Sophocles Quotes

Truly, to tell lies is not honorable;
but when the truth entails tremendous ruin,
to speak dishonorably is pardonable.

A man, though wise, should never be ashamed of learning more, and must unbend his mind.

[S]ilence supports the accuser’s charge?

There is a kind of excellence in me and you — born in us — and it cannot live in shame.

When I have tried and failed, I shall have failed.

The tyrant is a child of Pride Who drinks from his sickening cup Recklessness and vanity, Until from his high crest headlong He plummets to the dust of hope.

"Far-stretching, endless Time
Brings forth all hidden things,
And buries that which once did shine.
The firm resolve falters, the sacred oath is shattered;
And let none say, "It cannot happen here". "

Fate has terrible power. You cannot escape it by wealth or war. No fort will keep it out, no ships outrun it.

What is God singing in his profound Delphi of gold and shadow?

I have been a stranger here in my own land: All my life

The blind man cannot move without a guide

he came to know the god intimately and the strange mad flower of his mind dripped in the dark

It is a good thing To escape from death, but it is not great pleasure To bring death to a friend.

Goodbye to the sun that shines for me no longer;

I know not, but strained silence, so I deem,
IS no less ominous than excessive grief.