WIST Quotations

Euripides -- Medea [Μήδεια], l. 516ff (431 BC) [tr. Johnston (2008)]

Dave — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 20:46:21 +0000

MEDEA: O Zeus, why did you give men certain ways
to recognize false gold, when there’s no mark,
no token stamped on the human body,
to indicate which men are worthless.

[ΜΉΔΕΙΑ: ὦ Ζεῦ, τί δὴ χρυσοῦ μὲν ὃς κίβδηλος ᾖ
τεκμήρι᾽ ἀνθρώποισιν ὤπασας σαφῆ,
ἀνδρῶν δ᾽ ὅτῳ χρὴ τὸν κακὸν διειδέναι
οὐδεὶς χαρακτὴρ ἐμπέφυκε σώματι;]

Euripides (485?-406? BC) Greek tragic dramatist
Medea [Μήδεια], l. 516ff (431 BC) [tr. Johnston (2008)]

(Source (Greek)). Other translations:

Wherefore, O Jove, didst thou instruct mankind
How to distinguish by undoubted marks
Counterfeit gold, yet in the front of vice
Impress no brand to shew the tainted heart?
[tr. Wodhull (1782)]

O Jove, why hast thou given us certain proof
To know adulterate gold, but stamp'd no mark,
Where it is needed most, on man's base metal?
[tr. Potter (1814)]

Oh Zeus why hast thou given mankind sure test
To know the spurious gold, while upon men
Is no mark born whereby to tell a knave?
[tr. Webster (1868)]

O Zeus! why hast thou granted unto man clear signs to know the sham in gold, while on man's brow no brand is stamped whereby to gauge the villain's heart?
[tr. Coleridge (1891)]

O Jove, why I pray hast thou given to men certain proofs of the gold which is adulterate, but no mark is set by nature on the person of men by which one may distinguish the bad man.
[tr. Buckley (1892)]

O Zeus, ah wherefore hast thou given to men
Plain signs for gold which is but counterfeit,
But no assay-mark nature-graven shows
On man's form, to discern the base withal?
[tr. Way (Loeb) (1894)]

O great God, shall gold withal
Bear thy clear mark, to sift the base and fine,
And o'er man's living visage runs no sign
To show the lie within, ere all too late?
[tr. Murray (1906)]

O God, you have given to mortals a sure method
Of telling the gold that is pure from the counterfeit;
Why is there no mark engraved upon men's bodies
By which we could know the true ones from the false ones?
[tr. Warner (1944)]

O Zeus! Why have you given us clear signs to tell
True gold from counterfeit; but when we need to know
Bad men from good, the flesh bears no revealing mark?
[tr. Vellacott (1963)]

Zeus, why did you give to men clear signs
To distinguish counterfeit gold from true, but as for
Humans, no stamp is impressed on their bodies
By which the bogus ones can be discerned?
[tr. Podlecki (1989)]

O Zeus, why, when you gave to men sure signs of gold that is counterfeit, is there no mark on the human body by which one could identify base men?
[tr. Kovacs (Loeb) (1994)]

O Zeus, why is it you have given men clear ways of testing whether gold is counterfeit but, when it comes to men, the body carries no stamp of nature for distinguishing bad from good?
[tr. Davie (1996)]

Oh Zeus! You gave such obvious signs for men to tell the difference between genuine gold and fake and yet you gave not a hint for people to tell who’s a good man and who an evil one!
[tr. Theodoridis (2004)]

Oh Zeus! Why have you given us a clear test
of gold to tell which is counterfeit
but of men — where to identify an evil one would be useful —
there is no such mark on his body?
[tr. Luschnig (2007)]

Oh Zeus, why have you given us clear signs to tell if gold has been adulterated, but tehre's no sign upon the body of a man by which we can find out who's evil?
[tr. Ewans (2022)]

Why, Zeus? Why did you give to men clear ways of knowing the counterfeited gold, while on men’s body no brand [kharaktēr] is stamped by which to know the kakos?
[tr. Coleridge / Ceragioli / Nagy / Hour25]

O Zeus, why, when you gave to men sure signs of gold that is counterfeit, is there no mark on the human body by which one could identify bad men?
[tr. Kovacs / Zhang / Rogak]

Ingersoll, Robert Green -- Lecture (1872-01-29), “The Gods,” Fairbury Hall, Fairbury, Illinois

Dave — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 19:10:53 +0000

A devout clergyman sought every opportunity to impress upon the mind of his son the fact, that God takes care of all his creatures; that the falling sparrow attracts his attention, and that his loving kindness is over all his works.
Happening, one day, to see a crane wading in quest of food, the good man pointed out to his son the perfect adaptation of the crane to get his living in that manner. “See,” said he, “how his legs are formed for wading! What a long slender bill he has! Observe how nicely he folds his feet when putting them in or drawing them out of the water! He does not cause the slightest ripple. He is thus enabled to approach the fish without giving them any notice of his arrival.”
“My son,” said he, “it is impossible to look at that bird without recognizing the design, as well as the goodness of God, in thus providing the means of subsistence.”
“Yes,” replied the boy, “I think I see the goodness of God, at least so far as the crane is concerned; but after all, father, don’t you think the arrangement a little tough on the fish?”

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833–1899) American lawyer, freethinker, orator
Lecture (1872-01-29), “The Gods,” Fairbury Hall, Fairbury, Illinois

First given on the 135th birthday of Thomas Paine. Collected in The Gods and Other Lectures (1876).

