Hesiod quotes
Explore a curated collection of Hesiod's most famous quotes. Dive into timeless reflections that offer deep insights into life, love, and the human experience through his profound words.
And Zeus will destroy this race of mortal men too, when they, at their birth, have grey hair on their temples.
In the morning of like, work; in the midday, give counsel; in the evening, pray.
The man who is rich in fancy thinks that his wagon is already built; poor fool, he does not know that there are a hundred timbers to a wagon.
Let the price fixed with a friend be sufficient, and even dealing with a brother call in witnesses, but laughingly.
No gossip ever dies away entirely, if many people voice it: it, too, is a kind of divinity.
This man, I say, is most perfect who shall have understood everything for himself, after having devised what may be best afterward and unto the end.
Hunger is an altogether fit companion for the idle man.
We know how to speak many falsehoods that resemble real things, but we know, when we will, how to speak true things.
Potter is potter's enemy, and craftsman is craftsman's rival; tramp is jealous of tramp, and singer of singer.
In the race for wealth, a neighbor tries to outdo his neighbor, but this strife is good for men. For the potter envies potter, and the carpenter the carpenter, and the beggar rivals the beggar, and the singer the singer.
Inhibition is no good provider for a needy man
Happy is the man whom the Muses love: sweet speech flows from his mouth.
Never make a companion equal to a brother.
A man who works evil against another works it really against himself, and bad advice is worst for the one who devised it
Invite your friend to dinner; have nothing to do with your enemy.
He for himself weaves woe who weaves for others woe, and evil counsel on the counselor recoils.
A man fashions ill for himself who fashions ill for another, and the ill design is most ill for the designer.
How easily some light report is set about, but how difficult to bear.
Work is not a shame. Laziness is a shame.
Gossip and rumor are evil; easy to lift up, heavy to carry, and hard to put down again.
Toil is no source of shame; idleness is shame.
Best is the man who thinks for himself.
Often even a whole city suffers for a bad man who sins and contrives presumptuous deeds.
An income means life to wretched mortals, but it is a terrible fate to die among the waves.
Wealth should not be seized, but the god-given is much better.
Inhibition is no good provider for a needy man, Inhibition, which does men great harm and great good. Inhibition attaches to poverty, boldness to wealth.
When you deal with your brother, be pleasant, but get a witness.
I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was a boy, we were taught to be discrete and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and impatient of restraint.
An evil plan does mischief to the planner.
Money is life to us wretched mortals.
Mortals grow swiftly in misfortune.
Try to take for a mate a person of your own neighborhood.
For a man wins nothing better than a good wife, and then again nothing deadlier than a bad one.
Often an entire city has suffered because of an evil man.
Whoever has trusted a woman has trusted deceivers.
The ill design is most ill for the designer.
Bring a wife home to your house when you are of the right age, not far short of 30 years, nor much above this is the right time for marriage.
In work there is no shame; shame is in the idleness.
The gods being always close to men perceive those who afflict others with unjust devices and do not fear the wrath of heaven.
...Perses, hear me out on justice, and take what I have to say to heart; cease thinking of violence. For the son of Kronos, Zeus, has ordained this law to men: that fishes and wild beasts and winged birds should devour one another, since there is no justice in them; but to mankind he gave justice which proves for the best.
Even though it's hard, it's easy.
Love, the fairest among the undying gods, who loosens the limbs of all gods and men, conquers resolve and prudent counsel within the breast.
Love those who love you, help those you help you, and give to those who give to you.
If you add a little to a little and do this often, soon the little will become great.
The man who procrastinates is always struggling with misfortunes.
The best man of all is he who knows everything himself. Good also the man who accepts another's sound advice; but the man who neither knows himself nor takes to hear what another says, he is no good at all.
There was not after all a single kind of strife, but on earth there are two kinds: one of them a man might praise when he recognized her, but the other is blameworthy.
The man who procrastinates struggles with ruin.
Far best is he who is himself all-wise, and he, too, good who listens to wise words; But whoso is not wise or lays to hear another's wisdom is a useless man.
Do not gain basely; base gain is equal to ruin.
No whispered rumours which the many spread can wholly perish.
The fool learns by suffering.
Men must sweat to attain virtue.
Let it please thee to keep in order a moderate-sized farm, that so thy garners may be full of fruits in their season.
That man is best who sees the truth himself. Good too is he who listens to wise counsel. But who is neither wise himself nor willing to ponder wisdom is not worth a straw.
Peace is a nursing mother to the land.
The man who does evil to another does evil to himself, and the evil counsel is most evil for him who counsels it.
The half is greater than the whole.
A bad neighbor is a misfortune, as much as a good one is a great blessing.
He is senseless who would match himself against a stronger man; for he is deprived of victory and adds suffering to disgrace.
Preserve the mean; the opportune moment is best in all things.
The artist envies what the arties gains, The bard the rival bard's successful strains.
