Top 120 Hesiod Quotes (2024 Update)
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51. “Bring a wife home to your house when you are of the right age, not far short of 30 years, nor much above this is the right time for marriage.”

— Hesiod

52. “Whoever happens to give birth to mischievous children lives always with unending grief in his spirit and heart.”

— Hesiod

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

— Hesiod

54. “Potter is piqued with potter, joiner with joiner, beggar begrudges beggar, and singer singer.”

— Hesiod

55. “Whoever has trusted a woman has trusted deceivers.”

— Hesiod

56. “Do not seek evil gains; evil gains are the equivalent of disaster.”

— Hesiod

57. “An income means life to wretched mortals, but it is a terrible fate to die among the waves.”

— Hesiod

58. “For both faith and want of faith have destroyed men alike.”

— Hesiod

59. “Whoever, fleeing marriage and the sorrows that women cause, does not wish to wed comes to a deadly old age.”

— Hesiod

60. “Hunger is an altogether fit companion for the idle man.”

— Hesiod

61. “When you deal with your brother, be pleasant, but get a witness.”

— Hesiod

62. “The Gods rank work above virtues.”

— Hesiod

63. “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.”

— Hesiod

64. “The man who procrastinates is always struggling with misfortunes.”

— Hesiod

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

— Hesiod

66. “Potter is potter’s enemy, and craftsman is craftsman’s rival; tramp is jealous of tramp, and singer of singer.”

— Hesiod

67. “Mortals grow swiftly in misfortune.”

— Hesiod

68. “Do not get a name as overly lavish or too inhospitable.”

— Hesiod

69. “Do not gain basely; base gain is equal to ruin.”

— Hesiod

70. “The artist envies what the arties gains, The bard the rival bard’s successful strains.”

— Hesiod

71. “Night, having Sleep, the brother of Death.”

— Hesiod

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

— Hesiod

73. “Do not put all your goods in hollow ships.”

— Hesiod

74. “No whispered rumours which the many spread can wholly perish.”

— Hesiod

75. “Neither make thy friend equal to a brother; but if thou shalt have made him so, be not the first to do him wrong.”

— Hesiod

76. “Let the price fixed with a friend be sufficient, and even dealing with a brother call in witnesses, but laughingly.”

— Hesiod

77. “Men must sweat to attain virtue.”

— Hesiod

78. “It is not possible either to trick or escape the mind of Zeus.”

— Hesiod

79. “Badness you can get easily, in quantity. The road is smooth and lies close by. But in front of excellence the immortal gods have put sweat, and long and steep is the way to do it, and rough at first. But when you come to the top, then it is easy, even though it is hard.”

— Hesiod

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

— Hesiod

81. “Love, who is most beautiful among the immortal gods, the melter of limbs, overwhelms in their hearts the intelligence and wise counsel of all gods and all men.”

— Hesiod

82. “Often a whole community together suffers in consequence of a bad man who does wrong and contrives evil.”

— Hesiod

83. “And the evil wish is most evil to the wisher.”

— Hesiod

84. “An evil plan does mischief to the planner.”

— Hesiod

85. “And I wish that I were not any part of the fifth generation of men, but had died before it came, or been born afterward. For here now is the age of iron.”

— Hesiod

86. “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.”

— Hesiod

87. “It is from work that men are rich in flocks and wealthy, and a working man is much dearer to the immortals.”

— Hesiod

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

— Hesiod

89. “Plan harm for another and harm yourself most, The evil we hatch always comes home to roost.”

— Hesiod

90. “The fool learns by suffering.”

— Hesiod

91. “Drink your fill when the jar is first opened, and when it is nearly done, but be sparing when it is half-empty; it’s a poor savingwhen you come to the dregs.”

— Hesiod

92. “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.”

— Hesiod

93. “He for himself weaves woe who weaves for others woe, and evil counsel on the counselor recoils.”

— Hesiod

94. “Better marry a maiden, so you can teach her good manners, and in particular marry one who lives close by you. Look her well over first. Don’t marry what will make your neighbors laugh at you, for while there’s nothing better a man can win him than a good wife, there’s nothing more dismal than a bad one.”

— Hesiod

95. “Inhibition is no good provider for a needy man.”

— Hesiod

96. “Badness can be got easily and in shoals; the road to her is smooth, and she lives very near us. But between us and Goodness the gods have placed the sweat of our brows;.”

— Hesiod

97. “From their eyelids as they glanced dripped love.”

— Hesiod

98. “No day is wholly unproductive of good.”

— Hesiod

99. “Gain not base gains; base gains are the same as losses.”

— Hesiod

100. “We know how to speak many falsehoods that resemble real things, but we know, when we will, how to speak true things.”

— Hesiod