Quotes from Ptolemy

Everything that is hard to attain is easily assailed by the generality of men.

As material fortune is associated with the properties of the body, so honor belongs to those of the soul.

The length of life takes the leading place among inquiries about events following birth.

I know that I am mortal by nature, and ephemeral; but when I trace at my pleasure the windings to and fro of the heavenly bodies I no longer touch the earth with my feet: I stand in the presence of Zeus himself and take my fill of ambrosia

Mortal as I am, I know that I am born for a day. But when I follow at my pleasure the serried multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the earth.

Mortal as I am,' he wrote, 'I know that I am born for a day. But when I follow at my pleasure the serried multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the Earth. . .

For almost every peculiar attribute of material nature becomes apparent from the peculiarities of its motion from place to place. [Thus one can distinguish] the corruptible from the incorruptible by [whether it undergoes] motion in a straight line or in a circle, and heavy from light, and passive from active, by [whether it moves] towards the centre or move away from the centre.

It is clearly evident that most events of a widespread nature draw their causes from the enveloping heavens.

As material fortune is associated with the properties of the body, so honor belongs to those of the soul.

The length of life takes the leading place among inquiries about events following birth.

Everything that is hard to attain is easily assailed by the generality of men.

There are three classes of friendship and enmity, since men are so disposed to one another either by preference or by need or by pleasure and pain.