Before the gates of excellence the high gods have placed sweat; long is the road thereto and rough and steep at first; but when the heights are reached, then there is ease, though grievously hard in the winning.
Invite your friend to a feast, but leave your enemy alone; and especially invite the one who lives near you.
Whoever happens to give birth to mischievous children lives always with unending grief in his spirit and heart.
But they who give straight judgements to strangers and to those of the land and do not transgress what is just, for them the city flourishes and its people prosper.
He's only harming himself who's bent upon harming another
For now indeed is the race of iron; and men never cease from labour and sorrow by day and from perishing by night.
Actions from youth, advice from the middle-aged, prayers from the aged.
So the people will pay the penalty for their kings' presumption, who, by devising evil, turn justice from her path with tortuous speech.
Gain not base gains; base gains are the same as losses.
Observe due measure, for right timing is in all things the most important factor.
The dawn speeds a man on his journey, and speeds him too in his work.
Neither make thy friend equal to a brother; but if thou shalt have made him so, be not the first to do him wrong.
Drink your fill when the jar is first opened, and when it is nearly done, but be sparing when it is half-empty; it's a poor savingwhen you come to the dregs.
Do not get a name as overly lavish or too inhospitable.
Man's chiefest treasure is a sparing tongue.
Do not put your work off till to-morrow and the day after; for a sluggish worker does not fill his barn, nor one who puts off his work: industry makes work go well, but a man who puts off work is always at hand-grips with ruin.
Keep adding little by little and it will become a big heap.
Do not let any sweet-talking woman beguile your good sense with the fascinations of her shape. It's your barn she's after.
Do not seek evil gains; evil gains are the equivalent of disaster
The fool knows after he has suffered.
Potter is piqued with potter, joiner with joiner, beggar begrudges beggar, and singer singer.
Do not seek dishonest gains: dishonest gains are losses.
Love, who is most beautiful among the immortal gods, the melter of limbs, overwhelms in their hearts the intelligence and wise counsel of all gods and all men.
Giving is good, but taking is bad and brings death.
It is not possible either to trick or escape the mind of Zeus.
Only fools need suffer to learn.
Bacteria: The only culture some people have.
You trust a thief when you trust a woman.
There is also an evil report; light, indeed, and easy to raise, but difficult to carry, and still more difficult to get rid of.
Whoever, fleeing marriage and the sorrows that women cause, does not wish to wed comes to a deadly old age.
Work is no disgrace: it is idleness which is a disgrace.
Timeliness is best in all matters.
Evil can be got very easily and exists in quantity: the road to her is very smooth, and she lives near by. But between us and virtue the gods have placed the sweat of our brows; the road to her is long and steep, and it is rough at first; but when a man has reached the top, then she is easy to attain, although before she was hard.
He harms himself who does harm to another, and the evil plan is most harmful to the planner.
He is a fool who tries to match his strength with the stronger.
Admire a small ship, but put your freight in a large one; for the larger the load, the greater will be the profit upon profit.
Invite the man that loves thee to a feast, but let alone thine enemy.
They are fools who do not know how much the half exceeds the whole.
Diligence increaseth the fruit of toil. A dilatory man wrestles with losses.
A sparing tongue is the greatest treasure among men.
Do not put all your goods in hollow ships.
It is a hard thing for a man to be righteous, if the unrighteous man is to have the greater right.
Aerial spirits, by great Jove design'd To be on earth the guardians of mankind: Invisible to mortal eyes they go, And mark our actions, good or bad, below: The immortal spies with watchful care preside, And thrice ten thousand round their charges glide: They can reward with glory or with gold, A power they by Divine permission hold.
Badness you can get easily, in quantity. The road is smooth and lies close by. But in front of excellence the immortal gods have put sweat, and long and steep is the way to do it, and rough at first. But when you come to the top, then it is easy, even though it is hard.
For both faith and want of faith have destroyed men alike.
But he who neither thinks for himself nor learns from others, is a failure as a man.
And the evil wish is most evil to the wisher.
If you speak evil, you will soon be worse spoken of.
Labor is no disgrace.
Acquisition means life to miserable mortals.
Fools, they do not even know how much more is the half than the whole.
Do not let a flattering woman coax and wheedle you and deceive you; she is after your barn.
No day is wholly unproductive of good.
Aegis-bearing Zeus has a design for each occasion, and mortals find this hard to comprehend.
Night, having Sleep, the brother of Death.
It is best to do things systematically, since we are only human, and disorder is our worst enemy.
It will not always be summer: build barns.
The potter is at enmity with the potter.
Justice prevails over transgression when she comes to the end of the race.
In front of excellence, the immortal gods have put sweat, and long and steep is the way to it.
At the beginning of the cask and the end take thy fill but be saving in the middle; for at the bottom the savings comes too late.
A day is sometimes our mother, sometimes our stepmother.
Long exercise, my friend, inures the mind; And what we once disliked we pleasing find.
