The most hateful torment for men is to have knowledge of everything but power over nothing.

ἐχθίστη δὲ ὀδύνη ἐστὶ τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποισι αὕτη, πολλὰ φρονέοντα μηδενὸς κρατέειν.

Herodotus

Histories

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Topic

Knowledge Powerlessness Power

Author

Herodotus

Source

Histories

Genre

Historical literature

Language

Greek

Time

430 BC 430s BC 5th century BC

Era

Classical antiquity

Occupation

Historian Writer

From

Turkey Europe Ancient Greece

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Herodotus. Ἱστορίαι [Histories]. c. 430 BC, bk. 9. sect. 16.

Current Citation

Herodotus. The Histories, translated by Robin Waterfield. Oxford University Press, 2008, bk. 9, sect. 16.

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A quote by Herodotus about knowledge: “The most hateful torment for men is to have knowledge of everything but power…”
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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 about Knowledge

All men by nature desire to know.

Aristotle

Metaphysics

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Topic
Curiosity Knowledge Human nature

Author

Aristotle
Source
Metaphysics
Genre
Philosophical literature
Language
Greek
Time
322 BC 320s BC 4th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Aristotle. τὰ μετὰ τὰ φυσικά [Those after the physics]. c. 322 BC, bk. 1.

Current Citation

Aristotle. Metaphysics, translated by Hugh Lawson-Tancred. Penguin Classics, 1999, book alpha.

Another quote from the 5th century BC

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching

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More information about this quote
Topic
Patience All in good time Nature Teleology

Author

Lao Tzu
Source
Tao Te Ching
Genre
Philosophical literature Religious literature
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. 37.

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. 37.

Another quote from Classical antiquity

I should rather labor as another's serf, in the home of a man without fortune, one whose livelihood was meager, than rule over all the departed dead.

Homer

The Odyssey

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More information about this quote
Topic
Slavery Death

Author

Homer
Source
The Odyssey
Medium
Poem
Genre
Epic poem
Language
Greek
Time
700 BC 700s BC 8th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Homer. Ὀδύσσεια [Odyssey]. c. 710 BC, bk. 11, l. 489-491.

Current Citation

Homer. The Odyssey, edited by Bernard Knox, translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin Classics, 2006, bk. 11, l. 489-491.

Another quote originally in Greek

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

Plato

Laws

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More information about this quote
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.