Aristophanes Quotes

"EPOPS But, after all, what sort of city would please you best?

EUELPIDES A place where the following would be the most important business transacted. — Some friend would come knocking at the door quite early in the morning saying, "By Olympian Zeus, be at my house early, as soon as you have bathed, and bring your children too. I am giving a nuptial feast, so don't fail, or else don't cross my threshold when I am in distress.

Let's smell like women, armed to teeth with rage!

In the first half of the play he is the anti-heroic and burlesque figure long familiar in comedy and satyr drama.

A man can learn wisdom even from a foe

better not bring up a lion inside your city,
But if you must, then humour all his moods.

Politics these days in no occupation for an honest man ... neither educated nor honest, he has to be an ignoramus & a rogue.

A demagogue must be neither an educated nor an honest man; he must be ignorant and a rogue.

Strep. Tell me, O Socrates, I beseech you, by Jupiter,
who are these that have uttered this grand song? Are
they some heroines?
Soc. By no means; but heavenly Clouds, great divinities
to idle men; who supply us with thought and argument,
and intelligence and humbug, and circumlocution, and
ability to hoax, and comprehension

But how should women perform so wise and glorious an achievement, we women who dwell in the retirement of the household, clad in diaphanous garments of yellow silk and long flowing gowns, decked out with flowers and shod with dainty little slippers?

Old age is second childhood.

Lysistrata: [...] I will not allow either lover or husband -
Myrrhine: I will not allow either lover or husband -
Lysistrata: - to approach me in a state of erection. Go on!
Myrrhine: - to approach me in - a state of - erection [...]
Lysistrata: And I will live at home in unsullied chastity -
Myrrhine: And I will live at home in unsullied chastity -
Lysistrata: - wearing my saffron gown and my sexiest make-up
Myrrhine: - wearing my saffron gown and my sexiest make-up
Lysistrata: - to inflame my husband's ardour.
Myrrhine: - to inflame my husband's ardour.
Lysistrata: But I will never willingly yield myself to him.
Myrrhine: But I will never willingly yield myself to him.
Lysistrata: And should he rape me by force against my will -
Myrrhine: And should he rape me by force against my will -
Lysistrata: - I will submit passively and will not thrust back.
Myrrhine: - I will submit passively and will not thrust back.
Lysistrata: I will not raise my slippers towards the ceiling.
Myrrhine: I will not raise my slippers towards the ceiling.
Lysistrata: I will not adopt the lioness-on-a-cheesegrater position.
Myrrhine: I will not adopt the lioness-on-a-cheesegrater position.
Lysistrata: If I abide by this oath, may I drink from this [wine] cup.
Myrrhine: If I abide by this oath, may I drink from this [wine] cup.
Lysistrata: But if I break it, may the cup be filled with water.
Myrrhine: But if I break it, may the cup be filled with water.

Informer: My friend, I am asking you for wings, not for words. Pisthetaerus: It's just my words that gives you wings. Informer: And how can you give a man wings with your words? Pisthetaerus: They all start this way. [...] Informer: So that words give wings? Pisthetaerus: Undoubtedly; words give wings to the mind and make a man soar to heaven. Thus I hope that my wise words will give you wings to fly to some less degrading trade. (tr. O'Neill 1938, Perseus)

Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever.

HERMES Meseems I can sniff a man. (HE PERCEIVES TRYGAEUS ASTRIDE HIS BEETLE.) Why, what plague is this? TRYGAEUS A horse-beetle. HERMES Oh! impudent, shameless rascal! oh! scoundrel! triple scoundrel! the greatest scoundrel in the world! how did you come here? Oh! scoundrel of all scoundrels! your name? Reply. TRYGAEUS Triple scoundrel. HERMES Your country? TRYGAEUS Triple scoundrel. HERMES Your father? TRYGAEUS My father? Triple scoundrel. HERMES By the Earth, you shall die, unless you tell me your name. TRYGAEUS I am Trygaeus of the Athmonian deme, a good vine-dresser, little addicted to quibbling and not at all an informer. HERMES Why do you come? TRYGAEUS I come to bring you this meat. HERMES Ah! my good friend, did you have a good journey? TRYGAEUS Glutton, be off! I no longer seem a triple scoundrel to you. Come, call Zeus. HERMES

Epops: Yet, certainly, the wise learn many things from their enemies; for caution preserves all things. From a friend you could not learn this, but your foe immediately obliges you to learn it. For example, the states have learned from enemies, and not from friends, to build lofty walls, and to possess ships of war. And this lesson preserves children, house, and possessions. Chorus [leader]: It is useful, as it appears to me, to hear their arguments first; for one might learn some wisdom even from one's foes. (tr. Hickie 1853, vol. 1, p. 322; l. 375 identical in SEA 1838, p. 236, and in Bartlett 1968, p. 91 or Archive.org)