Quotes from Homer

The gods are hard to handle — when they come blazing forth in their true power.

Yet, taught by time, my heart has learned to glow for other's good, and melt at other's woe.

we must set aside old notions and embrace fresh ones; and, as we learn, we must be daily unlearning something which it has cost us no small labour and anxiety to acquire.

But when he spoke, that great voice of his poured out of his chest in words like the snowflakes of winter, and then no other mortal could in debate contend with Odysseus. Nor did we care any longer how he looked.

for iron of itself draws a man thereto.

Her heart raced with joy to sleep with War

It is hateful to me to tell a story over again, when it has been well told.

Cattle and fat sheep can all be had for the raiding, tripods for the trading, and tawny headed stallions. But a mans's lifebreath cannot come back again- no raiders in force, no trading brings it back, once it slips through a man's clenched teeth.

My mother Thetis tells me that there are two ways in which I may meet my end. If I stay here and fight, I will not return alive but my name will live forever: whereas if I go home my name will die, but it will be long ere death shall take me.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.

And when long years and seasons wheeling brought around that point of time ordained for him to make his passage homeward, trials and dangers, even so, attended him even in Ithaca, near those he loved.

What is proper to hear, no one, human or divine, will hear before you.

Hektor, argue me no agreements. I cannot forgive you. As there are no trustworthy oaths between men and lions, nor wolves and lambs have spirit that can be brought to agreement but forever these hold feelings of hate for each other, so there can be no love between you and me, nor shall there be oaths between us, but one or the other must fall before then to glut with his blood Ares the god who fights under the shield's guard.

But they could neither of them persuade me, for there is nothing dearer to a man than his own country and his parents, and however splendid a home he may have in a foreign country, if it be far from father or mother, he does not care about it.

But his sister, Artemis of the wild, the lady of wild beasts, scolded him bitterly and spoke a word of revilement: 'You run from him, striker from afar...Fool, then why do you wear that bow, which is wind and nothing.

For my part I have no joy in tears after dinnertime. There will always be a new dawn tomorrow. Yet I can have no objection to tears for any mortal who dies and goes to his destiny. And this is the only consolation we wretched mortals can give, to cut our hair and let the tears roll down our faces.

Getting out of jury duty is easy. The trick is to say you're prejudiced against all races.

The tongue of man is a twisty thing.

You must endure and not be broken-hearted.

Her gray eyes clear, the goddess Athena answered, Down from the skies I come to check your rage if only you will yield

What a lamentable thing it is that men should blame the gods and regard us as the source of their troubles, when it is their own wickedness that brings them sufferings worse than any which destiny allots them.

They did not know her-gods are hard for mortals to recognize.

The creation of genius always seem like miracles, because they are, for the most part, crated far out of the reach of observation.

Troy has perished, the great city. Only the red flame now lives there. The dust is rising, spreading out like a great wing of smoke and all is hidden. We now are gone, one here, one there. And Troy is gone forever. Farewell, dear city. Farewell, my country, where my children lived. There below, the Greek ships wait.