Pindar
Pindar
Pindarwas an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar is by far the greatest, in virtue of his inspired magnificence, the beauty of his thoughts and figures, the rich exuberance of his language and matter, and his rolling flood of eloquence, characteristics which, as Horace rightly held, make him inimitable." His poems however can also seem difficult and...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionPoet
long endure difficult
The present will not long endure.
night fire water
Water is best, but gold shines like fire blazing in the night, supreme of lordly wealth.
wisdom witness stills
The days that are still to come are the wisest witnesses.
dream men shadow
Men are the dreams of a shadow.
death moving men
Rich man and poor move side by side toward the limit of death.
small-things
I will be small in small things, great among great.
money genius profit
Even genius is tied to profit.
teacher teaching winning
Natural ability is by far the best, but many men have succeeded in winning high renown by skill that is the fruit of teaching.
acceptance may strive
May God .. let me strive for attainable things.
water elements
The noblest of the elements is water
time change-for-the-better eternity
Time is the turning over of days, works change for better or worse.
happiness joy road-to-happiness
There are many roads to happiness, if the gods assent.
speech immortality said
A thing said walks in immortality if it has been said well.
success achievement effort
Success for the striven washes away the effort of striving.