Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. Thucydides More Quotes by Thucydides More Quotes From Thucydides Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave. Therefore do not take lightly the perils of war. Thucydides strength military peace I am not blaming those who are resolved to rule, only those who show an even greater readiness to submit. Thucydides blame war peace They whose minds are least sensitive to calamity, and whose hands are most quick to meet it, are the greatest men and the greatest communities. Thucydides community men hands The strength of an Army lies in strict discipline and undeviating obedience to its officers. Thucydides army military lying For men can endure to hear others praised only so long as they can severally persuade themselves of their own ability to equal the actions recounted: when this point is passed, envy comes in and with it incredulity. Thucydides envy men long An avowal of poverty is no disgrace to any man; to make no effort to escape it is indeed disgraceful. Thucydides poverty effort men Now the only sure basis of an alliance is for each party to be equally afraid of the other Thucydides alliances bases party It is useless to attack men who could not be controlled even if conquered, while failure would leave us in an even worse position. Thucydides men war peace They are surely to be esteemed the bravest spirits who, having the clearest sense of both the pains and pleasures of life, do not on that account shrink from danger. Thucydides pleasure pain spirit In practice we always base our preparations against an enemy on the assumption that his plans are good; indeed, it is right to rest our hopes not on a belief in his blunders, but on the soundness of our provisions. Nor ought we to believe that there is much difference between man and man, but to think that the superiority lies with him who is reared in the severest school. Thucydides believe lying school I have written my work, not as an essay which is to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time Thucydides applause moments winning With reference to the narrative of events, far from permitting myself to derive it from the first source that came to hand, I did not even trust my own impressions, but it rests partly on what I saw myself, partly on what others saw for me, the accuracy of the report always being tried by the most severe and detailed tests possible. My conclusions have cost me some labour from the want of coincidence between accounts of the same occurrences by different eye-witnesses, arising sometimes from imperfect memory, sometimes from undue partiality for one side or the other. Thucydides eye memories hands concessions to adversaries only end in self reproach, and the more strictly they are avoided the greater will be the chance of security. Thucydides chance ends self For the love of gain would reconcile the weaker to the dominion of the stronger, and the possession of capital enabled the more powerful to reduce the smaller cities to subjection. Thucydides stronger powerful cities He passes through life most securely who has least reason to reproach himself with complaisance toward his enemies. Thucydides reproach reason enemy For we both alike know that into the discussion of human affairs the question of justice enters only where the pressure of necessity is equal, and that the powerful exact what they can, and the weak grant what they must. Thucydides powerful pressure justice War is a matter not so much of arms as of money. Thucydides arms matter war I dread our own mistakes more than the enemy's intentions. Thucydides intention mistake enemy The whole earth is the sepulchre of famous men. Thucydides woven earth men For men naturally despise those who court them, but respect those who do not give way to them. Thucydides religious giving men
