Lucian
Lucian
Lucian of Samosatawas a rhetorician and satirist who wrote in the Greek language during the Second Sophistic. He is noted for his witty and scoffing nature. Although he wrote solely in Greek, mainly Attic Greek, he was ethnically Assyrian. Lucian claimed to be a native speaker of a "barbarian tongue"which was most likely Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic...
real luck pieces
The truth is hidden from us. Even if a mere piece of luck brings us straight to it, we shall have no grounded conviction of our success; there are so many similar objects, all claiming to be the real thing.
passing-away world fleeting
The world is fleeting; all things pass away; Or is it we that pass and they that stay?
book reading may
I'll be reading books until the next challenger arrives. That will calm my nerves, so that I may deal with all situations without panicking.
knowledge knows
It is not lawful or proper for you to know everything.
perspective soul wealth
The wealth of the soul is the only true wealth.
fire effort frying-pans
The effort only shifted me from the frying-pan into the fire.
tasks historian happened
The historian's one task is to tell the thing as it happened.
given gracious position
How gracious are the gods in bestowing high positions; and how reluctant are they to insure them when given.
mean stories happy-endings
Not every story has a happy ending, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth telling.
dance voice lips
The lips are closed, for the dancer has plenty of other voices at his service.
littles needs helping
Everybody dies. Some just need a little help.
mercy enough
Death is a mercy, and I have enough mercy to go around.
long historian relate
The only business of the historian is to relate things exactly as they are: this he can never do as long as he is afraid
memories matter sensuality
The subject matter is autobiographical, it's all to do with hope and memory and sensuality and involvement, really.