Ovid (43 BCE-17 CE), a masterful Roman poet, wrote verses about romance, love, eroticism, and all manner of topics related to women—including fashion trends—in...
According to folklore set in 10th-century Iceland, a man named Thrain Sigfusson was invited to attend the wedding feast of his prominent nephew, Gunnar...
Njal’s Saga (written anonymously in the 13th century)
"It's not breaking a settlement...if a man deals lawfully with another—with law our land shall rise, but...
This illustration, vaguely labeled “Charlemagne” or “Charlemagne: Emperor of West and King of France,” was created by the French artist Jean Marie Mixelle (c....
Dante Alighieri (c. 1265-1321)
"Just as a swimmer, who with his last breath
flounders ashore from perilous seas, might turn
to memorize the wide water of his...
Mark Twain (c. 1835-1910)
"No sound and legitimate business can be established on a basis of speculation."
From chapter 19 of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut...
This rather abstract painting, by the Finnish artist Magnus Enckell (c. 1870-1925), was inspired by the ancient Greco-Roman myth of Endymion. His tale is...
This painting, by the French artist Jules Elie Delaunay (c. 1828-1891), was inspired by a particular tale from the Golden Legend, a large collection...
Marcus Aurelius (121-180)
Roman Emperor
"Think thyself fit and worthy to speak, or do anything that is according to nature, and let not the reproach, or...
(Alexander (by Placido Costanzi (Italian, 1702-1759)) with a catapult pointed at Darius III (Pompeii mosaic), all images Public Domain via Creative Commons)
Alexander the Great...
This tapestry, titled Caesar Defeats The Troops Of Pompey, was designed by Justus van Egmont (1601–1674) and woven by the workshop of Gerard Peemans...
Lucan (c. 39-65)
"Virtue and absolute power do not mix."
From Lucan’s Civil War (Book 8, approximately between lines 600-610), translated by Matthew Fox (Penguin...
Sir Winston Churchill (c. 1874-1965)
"How else are we going to marshal adequate and if possible overwhelming forces against brazen, unprovoked aggression, except by a...
William Shakespeare (c. 1564 – 1616)
"Lovers and madmen have such seething brains,
Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend
More than cool reason ever comprehends.
The lunatic, the...
Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329-390)
"A man's character is the most persuasive thing of all."
From Gregory of Nazianzus' Three Poems, translated by Denis Molaise...
Euripides (c. 484-406 BCE)
"Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish."
From The Bacchae (approximately line 480), by the poet Euripides. Translated...
Albert Camus (c. 1913-1960)
"All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning."
From The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus, translated by...
Mencius (c. 372-289 BCE)
"Benevolence overcomes cruelty just as water overcomes fire."
From The Mencius (Book VI, Part A, section 18) by Mencius, translated by D....
Odin (from Hávamál)
"Cattle die,
kin die
self dies too;
a good name,
if you get one,
goes on forever"
This quote comes from stanza 76 of Hávamál (Sayings of the...
Sir Winston Churchill (c. 1874-1965)
"Never till now were great communities afforded such ample means of measuring their approaching agony. Never have they seemed less...
St. Augustine of Hippo (c. 354-430)
"Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet."
From St. Augustine's Confessions (Book 8, chapter 7, section 17), in...
