Not to be born surpasses thought and speech.
The second best is to have seen the light
And then to go back quickly whence we came.

μὴ φῦναι τὸν ἅπαντα νικᾷ λόγον: τὸ δ᾽, ἐπεὶ φανῇ,
βῆναι κεῖθεν ὅθεν περ ἥκει,
πολὺ δεύτερον, ὡς τάχιστα.

Sophocles

Oedipus at Colonus

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More information about this quote

Topic

Being born Death as a blessing

Speaker

Chorus

Author

Sophocles

Source

Oedipus at Colonus

Medium

Play

Genre

Greek tragedy Tragedy (play)

Language

Greek

Time

406 BC 400s BC 5th century BC

Era

Classical antiquity

Occupation

Playwright Writer

From

Greece Europe Ancient Greece

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Sophocles. Οἰδίπους ἐπὶ Κολωνῷ [Oedipus at Colonus]. 401 BC, Festival of Dionysus, Athens, Greece.

Current Citation

Sophocles. "Oedipus at Colonus." The Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Odeipus at Colonus, translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin Classics, 2000.

Illustrated Quote

A quote by Sophocles about being born: “Not to be born surpasses thought and speech. The second best is to have…”
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A quote by Sophocles about being born: “Not to be born surpasses thought and speech. The second best is to have…”
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A quote by Sophocles about being born: “Not to be born surpasses thought and speech. The second best is to have…”
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Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote from the 5th century BC

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching

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More information about this quote
Topic
Patience Persistence One step at a time

Author

Lao Tzu
Source
Tao Te Ching
Genre
Philosophical literature Religious literature
Statement Type
Metaphor, analogy and simile
Language
Chinese
Time
400 BC 400s BC 5th century BC
Authentication Score 0
Original Citation

Laozi [Lao Tzu]. 道德經 [Tao Te Ching]. c. 400 BC, ch. 64.

Current Citation

Laozi [Lao Tzu]. "The Natural Way of Lao Tzu." A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, translated by Wing-Tsit Chan. Princeton University Press, 1969, ch. 64.

Another quote from Classical antiquity

Behold! human beings living in an underground den... Like ourselves... They see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave.

Socrates

Quoted in Republic, by Plato

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More information about this quote
Topic
Ignorance Education
Speaker
Socrates

Author

Plato
Source
Republic
Medium
Philosophical dialogue Dialogue
Genre
Philosophical literature
Language
Greek
Time
375 BC 370s BC 4th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 1
Original Citation

Socrates. Quoted in Πολιτεία [Republic], written by Plato. c. 375 BCE.

Current Citation

Socrates. Quoted in Republic, written by Plato, translated by Desmond Lee. Penguin Classics, 2007.

Another quote originally in Greek

It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

Jesus

Mark 2:17

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More information about this quote
Topic
Repentance Sinners
Speaker
Jesus
Source
Gospel of Mark The Bible
Medium
Scripture
Genre
Religious literature
Language
Greek
Time
60 60s 1st century
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 3
Citation

The Holy Bible, New International Version. International Bible Society, 1978. (Mark 2:17).