This etched landscape, created by the French artist Claude Lorrain (c. 1600-1682), features the ancient Greek myth of Europa, a princess from the lands...
This rather abstractly painted artwork, by the Norwegian artist Christian Krohg (c. 1852–1925), was inspired by the storied life of the historical figure, Olaf...
Constantine IV was a son and successor of Emperor Constans II of Constantinople (r. 641-668/669). Constans II, like many emperors of Roman and European...
Dante Alighieri (c. 1265-1321)
"He listens to good purpose who takes note."
Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy (Inferno, Canto XV), translated by Henry F. Cary in the Harvard...
This artwork, by the Norwegian artist Gerhard Munthe (1849–1929), is a depiction of the Norse god, Odin. The print features several key iconographic details...
This etched landscape, created by the French artist Claude Lorrain (c. 1600-1682), features the ancient Greek myth of Europa, a princess from the lands...
This painting, by the German artist Hans Thoma (c. 1839-1924), was inspired by the Sirens of ancient Greek myth. These mythological creatures were characterized...
Lucian of Samosata (c. 120-180+), in his satirical work Timon the Misanthrope, envisioned Wealth as a personified god. Wealth, as the account told, was...
Giovanni Boccaccio (c. 1313-1375)
"Many are those who, whilst they are busy making strenuous efforts to get to Paradise, unwittingly send some other person there...
The Thousand and One Nights
(a large collection of anonymously-authored stories of Indian, Persian and Arabian origin, compiled and edited between the 9th and 15th...
Murasaki Shikibu (c. 11th century)
"My impression is that the longer something takes, the more likely it is to go wrong."
From Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale...
Sun Tzu (Sayings recorded through 6th-3rd Century BCE)
"Never move
Except for gain;
Never deploy
Except for victory;
Never fight
Except in a crisis."
From Sun Tzu's The Art of...
Aeschylus (c. 525-456 BCE)
"What good are the oracles to men? Words, more words,
and the hurt comes on us, endless words
and a seer's techniques have...
Constantine IV was a son and successor of Emperor Constans II of Constantinople (r. 641-668/669). Constans II, like many emperors of Roman and European...
Virgil (c. 70-19 BCE)
"Man and beast, each and every race of earth,
creatures of the sea, domesticated animals, and birds in all their
finery,
all of them...
Lucian of Samosata (c. 120-180+), in his satirical work Timon the Misanthrope, envisioned Wealth as a personified god. Wealth, as the account told, was...
This rather abstractly painted artwork, by the Norwegian artist Christian Krohg (c. 1852–1925), was inspired by the storied life of the historical figure, Olaf...
Winston Churchill (c. 1874-1965)
"Fearthought is futile worrying over what cannot be averted or will probably never happen. Forethought is taking the best means at...
Benjamin Franklin (American Founding Father, 1706-1790)
"There are Croakers in every Country always boding its Ruin."
From The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, edited by Kenneth...
Plato (427-347 BCE)
"We see the same thing simultaneously as one and as infinitely many."
From Plato's Republic (Bekker 525a), translated by Robin Waterfield, 1994....
(Caesar painted by Lionel Royer (1852–1926) cropped behind a Pompeii market fresco, all via Creative Commons)
In 48 BCE, while the civil war between...
(Soldiers from the Ming Dynasty Departure Herald, from the Jiajing reign period in China (1522-1566), via Creative Commons)
A Violent Golden Age
The centuries spanning...
Sun Tzu (Chinese strategist and philosopher, 6th-5th Century BCE)
"Speed
Is the essence of War.
Exploit the enemy's unpreparedness;
Attack him unawares;
Take an unexpected route."
From Sun Tzu's...
