WIST Quotations

Menander -- Fragment

Dave — Mon, 09 May 2016 15:11:00 +0000

He that lends an easy and credulous ear to calumny is either a man of very ill morals or has no more sense and understanding than a child.

Menander (c. 341 - c. 290 BC) Greek comedic dramatist
Fragment

Quoted in James Elmes, Classic Quotations: A Thought-Book (1863).

Dave — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 18:57:17 +0000

The person who is sick in the body needs a doctor;
someone who is sick in the mind needs a friend
For a well-meaning friend knows how to treat grief.

[Τῷ μὲν τὸ σῶμα διατεθειμένῳ κακῶς
χρεία ‘στ’ ἰατροῦ, τῷ δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν φίλου·
λύπην γὰρ εὔνους οἶδε θεραπεύειν φίλος.]

Menander (c. 341 - c. 290 BC) Greek comedic dramatist
Fragment 591 K., in Stobaeus, Anthology [tr. @sentantiq]
(Source)

Alt. trans.:

"For him who is ill at ease in his body there is need of a physician, but need of a friend for him whose soul is ill. For loyal words have the secret of healing grief." [tr. Allinson (1921)]
"Sick bodies need a doctor, minds a friend; / Kind words have skill the mourner's pain to mend." [tr. Edmonds]

Dave — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 12:41:26 +0000

A man’s character is revealed in his speech.

Menander (c. 341 - c. 290 BC) Greek comedic dramatist
Fragment, 72 [tr. Allinson (1921)]