The Oedipus Cycle Quotes

“Live, Oedipus,
as if there’s no tomorrow!”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“What should a man fear? It’s all chance,
chance rules our lives.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“A light tip of the scales can put old bones to rest.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Look at us, passengers in the grip of fear,
watching the pilot of the vessel go to pieces.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Nowhere Apollo’s golden glory now—
the gods, the gods go down.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“They are dying, the old oracles sent to Laius,
now our masters strike them off the rolls.
Nowhere Apollo’s golden glory now—
the gods, the gods go down.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Can such a man, so desperate, still boast
he can save his life from the flashing bolts of god?
If all such violence goes with honor now
why join the sacred dance?”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“If he cannot reap his profits fairly
cannot restrain himself from outrage—
mad, laying hands on the holy things untouchable!”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“But if any man comes striding, high and mighty
in all he says and does,
no fear of justice, no reverence
for the temples of the gods—
let a rough doom tear him down,
repay his pride, breakneck, ruinous pride!”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“crashes down the abyss—sheer doom!
No footing helps, all foothold lost and gone.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Pride breeds the tyrant
violent pride, gorging, crammed to bursting
with all that is overripe and rich with ruin—
clawing up to the heights, headlong pride”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Destiny guide me always
Destiny find me filled with reverence
pure in word and deed.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“I have a terrible fear the blind seer can see.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Oh no no,
I think I’ve just called down a dreadful curse
upon myself”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“My god, my god—what have you planned to do to me?”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Strange,
hearing you just now ... my mind wandered,
my thoughts racing back and forth.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“For the love of god,
Oedipus, tell me too, what is it?
Why this rage? You’re so unbending.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Look at you, sullen in yielding, brutal in your rage—
you will go too far. It’s perfect justice:
natures like yours are hardest on themselves”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“But the heart inside me sickens, dies as the land dies
and now on top of the old griefs you pile this,
your fury—both of you!”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Oh god, believe it, Oedipus,
honor the solemn oath he swears to heaven.
Do it for me, for the sake of all your people.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Aren’t you ashamed, with the land so sick,
to stir up private quarrels?”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Have you no sense? Poor misguided men,
such shouting—why this public outburst?
Aren’t you ashamed, with the land so sick,
to stir up private quarrels?”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“My city too, not yours alone!”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Not if you rule unjustly.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“What if you’re wholly wrong?”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“I think you’re insane.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“Time alone can bring the just man to light—
the criminal you can spot in one short day.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“How wrong it is to take the good for bad,
purely at random, or take the bad for good.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“But don’t convict me on sheer unverified surmise.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

“A man of sense, someone who sees things clearly
would never resort to treason.”
― Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus