Aristophanes > Quotes

“Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever.”
― Aristophanes

“Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.”
― Aristophanes

“By words the mind is winged.”
― Aristophanes

“Let each man exercise the art he knows.”
― Aristophanes

“Wise people, even though all laws were abolished, would still lead the same life.”
― Aristophanes

“High thoughts must have high language.”
― Aristophanes, Frogs and Other Plays

“Calonice: My dear Lysistrata, just what is this matter you've summoned us women to consider.What's up? Something big?

Lysistrata: Very big.

Calonice: (interested) Is it stout too?

Lysistrata: (smiling) Yes, indeed -- both big and stout.

Calonice: What? And the women still haven't come?

Lysistrata: It's not what you suppose; they'd come soon enough for that.”
― Aristophanes, Lysistrata

“It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls”
― Aristophanes

“Love is merely the name for the desire and pursuit of the whole.”
― Aristophanes

“Късият ум е с дълъг език.”
― Aristophanes

“To win the people, always cook them some savoury that pleases them.”
― Aristophanes, The Knights

“[Y]ou possess all the attributes of a demagogue; a screeching, horrible voice, a perverse, crossgrained nature and the language of the market-place. In you all is united which is needful for governing.”
― Aristophanes, The Knights

“[Y]ou [man] are fool enough, it seems, to dare to war with [woman=] me, when for your faithful ally you might win me easily.”
― Aristophanes, Lysistrata

“Socrate. Tiens-tu quelque chose ?
Strepsiade. Non, par Zeus, non certes.
Socrate. Rien du tout ?
Strepsiade. Rien... que ma verge dans ma main droite.”
― Aristophanes, Nuées

“HOROVOĐA MUŠKOG HORA:
Ni sa kojom zverkom no sa ženom
nije teži boj,
nit je oganj tako nit je panter
besan ijedan.

HOROVOĐA ŽENSKOG HORA:
To ti znadeš, al opet, rđo,
sa mnom ratuješ,
a ja verna mogla bih ti biti
prijateljica?”
― Aristophanes

“How can I study from below, that which is above?”
― Aristophanes, Clouds

“You [demagogues] are like the fishers for eels; in still waters they catch nothing, but if they thoroughly stir up the slime, their fishing is good; in the same way it's only in troublous times that you line your pockets.”
― Aristophanes, The Knights

“Look at the orators in our republics; as long as they are poor, both state and people can only praise their uprightness; but once they are fattened on the public funds, they conceive a hatred for justice, plan intrigues against the people and attack the democracy.”
― Aristophanes, Plutus

“Lysistrata: "Calonice, it's more than I can bear,
I am hot all over with blushes for our sex.
Men say we're slippery rogues--"

Calonice: "And aren't they right?”
― Aristophanes, Lysistrata