If a man owes me money, I never seem to forget. But if I do the owing, I somehow never remember. Aristophanes More Quotes by Aristophanes More Quotes From Aristophanes I saw a cavalry captain buy vegetable soup on horseback. He carried the whole mess home in his helmet. Aristophanes vegetableshomefood Children have a master to teach them, grown-ups have the poets. Aristophanes poetmasterschildren If I get clear of my debts, I care not though men call me bold, glib of tongue, audacious, impudent, shameless, a fabricator of falsehoods, inventor of words, practised in lawsuits, a pettifogger, a rattle, a fox, a sharper, a knave, a dissembler, a slippery fellow, an imposter, a rogue that deserves the cat-o-nine-tails, a blackguard, a twister, a licker-up of hashes; they call all this when they meet me, if they please, I care not. Aristophanes cattailsmen Do not bandy words with your father, nor treat him as a dotard, nor reproach the old man, who has cherished you, with his age. Aristophanes agemenfather When the soldier returns from the wars, even though he has white hair, he very soon finds a young wife. But a woman has only one summer; if she does not make hay while the sun shines, no one will afterwards have anything to say to her, and she spends her days consulting oracles that never send her a husband. Aristophanes husbandsummerwar There is no beast, no rush of fire, like woman so untamed. She calmly goes her way where even panthers would be shamed. Aristophanes untamedwomenfire Comedy is allied to justice. Aristophanes comedyjusticelying Lysistrata: Oh, Calonicé, my heart is on fire; I blush for our sex. Men will have it we are tricky and sly...Calonicé: And they are quite right, upon my word!Lysistrata: Yet, look you, when the women are summoned to meet for a matter of the last importance, they lie abed instead of coming.Calonicé: Oh, they will come, my dear; but 'tis not easy you know, for a woman to leave the house. One is busy pottering about her husband; another is getting the servant up; a third is putting her child asleep or washing the brat or feeding it. Aristophanes husbandchildrensex Your lost friends are not dead, but gone before, advanced a stage or two upon that road which you must travel in the steps they trod. Aristophanes best-friendtwotravel Full of wiles, full of guile, at all times, in all ways, are the children of Men. Aristophanes menchildrenway A man should be able to stand up under any disaster for his country's good. Aristophanes ablemencountry Love is merely the name for the desire and pursuit of the whole. Aristophanes namesdesirelove It is bad taste for a poet to be coarse and hairy. Aristophanes coarsepoettaste Ye Children of Man! whose life is a span, Protracted with sorrow from day to day, Naked and featherless, feeble and querulous, Sickly, calamitous creatures of clay! Aristophanes humanitymenchildren Chorus of women: [...] Oh! my good, gallant Lysistrata, and all my friends, be ever like a bundle of nettles; never let you anger slacken; the wind of fortune blown our way. Aristophanes gallantwindway When men drink wine they are rich, they are busy, they push lawsuits, they are happy, they are friends. Aristophanes winebusymen Men of sense often learn from their enemies. It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls and ships of war. Aristophanes wallfriendshipwar Shall I crack any of those old jokes, master, At which the audience never fail to laugh? Aristophanes crackslaughterlaughing Have you ever, looking up, seen a cloud like to a Centaur, a Part, or a Wolf, or a Bull? Aristophanes centaurssky-and-cloudsclouds An actor should refine public taste. Aristophanes actorstasteshould
