Hesiod Men Quotations

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.

Diligence increaseth the fruit of toil. A dilatory man wrestles with losses.

False shame accompanies a man that is poor, shame that either harms a man greatly or profits him; shame is with poverty, but confidence with wealth.

Often an entire city has suffered because of an evil man.

A man fashions ill for himself who fashions ill for another, and the ill design is most ill for the designer.

Inhibition is no good provider for a needy man

The man who does evil to another does evil to himself, and the evil counsel is most evil for him who counsels it.

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.

...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.

Preserve the mean; the opportune moment is best in all things.

The dawn speeds a man on his journey, and speeds him too in his work.

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.

Often even a whole city suffers for a bad man who sins and contrives presumptuous deeds.

A sparing tongue is the greatest treasure among men.

The man who procrastinates is always struggling with misfortunes.

For now indeed is the race of iron; and men never cease from labour and sorrow by day and from perishing by night.

And Zeus will destroy this race of mortal men too, when they, at their birth, have grey hair on their temples.

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.

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.

Invite the man that loves thee to a feast, but let alone thine enemy.

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.

Best is the man who thinks for himself.

Hunger is an altogether fit companion for the idle man.

Of themselves diseases come upon men continually by day and by night, bringing mischief to mortals silently; for wise Zeus took away speech from them. So is there no way to escape the will of Zeus

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.

But he who neither thinks for himself nor learns from others, is a failure as a man.

A man who works evil against another works it really against himself, and bad advice is worst for the one who devised it

It is a hard thing for a man to be righteous, if the unrighteous man is to have the greater right.

The gods being always close to men perceive those who afflict others with unjust devices and do not fear the wrath of heaven.

Man's chiefest treasure is a sparing tongue.

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.

For a man wins nothing better than a good wife, and then again nothing deadlier than a bad one.

Love, the fairest among the undying gods, who loosens the limbs of all gods and men, conquers resolve and prudent counsel within the breast.

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.

Men must sweat to attain virtue.

For both faith and want of faith have destroyed men alike.

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.

The man who procrastinates struggles with ruin.

He is senseless who would match himself against a stronger man; for he is deprived of victory and adds suffering to disgrace.

Happy is the man whom the Muses love: sweet speech flows from his mouth.

The best is he who calls men to the best. And those who heed the call are also blessed. But worthless who call not, heed not, but rest.