Plutarch Zitate

seite 2

„„Ich brauche keinen Freund, der sich ändert, wenn ich mich ändere, und der nickt, wenn ich nicke. Mein Schatten macht das viel besser.“

„[ Wein ] ist unter den Getränken das nützlichste, unter den Arzneien das schmackhafteste und unter den Nahrungsmitteln das angenehmste.“

„Es ist schlimm, erst dann zu merken, dass man keine Freunde hat, wenn man Freunde nötig hat.“

„Der Wein ist unter den Getränken das nützlichste, unter den Arzneien das schmackhafteste, unter den Nahrungsmitteln das angenehmste.“

„Erholung ist die Würze der Arbeit.“

„Der Anfang des rechten Lebens ist, wie wir glauben, das rechte Hören.“

„Der Tod ist das Ende aller Dinge des menschlichen Lebens, nur des Aberglaubens nicht.“

„Armut ist keine Schande an sich, sondern wo sie ein Zeichen von Leichtfertigkeit, Mangel an Selbstbeherrschung, Gedankenlosigkeit oder Verschwendung ist.“

„Der Geist ist nicht wie ein Gefäß, das gefüllt werden soll, sondern wie Holz, das lediglich entzündet werden will.“

„Der Menge gefallen heißt den Weisen missfallen.“

„Die Kunst besteht darin, in allem den Mittelweg einzuhalten.“

„Dumm und feige ist, wer aus Furcht vor Verlust den Besitz des Nötigen ablehnt.“

„Ein lästiger und ungezogener Tischgenosse zerstört alle Lust.“

„Einsicht verschafft das Gute, erhält es, mehrt es und macht rechten Gebrauch davon.“

„Er schärfte den Seinen ein, kühn mit Verleumdungen zu packen und zu beißen, so dass, auch wenn der Gebissene die Wunde behandelt, die Narbe bleibt.“

„Lieber der Erste hier als der Zweite in Rom!“

„Man soll ebensowenig nach den Augen heiraten wie nach den Fingern.“

„Wenn ich dir etwas gebe, bettelst du umso mehr. Der Erste, der seine Hand auftut, ist schuld an deiner Gemeinheit, weil er dich zum Faulenzer machte.“

„Nachlässigkeit richtet selbst vorzügliche Anlage der Natur zugrunde.“

„Es ist schon wünschenswert, von guter Abstammung zu sein, aber der Ruhm dafür gebührt den Vorfahren.“

“After the battle in Pharsalia, when Pompey was fled, one Nonius said they had seven eagles left still, and advised to try what they would do. "Your advice," said Cicero, "were good if we were to fight jackdaws."”

“There are two sentences inscribed upon the Delphic oracle, hugely accommodated to the usages of man's life: "Know thyself," and "Nothing too much;" and upon these all other precepts depend.”

“From Themistocles began the saying, "He is a second Hercules."”

“Even a nod from a person who is esteemed is of more force than a thousand arguments or studied sentences from others.”

“As geographers, Sosius, crowd into the edges of their maps parts of the world which they do not know about, adding notes in the margin to the effect that beyond this lies nothing but sandy deserts full of wild beasts, and unapproachable bogs.”

“Pythias once, scoffing at Demosthenes, said that his arguments smelt of the lamp.”

“When Hermodotus in his poems described Antigonus as the son of Helios, "My valet-de-chambre," said he, "is not aware of this."”

“To Harmodius, descended from the ancient Harmodius, when he reviled Iphicrates [a shoemaker's son] for his mean birth, "My nobility," said he, "begins in me, but yours ends in you."”

“Pompey bade Sylla recollect that more worshipped the rising than the setting sun.”

“So very difficult a matter is it to trace and find out the truth of anything by history.”

“Empire may be gained by gold, not gold by empire. It used, indeed, to be a proverb that "It is not Philip, but Philip's gold that takes the cities of Greece."”

“As Cæsar was at supper the discourse was of death,—which sort was the best. "That," said he, "which is unexpected."”

“Have in readiness this saying of Solon, "But we will not give up our virtue in exchange for their wealth."”

“The old proverb was now made good, "the mountain had brought forth a mouse."”

“Said Scopas of Thessaly, "We rich men count our felicity and happiness to lie in these superfluities, and not in those necessary things."”

“Spintharus, speaking in commendation of Epaminondas, says he scarce ever met with any man who knew more and spoke less.”

“Lampis, the sea commander, being asked how he got his wealth, answered, "My greatest estate I gained easily enough, but the smaller slowly and with much labour."”

“Xenophanes said, "I confess myself the greatest coward in the world, for I dare not do an ill thing."”

“Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little.”

“Epaminondas is reported wittily to have said of a good man that died about the time of the battle of Leuctra, "How came he to have so much leisure as to die, when there was so much stirring?"”

“I am whatever was, or is, or will be; and my veil no mortal ever took up.”

“Philip being arbitrator betwixt two wicked persons, he commanded one to fly out of Macedonia and the other to pursue him.”

“Moral good is a practical stimulus; it is no sooner seen than it inspires an impulse to practise.”

“The most glorious exploits do not always furnish us with the clearest discoveries of virtue or vice in men.”

“Democritus said, words are but the shadows of actions.”

“Thus our judgments, if they do not borrow from reason and philosophy a fixity and steadiness of purpose in their acts, are easily swayed and influenced by the praise or blame of others, which make us distrust our own opinions.”

“By the study of their biographies, we receive each man as a guest into our minds, and we seem to understand their character as the result of a personal acquaintance, because we have obtained from their acts the best and most important means of forming an opinion about them. "What greater pleasure could'st thou gain than this?"”

“Lysander, when Dionysius sent him two gowns, and bade him choose which he would carry to his daughter, said, "She can choose best," and so took both away with him.”

“Good fortune will elevate even petty minds, and give them the appearance of a certain greatness and stateliness, as from their high place they look down upon the world; but the truly noble and resolved spirit raises itself, and becomes more conspicuous in times of disaster and ill fortune.”