Hesiod
Hesiod
Hesiodwas a Greek poet generally thought by scholars to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. He is generally regarded as the first written poet in the Western tradition to regard himself as an individual persona with an active role to play in his subject. Ancient authors credited Hesiod and Homer with establishing Greek religious customs. Modern scholars refer to him as a major source on Greek mythology, farming techniques, early economic thought,...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionPoet
barns deceiving flattering
Do not let a flattering woman coax and wheedle you and deceive you; she is after your barn.
half fool knows
They are fools who do not know how much the half exceeds the whole.
ships profit admire
Admire a small ship, but put your freight in a large one; for the larger the load, the greater will be the profit upon profit.
trust deceiver trusted
Whoever has trusted a woman has trusted deceivers.
unproductive
No day is wholly unproductive of good.
literature grows mortals
Mortals grow swiftly in misfortune.
half fool knows
Fools, they do not even know how much more is the half than the whole.
saving too-late literature
At the beginning of the cask and the end take thy fill but be saving in the middle; for at the bottom the savings comes too late.
generosity done half
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.
shame idleness
In work there is no shame; shame is in the idleness.
thieves
You trust a thief when you trust a woman.
gains ruins equal
Do not gain basely; base gain is equal to ruin.
bent
He's only harming himself who's bent upon harming another
worst-enemy disorder humans
It is best to do things systematically, since we are only human, and disorder is our worst enemy.