Aristophanes
Aristophanes
Aristophanes, son of Philippus, of the deme Kydathenaion, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete. These, together with fragments of some of his other plays, provide the only real examples of a genre of comic drama known as Old Comedy, and are used to define it...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionPoet
men slavery half
A slave is but half a man.
ideas phrases size
It is the compelling power of great thoughts and ideas to engender phrases of equal size.
wealth excellent
Wealth--the most excellent of all gods.
ifs
Even if you persuade me, you won’t persuade me.
work circles four
Meton (astronomer in 5th century BC): With the straight ruler I set to work To make the circle four-cornered .
habit crabs walks
You cannot make a crab walk straight.
war winning men
[Y]ou [man] are fool enough, it seems, to dare to war with [woman=] me, when for your faithful ally you might win me easily.
atheist believe religion
Surely you do not believe in the gods. What's your argument? Where's your proof?
dream race darkness
Weak mortals, chained to the earth, creatures of clay as frail as the foliage of the woods, you unfortunate race, whose life is but darkness, as unreal as a shadow, the illusion of a dream.
age today vices
Times change. The vices of your age are stylish today.
children childhood age
Old age is but a second childhood.
truth-is foe
The truth is forced upon us, very quickly, by a foe.
childhood aging
The old are in a second childhood.
children wall war
You're mistaken; men of sense often learn much from their enemies. Prudence is the best safeguard. This principle cannot be learnt from a friend: but an enemy extorts it immediately. It is from their foes and not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls and ships of war. And this lesson saves their children, their homes, and their properties.