Herodotus Professions : Historian Born : 484 BC Died : 425 BC Browse All Authors Top 127 quotes by Herodotus If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it. Herodotus knowing fun men The secret of success is that it is not the absence of failure, but the absence of envy. Herodotus envy secret absence Men trust their ears less than their eyes. Herodotus trust music eye Adversity has the effect of drawing out strength and qualities of a man that would have laid dormant in its absence. Herodotus drawing adversity men Where wisdom is called for, force is of little use. Herodotus force use littles Haste in every business brings failures. Herodotus haste failure business In peace sons bury fathers, but war violates the order of nature, and fathers bury sons. Herodotus military peace father Those who are skilled in archery bend their bow only when they are preparing to use it; when they do not require it, they allow it to remain unbent, for otherwise it would remain unserviceable when the time for using it arrived. So it is with man. If he were to devote himself unceasingly to a dull round of business, without breaking the monotony by cheerful amusements, he would fall imperceptibly into idiocy, or be struck by paralysis Herodotus business men fall 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. Herodotus would-be home ideas Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest do not happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects. Herodotus eternity time history Of all possessions a friend is the most precious. Herodotus precious-friends precious-possessions possession All of life is action and passion, and not to be involved in the actions and passions of your time is to risk having not really lived at all. Herodotus passion risk action Whatever comes from God is impossible for a man to turn back. Herodotus god men people Those who are guided by reason are generally successful in their plans; those who are rash and precipitate seldom enjoy the favour of the gods. Herodotus favour successful reason 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. Herodotus egypt kings science It is better to be envied than pitied. Herodotus envied envy The most hateful grief of all human griefs is to have knowledge of a truth, but no power over the event. Herodotus destiny events grief It [Egypt] has more wonders in it than any other country in the world and provides more works that defy description than any otherplace. Herodotus egypt country world A multitude of rulers is not a good thing. Let there be one ruler, one king. Herodotus rage-from-the-iliad good-things kings Circumstances rule men; men do not rule circumstances. Herodotus chance circumstances men Similar Authors Abram L. Sachar historian Bryan Ward-Perkins historian Bruce Catton historian Bruce Bartlett historian Brian Crozier historian Allan Nevins historian All Authors
