Europe

Explore 4622 quotes by people from Europe

Make war that we may live in peace.

Aristotle

The Nicomachean Ethics

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Topic

War and peace War Peace

Author

Aristotle

Source

The Nicomachean Ethics

Genre

Philosophical literature

Statement Type

Paradox

Language

Greek

Time

322 BC 320s BC 4th century BC

Era

Classical antiquity

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Aristotle. Ἠθικὰ Νικομάχεια, Ēthika Nikomacheia [Nicomachean Ethics]. c. 322 BC.

Current Citation

Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics, translated by Terence Irwin. Hackett Publishing, 2019.

To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.

Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice

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Topic

Dancing Falling in love

Author

Jane Austen

Source

Pride and Prejudice

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1813 1810s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Vol. 1, London: Thomas Egerton, 1813, ch. 3.

Current Citation

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Penguin Books, 2002, ch. 3.

I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.

Caesar Augustus

Quoted in Lives of the Caesars, by Suetonius

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Topic

Rome

Speaker

Caesar Augustus

Author

Suetonius

Source

Lives of the Caesars

Medium

Biography

Genre

Historical literature

Statement Type

Boast

Language

Latin

Time

121 120s 2nd century

Era

Classical antiquity

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Augustus, Caesar. Quoted in De vita Caesarum [About the Life of the Caesars], written by Suetonius. c. 121.

Current Citation

Augustus, Caesar. Quoted in The Lives of the Caesars, written by Suetonius, translated by Catharine Edwards. Oxford University Press, 2009.

Liars when they speak the truth are not believed.

Aristotle

Quoted in The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, by Diogenes Laërtius

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Topic

Consequences of lying Liars Lying

Speaker

Aristotle

Author

Diogenes Laërtius

Source

The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers

Genre

Historical literature

Language

Greek

Time

400 400s 3rd century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Aristotle. Quoted in Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, written by Diogenes Laertius. c. 240 AD, bk. 5, ch. 1, sect. 17.

Current Citation

Aristotle. Quoted in The Lives of Eminent Philosophers, written by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Pamela Mensch, edited by James Miller. Oxford University Press, 2018, bk. 5, ch. 1, sect. 17.

Rage-Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus's son Achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses.

Homer

The Iliad

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Author

Homer

Source

The Iliad

Medium

Poem

Genre

Epic poem

Statement Type

Opening lines

Language

Greek

Time

700 BC 700s BC 8th century BC

Era

Classical antiquity

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Homer. Ἰλιάς [The Iliad], edited by Demetrius Chalcondyles. Florence: Bernardus Nerlius and Demetrius Damilas, 1489, bk. 1, l. 1.

Current Citation

Homer. The Iliad, translated by Robert Fitzgerald. Oxford University Press, 2014, bk. 1, l. 1.

Of all wild creatures, the child is the most intractable.

Plato

Laws

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Topic

Man and animals Boys Teaching children Children

Author

Plato

Source

Laws

Medium

Philosophical dialogue Dialogue

Genre

Philosophical literature

Language

Greek

Time

346 BC 340s BC 4th century BC

Era

Classical antiquity

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Plato. Νόμοι [Laws]. c. 346 BC, bk. 7.

Current Citation

Plato. Laws, translated by Tom Griffith, edited by Malcolm Schofield. Cambridge University Press, 2016, bk. 7.

Is not life a hundred times too short for us to bore ourselves?

Friedrich Nietzsche

Beyond Good and Evil

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Topic

Boredom

Author

Friedrich Nietzsche

Source

Beyond Good and Evil

Genre

Philosophical literature

Language

German

Time

1886 1880s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Nietzsche, Friedrich. Jenseits von Gut und Böse: Vorspiel einer Philosophie der Zukunft [Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future]. Leipzig: C. G. Naumann, 1886, ch. 7, no. 227.

Current Citation

Nietzsche, Friedrich. Beyond Good and Evil, translated by R. J. Hollingdale. Penguin Classics, 2003, ch. 7, no. 227.

Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.

John Milton

Paradise Lost

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Topic

Heaven and hell

Author

John Milton

Source

Paradise Lost

Medium

Poem

Genre

Epic poem Religious literature

Language

English

Time

1667 1660s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Samuel Simmons, 1667, bk. 1, I. 263.

Current Citation

"Paradise Lost." John Milton: Major Works, edited by Stephen Orgel and Jonathan Goldberg. Oxford University Press, 2008, I. 263.

Words pay no debts.

