Mary Renault Quotes

A starving man won't notice a dirty plate.

There are always men who take their own measure against greatness, and hate it not for what it is, but for what they are. They can envy even the dead. So much Alexander saw. He did not understand, since it was not in him, the power such men have to rouse in others the sleeping envy they once had a decent shame of; to turn respect for excellence into hate. Nor did Kallisthenes understand it in himself. Vanity begets it, vanity covers it up.

That,” I said, “is the business of the gods, who made us.”

“Yes, but for what? We ought to be good for it, whatever it is. How can we live, until we know?”

I gazed at him; such desperate words, yet he looked all lit from within. He saw I was paying attention; that was enough to draw him on.

Man's immortality is not to live for ever; for that wish is born of fear. Each moment free from fear makes a man immortal.

It can be good to be given what you want; it can be better, in the end, never to have it proved to you that this is what you wanted

All men seek esteem; the best by lifting themselves, which is hard to do, the rest by shoving others down, which is much easier.

At the stair-foot Hephaistion was waiting. He happened to be there, as he happened to have a ball handy if Alexander wanted a game, or water if he was thirsty; not by calculation, but in a constant awareness by which no smallest trifle was missed. Now, when he came down the stairs with a shut mouth and blue lines under his eyes, Hephaistion received some mute signal he understood, and fell into step beside him.

Each moment free from fear makes a man immortal.

The sons of dreams outlive the sons of seed.

But it is not for the perfect vase or the polished gem to choose their owners.

Now for the first time he realized how important it had been not to admit any alternative to the hard, decent, orthodox choice which need not be regarded as a choice at all; how important not to be different.

Algunas veces piensas una cosa pero tardas algo más en sentirla.

When I rode on to meet the army, I learned a thing one never forgets after: how much easier it is to move the many than the few.

All these years you have made a boy of him. But with me, he shall be a man

(Alexander)'Sometimes I forget all this for months on end. Sometimes I think of it day and night. Sometimes I think, unless I find out the truth of it, I shall go mad.'
(Hephaistion)'That's stupid. You've got me now. Do you think I'd let you go mad?