Demosthenes famous quotes

Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.
-- Demosthenes

#Inspirational #Motivational #Business

A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true.
-- Demosthenes

#Believe #Men #Religion

We need money, for sure, Athenians, and without money nothing can be done that ought to be done.
-- Demosthenes

#Needs #Done #Need Money

There is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and security to all, but especially to democracies as against despots - suspicion.
-- Demosthenes

#Trust #Wise #Tyrants

All speech is vain and empty unless it be accompanied by action.
-- Demosthenes

#Speech #Action #Empty

There are all kinds of devices invented for the protection and preservation of countries: defensive barriers, forts, trenches, and the like... But prudent minds have as a natural gift one safeguard which is the common possession of all, and this applies especially to the dealings of democracies. What is this safeguard? Skepticism. This you must preserve. This you must retain. If you can keep this, you need fear no harm.
-- Demosthenes

#Trust #Country #Mind

Nothing is so easy as to deceive oneself; for what we wish, we readily believe.
-- Demosthenes

#Inspirational #Believe #Wish

Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master
-- Demosthenes

#War #Anxiety #Masters

You cannot have a proud and chivalrous spirit if your conduct is mean and paltry; for whatever a man's actions are, such must be his spirit.
-- Demosthenes

#Mean #Men #Proud

Small opportunities often presage great enterprises.
-- Demosthenes

#Opportunity #Enterprise

He who confers a favor should at once forget it, if he is not to show a sordid ungenerous spirit. To remind a man of a kindness conferred and to talk of it, is little different from reproach.
-- Demosthenes

#Kindness #Men #Different

Good fortune is the greatest of blessings, but good counsel comes next, and the lack of it destroys the other also.
-- Demosthenes

#Blessing #Next #Fortune

Excessive dealings with tyrants are not good for the security of free states.
-- Demosthenes

#Tyrants #States #Dealings

Whatever shall be to the advantage of all, may that prevail!
-- Demosthenes

#May #Advantage

Nothing is easier than self-deceit.
-- Demosthenes

#Self #Deceit #Easier

It is not possible to found a lasting power upon injustice, perjury, and treachery. These may, perhaps, succeed for once, and borrow for awhile, from hope, a gay and flourishing appearance. But time betrays their weakness, and they fall into ruin of themselves. For, as in structures of every kind, the lower parts should have the greatest firmness--so the grounds and principles of actions should be just and true.
-- Demosthenes

#Fall #Gay #Weakness

Everything great is not always good, but all good things, are great.
-- Demosthenes

#Greatness #Good Things

Nothing is so easy as to deceive one's self; for what we wish, that we readily believe; but such expectations are often inconsistent with the real state of things.
-- Demosthenes

#Real #Believe #Self

The man who flies shall fight again. [Lat., Qui fugiebat, rusus praeliabitur.]
-- Demosthenes

#War #Fighting #Men

The end of wisdom is consultation and deliberation.
-- Demosthenes

#Wisdom #Ends #Deliberation

The more able a man is, if he make ill use of his abilities, the more dangerous will he be to the commonwealth.
-- Demosthenes

#Men #Use #Able

It is not possible to found a lasting power upon injustice, perjury, and treachery.
-- Demosthenes

#Character #Injustice #Found

The sower of the seed is assuredly the author of the whole harvest of mischief.
-- Demosthenes

#Harvest #Mischief

The readiest and surest way to get rid of censure, is to correct ourselves.
-- Demosthenes

#Way

What we wish, that we readily believe.
-- Demosthenes

#Believe #Wish

As a vessel is known by the sound, whether it be cracked or not; so men are proved, by their speeches, whether they be wise or foolish.
-- Demosthenes

#Wise #Stupid #Men

No man who is not willing to help himself has any right to apply to his friends, or to the gods.
-- Demosthenes

#Men #Helping #Willing

What we have in us of the image of God is the love of truth and justice.
-- Demosthenes

#Justice #God Image #Truth And Justice

It is impossible for men engaged in low and groveling pursuits to have noble and generous sentiments. A man's thought must always follow his employment.
-- Demosthenes

#Men #Noble #Impossible

The most noble title any child can have is Third.
-- Demosthenes

#Children #Titles #Noble

By persistent labor man may attain to all excellence.
-- Demosthenes

#Men #Excellence #May

Clouds cannot cover secret places, nor denials conceal truth.
-- Demosthenes

#Clouds #Secret #Denial

Every dictator is an enemy of freedom, an opponent of law.
-- Demosthenes

#Law #Enemy #Opponents

To remind a man of the good turns you have done him is very much like a reproach.
-- Demosthenes

#Men #Done #Turns

The fact speak for themselves.
-- Demosthenes

#Life #Facts #Speak

Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states.
-- Demosthenes

#Safety #Alliances #Safe

Since we are not yet fully comfortable with the idea that people from the next village are as human as ourselves, it is presumptuous in the extreme to suppose we could ever look at sociable, tool-making creatures who are from other evolutionary paths and see not beasts, but brothers, not rivals, but fellow pilgrims journeying to the shrine of intelligence...The difference... is not in the creature judged, but in the creature judging.
-- Demosthenes

#Brother #Ideas #Differences

Every advantage in the past is judged in the light of the final issue.
-- Demosthenes

#Past #Issues #Light

Success has a great tendency to conceal and throw a veil over the evil deeds of men.
-- Demosthenes

#Men #Evil #Veils

Do you remember that in classical times when Cicero had finished speaking, the people said, "How well he spoke" but when Demosthenes had finished speaking, they said, "Let us march.
-- Demosthenes

#People #March #Remember

The man who has received a benefit ought always to remember it, but he who has granted it ought to forget the fact at once.
-- Demosthenes

#Men #Benefits #Facts

Nothing is more easy than to deceive one's self, as our affections are subtle persuaders.
-- Demosthenes

#Self #Deceit #Affection