Sophocles II Quotes

“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, Sophocles II: Ajax, Women of Trachis, Electra, Philoctetes

“But when a god             strikes harm, a worse man often foils his better.”
― Sophocles, Sophocles II: Ajax, The Women of Trachis, Electra, Philoctetes, The Trackers

“What men have seen they know;             but what shall come hereafter             no man before the event can see, 1420    nor what end waits for him.”
― Sophocles, Sophocles II: Ajax, The Women of Trachis, Electra, Philoctetes, The Trackers

“ODYSSEUS             I cannot recommend a rigid spirit.”
― Sophocles, Sophocles II: Ajax, The Women of Trachis, Electra, Philoctetes, The Trackers

“Look well at this, and speak no towering word             yourself against the gods, nor walk too grandly             because your hand is weightier than another’s, 130      or your great wealth deeper founded. One short day             inclines the balance of all human things             to sink or rise again. Know that the gods             love men of steady sense and hate the wicked.”
― Sophocles, Sophocles II: Ajax, The Women of Trachis, Electra, Philoctetes, The Trackers