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Plutarch (46 AD – 120), who was also known as Plutarch of Chaeronea when he finally gained Roman citizenship, was an incredible Greek historian, thinker, biographer, and philosopher.
Plutarch was born in Chaeronea, Boeotia (a region that corresponds to modern-day Western Greece). During his long life he traveled across the Mediterranean and studied rhetoric, philosophy and mathematics at the Athenian Academy.
Famous phrases of Plutarch
His work was based on moralism, although he also developed theories and postulates in philosophy and history. He is considered one of the most influential Hellenic thinkers of all time. In today’s article Let’s get to know the work of this Greek thinker through the best phrases of Plutarch
1. Friendship is a companion animal, not a herd animal.
Being well surrounded does not depend on quantity, but on quality.
2. Patience has more power than strength.
An unmatched quality in human beings: step by step is how we manage to reach a successful conclusion.
How many of these have you been "meaning to read" for months?
3. An army of deer led by a lion is much more fearsome than an army of lions led by a deer.
The importance of leadership is highlighted in this phrase from Plutarch.
4. Many things are those that time heals, not those that reason agrees on.
Any defeat can be alleviated with the simple passage of time.
5. The brain is not a glass to be filled, but a lamp to be lit.
A brutal metaphor. Perhaps the most remembered famous quote from the great Plutarch.
6. The omission of good is no less reprehensible than the commission of evil.
A maxim of his moral thoughts.
7. Moderate work strengthens the spirit; and it weakens it when it is excessive: just as moderate water nourishes plants and too much water drowns them.
Moderation, in any facet of life, is the virtue of a balanced and balanced existence.
8. Spiders trap flies and let wasps escape.
There must be a reason that they don’t dare to deal with poisonous beings.
9. He who has many vices has many masters.
Vicious people are slaves to their bad habits.
10. Sometimes a joke, an anecdote, an insignificant moment paints a better picture of an illustrious man than the greatest feats or the bloodiest battles.
About the importance of small details.
11. There are husbands so unjust that they demand fidelity from their wives that they themselves violate; they resemble generals who cowardly flee from the enemy, who nevertheless want their soldiers to hold the position with courage.
About the machismo prevailing in the marital relationships of the time.
12. Hatred is a tendency to take advantage of every opportunity to harm others.
This is how Plutarch defined hatred.
13. I don’t need friends who change when I change and nod when I nod. My shadow does it much better.
One of those phrases from Plutarch in which he shows us the essence of friendship.
14. Enjoying all pleasures is foolish; avoid them, insensitive.
Virtue lies in moderation, according to the Greek philosopher.
15. A people that wants to be happy does not need conquests.
Imperialism is born from an incomplete and unhappy society.
16. There are loves so beautiful that they justify all the crazy things they make people commit.
A romantic love phrase of great beauty and virtue.
17. Whoever gets into brambles and loves, will enter when he wants, but will not come out when he wants.
Great reflection to apply to our daily lives.
18. Hunters catch hares with dogs; many men trap the ignorant with flattery.
A parallelism that makes us understand that manipulation can generate followers.
19. To know how to speak you must know how to listen.
A maxim in empathetic and effective communication, according to Plutarco.
20. The death of young people constitutes a shipwreck. The old ones are docking in the port.
The naturalness of death is only conceived in old age. Everything else is drama.
21. An authority that is based on terror, violence, oppression, is at the same time a shame and an injustice.
About authoritarian leaders.
22. True friendship seeks three things: virtue, because it is honest; dialogue, as delight; and utility, as necessity.
A summary of the three pillars of a beautiful friendship.
23. We have to live, and not just exist.
One of those phrases from Plutarch that exhort us to live without fear.
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PsychologyFor. (2024). The 23 Best Phrases of Plutarch. PsychologyFor. https://psychologyfor.com/the-23-best-phrases-of-plutarch/