/Quotes
17 quotes

Sophocles

died 406

Sophocles was an ancient Greek playwright and one of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose works have survived. Born around 496 BC in Colonus, Athens, he is best known for his plays "Oedipus Rex," "Antigone," and "Electra," which explore complex themes of fate, ethics, and human suffering. Sophocles is also notable for introducing innovations in theatrical performance, such as the use of scenery and the introduction of a third actor, which greatly influenced the development of drama.

  1. Heaven never helps the man who will not act.

    SophoclesOedipus Rex, (1560), 5th century BCE
    #action#determination#help

  2. Reason is God's crowning gift to man.

    SophoclesAntigone, 465, translated by F. Storr
    #reason#gift#divinity

  3. Heaven never helps the man who will not help himself.

    SophoclesFragment 363
    #help#responsibility#self-improvement

  4. Old age and the passage of time teach all things.

    SophoclesAntigone, line 455
    #age#wisdom#time

  5. A man growing old becomes a child again.

    SophoclesOedipus at Colonus, line 1366
    #child#age#innocence

  6. You should not consider a man's age but his acts.

    SophoclesFragment 789, from Sophocles Fragments, translated by Hugh Lloyd-Jones, 1996
    #age#actions#judgment

  7. Money is the worst currency that ever grew among mankind. This sacks cities, this drives men from their homes, this teaches and corrupts the worthiest minds to turn base deeds.

    SophoclesAntigone, lines 295-300
    #money#corruption#value

  8. Who seeks shall find.

    SophoclesElectra, line 1206
    #seeking#discovery#perseverance

  9. Always desire to learn something useful.

    SophoclesAjax, line 550
    #learning#growth#curiosity

  10. Trust dies but mistrust blossoms.

    SophoclesAjax, line 718 (c. 440 BCE)
    #trust#mistrust#relationships

  11. I would prefer even to fail with honor than win by cheating.

    SophoclesAjax, line 550
    #honor#integrity#failure

  12. One who knows how to show and to accept kindness will be a friend better than any possession.

    SophoclesAjax, lines 522-523
    #kindness#friendship#value

  13. Alas, how quickly the gratitude owed to the dead flows off, how quick to be proved a deceiver.

    SophoclesAntigone, line 973, 442 B.C
    #gratitude#mortality#truth

  14. To him who is in fear everything rustles.

    SophoclesAjax, line 574
    #fear#perception#anxiety

  15. Without labor nothing prospers.

    SophoclesElectra, line 940
    #labor#prosperity#effort

  16. Profit is sweet, even if it comes from deception.

    Sophocles*Fragment 844*
    #profit#deception#morality

  17. Success is dependent on effort.

    SophoclesElectra: Remember, nothing succeeds without toil
    #success#effort#dependency