Ingersoll, Robert Green -- Lecture (1872-01-29), “The Gods,” Fairbury Hall, Fairbury, Illinois

Dave — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 21:12:41 +0000

What would we think of a father, who should give a farm to his children, and before giving them possession should plant upon it thousands of deadly shrubs and vines; should stock it with ferocious beasts, and poisonous reptiles; should take pains to put a few swamps in the neighborhood to breed malaria; should so arrange matters, that the ground would occasionally open and swallow a few of his darlings, and besides all this, should establish a few volcanoes in the immediate vicinity, that might at any moment overwhelm his children with rivers of fire? Suppose that this father neglected to tell his children which of the plants were deadly; that the reptiles were poisonous; failed to say anything about the earthquakes, and kept the volcano business a profound secret; would we pronounce him angel or fiend?
And yet this is exactly what the orthodox God has done.

Montaigne, Michel de -- Essays, Book 2, ch. 20 (2.20), “We Taste Nothing Pure [Nous ne goustons rien de pur]” (1578) [tr. Cotton/Hazlitt (1877)]

Dave — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 00:32:58 +0000

Pleasure chews and grinds us; according to the old Greek verse, which says that the gods sell us all the goods they give us; that is to say, that they give us nothing pure and perfect, and that we do not purchase but at the price of some evil.

[L’aise nous masche. C’est ce que dit un verset Grec ancien, de tel sens: Les dieux nous vendent tous les biens qu’ils nous donnent: c’est à dire, ils ne nous en donnent aucun pur & parfaict, & que nous n’achetions au prix de quelque mal.]

Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) French essayist
Essays, Book 2, ch. 20 (2.20), “We Taste Nothing Pure [Nous ne goustons rien de pur]” (1578) [tr. Cotton/Hazlitt (1877)]

The first sentence here was in the final 1595 edition, along with other text on this theme. The rest (which referenced to the text immediately before those additions) is found in the original 1580 edition.

The referenced Greek verse is attributed to Epicharmus by Xenophon (Memorabilia,, II, 1.20).

Source (French)). Alternate translations:

Ease consumeth us. It is that, which on old Greeke verse saith, of such a sense. The Gods sell us all the goods they give us; that is to say, they give us not one pure and perfect, and that which we buy not with the price of some evill.
[tr. Florio (1603)]

Pleasure preys upon us, according to the old Greek verse, which says, "That the gods sell us all the good they give us;" that is to say, that they give us nothing pure and perfect, and which we do not purchase but at the price of some evil.
[tr. Cotton (1686)]

Ease eats us up. This is said by the ancient Greek verse, to this effect: "The gods sell us all the goods they give us"; that is to say, they give us none pure and perfect, and which we do not purchase at the cost of some ill.
[tr. Ives (1925)]

Happiness racks us. That is what an old Greek verse says, in this sense: "The gods sell us all the good things they give us." That is to say, they give us none pure and perfect, none that we do not buy at the price of some evil.
[tr. Frame (1943)]

Pleasure chews and grinds us.
[ed. Rat (1958)]

Ease crushes us. That is what is meant by that line of ancient Greek poetry: "The gods sell us all the pleasures which they give us"; that is to say, none that they give us is pure and perfect: we can only buy them at the price of some suffering.
[tr. Screech (1987)]

Ingersoll, Robert Green -- Lecture (1872-01-29), “The Gods,” Fairbury Hall, Fairbury, Illinois

Dave — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 17:03:20 +0000

The instant we admit that a book is too sacred to be doubted, or even reasoned about, we are mental serfs. It is infinitely absurd to suppose that a god would address a communication to intelligent beings, and yet make it a crime, to be punished in eternal flames, for them to use their intelligence for the purpose of understanding his communication. If we have the right to use our reason, we certainly have the right to act in accordance with it, and no god can have the right to punish us for such action.

Fuller, Thomas (1654) -- Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 2, # 2019 (1727)

Dave — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 16:08:28 +0000

Thou art not bound to believe any one positively against thy Reason, which God hath given thee to be thy Guide.

Thomas Fuller (1654–1734) English physician, preacher, aphorist, writer
Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 2, # 2019 (1727)

Steele, Richard -- Essay (1710-07-27), The Tatler, No. 203

Dave — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:28:16 +0000

It was very prettily said, that we may learn the little value of fortune by the persons on whom Heaven is pleased to bestow it.

Richard Steele (1672–1729) Anglo-Irish writer, journalist, playwright, politician
Essay (1710-07-27), The Tatler, No. 203

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Essay (1841), “Self-Reliance,” Essays: First Series, No. 2

Dave — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 11:44:40 +0000

Insist on yourself; never imitate.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Essay (1841), “Self-Reliance,” Essays: First Series, No. 2

This essay was inspired by his reading of Walter Savage Landor in 1833, with passages pulled from his lecture "Individualism," last in his course on "The Philosophy of History" (1836–1837), with other passages from the lectures "School," "Genius," and "Duty" in his course on "Human Life" (1838–1839).

Berry, Wendell -- Essay (1988), “God and Country,” What Are People For? (1990)

Dave — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:01:42 +0000

The ecological teaching of the Bible is simply inescapable: God made the world because He wanted it made. He thinks the world is good, and He loves it. It is His world; He has never relinquished title to it. And He has never revoked the conditions, bearing on His gift to us of the use of it, that oblige us to take excellent care of it.

Wendell Berry (b. 1934) American farmer, educator, poet, conservationist
Essay (1988), “God and Country,” What Are People For? (1990)

Galileo Galilei -- Letter (1651) to Christina of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany [tr. Drake (1957)]

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

But I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason and intellect has intended us to forego their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them. He would not require us to deny sense and reason in physical matters which are set before our eyes and minds by direct experience or necessary demonstrations.

Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) Italian astronomer, physicist, engineer, polymath
Letter (1651) to Christina of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany [tr. Drake (1957)]