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As for democracy, the men of sense among us knew what it was, and I perhaps as well as any, as I have more cause to complain of it but there is nothing new to be said of a patent absurdity-meanwhile we did not think it safe to alter it under the pressure of your hostility.

Thucydides

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Thucydides
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More quotes by Thucydides

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Now the only sure basis of an alliance is for each party to be equally afraid of the other
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War is a matter not so much of arms as of money.
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The secret of happiness is freedom and the secret of freedom is courage.
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Remember that this greatness was won by men with courage, with knowledge of their duty, and with a sense of honor in action.
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Knowledge without understanding is useless.
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In peace and prosperity states and individuals have better sentiments, because they do not find themselves suddenly confronted with imperious necessities but war takes away the easy supply of daily wants and so proves a rough master that brings most men's characters to a level with their fortunes
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And it is certain that those who do not yield to their equals, who keep terms with their superiors, and are moderate towards their inferiors, on the whole succeed best.
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For men can endure to hear others praised only so long as they can severally persuade themselves of their own ability to equal the actions recounted: when this point is passed, envy comes in and with it incredulity.
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speculation is carried on in safety, but, when it comes to action, fear causes failure.
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I have written my work, not as an essay which is to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time
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For men naturally despise those who court them, but respect those who do not give way to them.
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Mankind are tolerant of the praises of others as long as each hearer thinks that he can do as well or nearly as well himself, but, when the speaker rises above him, jealousy is aroused and he begins to be incredulous.
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For we both alike know that into the discussion of human affairs the question of justice enters only where the pressure of necessity is equal, and that the powerful exact what they can, and the weak grant what they must.
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Mankind apparently find it easier to drive away adversity than to retain prosperity.
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Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave. Therefore do not take lightly the perils of war.
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Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.
Thucydides
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Of all manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most.
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I could have wished that the reputations of many brave men were not to be imperilled in the mouth of a single individual, to stand or fall according as he spoke well or ill. For it is hard to speak properly upon a subject where it is even difficult to convince your hearers that you are speaking the truth.
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The growth of the power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired in Sparta, made war inevitable.
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Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and respect of self, in turn, is the chief element in courage.
Thucydides