Business Half Media Television Greek Latin

Author:C. P. Scott

“I didn't have a big fat Greek wedding, but I have a lot of fat Greek friends.”

Bigs Fats Greek Hilarious

Author:Pete Sampras

“In its Greek origins, historia meant inquiry, and from Thucydides onwards, the past has been studied to understand its connections with the present.”

Has Beens Past History Connections Greek Inquiry

Author:Simon Schama