Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotuswas a Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Cariaand lived in the fifth century BC, a contemporary of Socrates. He is widely referred to as "The Father of History"; he was the first historian known to have broken from Homeric tradition to treat historical subjects as a method of investigation—specifically, by collecting his materials systematically and critically, and then arranging them into a historiographic narrative. The Histories is the only work which he is known to have produced, a record...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionHistorian
insight man pain power worst
The worst pain a man can suffer: to have insight into much and power over nothing
fortunes man prosper suffers turning
Men's fortunes are on a wheel, which in its turning suffers not the same man to prosper for ever
bury fathers peace war
In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons.
bolts god greater greatest houses tallest whatever
Do you see how the god always hurls his bolts at the greatest houses and the tallest trees. For he is wont to thwart whatever is greater than the rest.
anticipate boldness cowardly evils fear half might noble remain run subject
It is better by noble boldness to run the risk of being subject to half the evils we anticipate than to remain in cowardly listlessness for fear of what might happen.
trust eye men
Men trust their ears less than their eyes.
time history eternity
Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest do not happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects.
persuasion convinced
We are less convinced by what we hear than by what we see.
god-love greater
The gods loves to punish whatever is greater than the rest.
envy envied
How much better a thing it is to be envied than to be pitied.
freedom-of-speech way good-things
It is clear that not in one thing alone, but in many ways equality and freedom of speech are a good thing.
learning men trying
Let there be nothing untried; for nothing happens by itself, but men obtain all things by trying.
time drinking wine
They [the Persians] are accustomed to deliberate on matters of the highest moment when warm with wine; but whatever they in this situation may determine is again proposed to them on the morrow, in their cooler moments, by the person in whose house they had before assembled. If at this time also it meet their approbation, it is executed; otherwise it is rejected. Whatever also they discuss when sober, is always a second time examined after they have been drinking.
useless foolish given
There is nothing more foolish, nothing more given to outrage than a useless mob.