Sophocles > Quotes

“One word
Frees us of all the weight and pain of life:
That word is love.”
― Sophocles

“The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.”
― Sophocles

“One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been.”
― Sophocles

“Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“To throw away an honest friend is, as it were, to throw your life away”
― Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

“A man, though wise, should never be ashamed of learning more, and must unbend his mind.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“If you try to cure evil with evil
you will add more pain to your fate.”
― Sophocles, Ajax

“There's nothing in the world so demoralizing as money.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.”
― Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus

“Death is not the worst thing; rather, when one who craves death cannot attain even that wish.”
― Sophocles, Electra

“You can kill a man but you cant kill a idea.”
― Sophocles

“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“The truth is what I cherish and that's my strength”
― Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

“How dreadful the knowledge of the truth can be
When there’s no help in truth.”
― Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

“Wild as you are, all that love you must love you still.”
― Sophocles

“Trust dies but mistrust blossoms.”
― Sophocles

“It's terrible when the one who does the judging judges things all wrong.”
― Sophocles

“The happiest life is to be without thought”
― Sophocles

“I was born to join in love, not hate - that is my nature.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“Wisdom outweighs any wealth.”
― Sophocles

“Look and you will find it - what is unsought will go undetected.”
― Sophocles

“I have no desire to suffer twice, in reality and then in retrospect.”
― Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

“No enemy is worse than bad advice.”
― Sophocles

“Fear? What has a man to do with fear? Chance rules our lives, and the future is all unknown. Best live as we may, from day to day.”
― Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

“Grief teaches the steadiest minds to waver.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“Alas, how terrible is wisdom
when it brings no profit to the man that's wise!
This I knew well, but had forgotten it,
else I would not have come here.”
― Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

“Do not fear for me. Make straight your own path to destiny.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life.”
― Sophocles

“One learns by doing a thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try.”
― Sophocles

“When he endures nothing but endless miseries-- What pleasure is there in living the day after day,
Edging slowly back and forth toward death?
Anyone who warms their heart with the glow
Of flickering hope is worth nothing at all.
The noble man should either live with honor or die with honor. That's all there is to be said.”
― Sophocles, Unknown Book 9473399

“We have only a little time to please the living. But all eternity to love the dead.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“Tomorrow is tomorrow.
Future cares have future cures,
And we must mind today.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“Which would you choose if you could:
pleasure for yourself despite your friends
or a share in their grief?”
― Sophocles, Ajax

“Numberless are the world's wonders, but none more wonderful than man”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“When I have tried and failed, I shall have failed.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“A city which belongs to just one man is no true city”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“Wisdom is the supreme part of happiness; and reverence towards the Gods must be inviolate. Great words of prideful men are ever punished with great blows, and, in old age, teach the chastened to be wise.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“Success is dependent on effort.”
― Sophocles

“Truly, to tell lies is not honorable;
but when the truth entails tremendous ruin,
to speak dishonorably is pardonable.”
― Sophocles

“All my care is you, and all my pleasure yours.”
― Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

“Fate has terrible power. You cannot escape it by wealth or war. No fort will keep it out, no ships outrun it.”
― Sophocles

“To Never Have been born may be the greatest boon of all”
― Sophocles

“[S]ilence supports the accuser’s charge?”
― Sophocles

“The tyrant is a child of Pride
Who drinks from his sickening cup
Recklessness and vanity,
Until from his high crest headlong
He plummets to the dust of hope.”
― Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

“Don't kill the messenger.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is best for the State.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“If you are out of trouble, watch for danger.”
― Sophocles

“Broad-shouldered, brawny men-- Are not the most dependable; it is the clear thinker who succeeds. A big boned ox needs only a small whip to keep him on the straight path.”
― Sophocles, The Ajax

“A lie never grows old.”
― Sophocles, White Lies

“Those swift to think are not always secure.”
― Sophocles