William Shakespeare

Troilus and Cressida

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Topic

Talk is cheap Words vs. actions

Speaker

Pandarus

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Troilus and Cressida

Medium

Play

Genre

Problem play

Language

English

Time

1603 1600s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Troilus and Cressida. The Lord Chamberlain's Men, c. 1603, The Globe Theatre, London, England, UK, act 3, sc. 2.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Troilus and Cressida." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 3, sc. 2.

Laws are silent in time of war.

Cicero

Pro Milone

More information about this quote

Topic

Rule of law Law Legal theory Political theory War

Speaker

Cicero

Source

Pro Milone

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

Latin

Time

52 BC 50s BC 1st century BC

Era

Classical antiquity

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Cicero, Marcus Tullius. Pro Milone [In Defense of Milo]. c. 52 BC, sect. 11.

Current Citation

Cicero, Marcus Tullius. Pro Milone [For Milo], translated by D. H. Berry. Oxford University Press, 2009, sect. 11.

Was ever book containing such vile matter
So fairly bound? O, that deceit should dwell
In such a gorgeous palace!

William Shakespeare

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Topic

Beauty is skin deep Looks are deceiving Beauty Appearance vs. reality

Speaker

Juliet Capulet

Author

William Shakespeare

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Statement Type

Question Metaphor, analogy and simile

Language

English

Time

1597 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. London: John Danter, 1597, act 3, sc. 2.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Romeo and Juliet." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 3, sc. 2.

Doubt thou the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love.

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

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Topic

Love

Speaker

Lord Polonius

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Hamlet

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Statement Type

Profession of love

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 2, sc. 2.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 2, sc. 3.

The alteration of motion is ever proportional to the motive force impressed; and is made in the direction of the right line in which that force is impressed.

Isaac Newton

Principia

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Topic

Newton's laws of motion Laws of physics

Author

Isaac Newton

Source

Principia

Genre

Scientific literature

Language

Latin

Time

1687 1680s 17th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Newton, Isaac. "Axiomata sive Leges Motus: [Axioms, or Laws of Motion]." Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica [The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy], vol. 1. London: Josephi Streater, 1687, law 2.

Current Citation

Newton, Isaac. "Axioms, or the Laws of Motion." The Principia, translated by Andrew Motte. Prometheus, 1995, law 2.

Weigh’st thy words before thou giv’st them breath.

William Shakespeare

Othello

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Topic

Think before speaking Careless speech Talking

Speaker

Othello

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Othello

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Statement Type

Advice

Language

English

Time

1604 1600s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Othello. King's Men, 1 Nov. 1604, Palace of Whitehall, Westminster, London, England, UK, act 3, sc. 3.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Othello." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 3, sc. 3.

It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.

Albus Dumbledore

Quoted in Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, by J.K. Rowling

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Topic

Courage Friends and enemies

Speaker

Albus Dumbledore

Author

J.K. Rowling

Source

Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1997 1990s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Bloomsbury, 1997, ch. 17.

In proportion as the antagonism between classes within the nation vanishes, the hostility of one nation to another will come to an end.

Karl Marx

The Communist Manifesto

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Topic

Class conflict End of war Political theory

Author

Karl Marx

Source

The Communist Manifesto

Medium

Pamphlet

Genre

Political literature Economic literature

Statement Type

Prophecies and predictions

Language

German

Time

1848 1840s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei [Manifesto of the Communist Party]. London, 1848, pt. 2.

Current Citation

Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto, translated by Samuel Moore and edited by Gareth Stedman Jones. Penguin Classics, 2015, pt. 2.

And so from hour to hour we ripe and ripe,
And then from hour to hour we rot and rot,
And thereby hangs a tale.

William Shakespeare

As You Like It

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Topic

Aging Mortality The human condition

Speaker

Jaques

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

As You Like It

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "As You Like It." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 2, sc. 7.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "As You Like It." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 2, sc. 7.

The setting sun, and the music at the close,
As the last taste of sweets, is sweetest last,
Writ in remembrance more than things long past.

William Shakespeare

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Topic

Sunset Endings

Speaker

John of Gaunt

Author

William Shakespeare

Genre

History (play)

Language

English

Time

1595 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Richard II. 9 Dec. 1595, The house of Edward Hoby, Westminster, London, England, UK, act 2, sc. 1.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Richard the Second." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 2, sc. 1.

The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

William Shakespeare

The Tempest

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Topic

Mortality The human condition

Speaker

Prospero

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

The Tempest

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The Tempest." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 4, sc. 1.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The Tempest." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 4, sc. 1.

O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,
Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,
Or that the Everlasting had not fixed
His canon ’gainst self-slaughter! O God, God,
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world!

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

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Topic

Over it Hopelessness and despair Suicide

Speaker

Hamlet

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Hamlet

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 1, sc. 2.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 1, sc. 2.