Hesiod Quotes

Let it please thee to keep in order a moderate-sized farm, that so thy garners may be full of fruits in their season.

Πῆμα κακὸς γείτων, ὅσσον τ᾽ ἀγαθὸς μέγ᾽ ὄνειαρ.

Ὡραῖος δὲ γυναῖκα τεὸν ποτὶ οἶκον ἄγεσθαι,
μήτε τριηκόντων ἐτέων μάλα πόλλ᾽ ἀπολείπων
μήτ᾽ ἐπιθεὶς μάλα πολλά· γάμος δέ τοι ὥριος οὗτος.

Wealth should not be seized: god-given wealth is much better.

For then it is a bad thing to be righteous — if indeed the unrighteous shall have the greater right.

Often an entire city has suffered because of an evil man.

Do not let a flaunting woman coax and cozen and deceive you: she is after your barn. (translated by Hugh G. Evelyn-White)

The gods have placed sweat as the price of all things.

[Thus] the people pay for the mad folly of their princes who, evilly minded, pervert judgement and give sentence crookedly.

Ἀνδρὸς δ᾽ εὐόρκου γενεὴ μετόπισθεν ἀμείνων.

Ὃς δὲ γυναικὶ πέποιθε, πέποιθ᾽ ὅ γε φηλήτῃσιν.

We know how to speak many falsehoods which resemble real things, but we know, when we will, how to speak true things.

Ὄφρ᾽ ἀποτείσῃ
δῆμος ἀτασθαλίας βασιλέων, οἳ λυγρὰ νοεῦντες
ἄλλῃ παρκλίνωσι δίκας σκολιῶς ἐνέποντες.

Οὐκ αἰεὶ θέρος ἐσσεῖται· ποιεῖσθε καλιάς.

Αἶψα γὰρ ἐν κακότητι βροτοὶ καταγηράσκουσιν.