Sophocles Top 10 Quotes


10

Without labor nothing prospers.

Sophocles

9

A man, though wise, should never be ashamed of learning more, and must unbend his mind.

Sophocles (Antigone)

8

They are not wise, then, who stand forth to buffet against Love; for Love rules the gods as he will, and me.

Sophocles (Trachiniae)

7

There is no success without hardship.

Sophocles (Electra, ca. 409 BCE)

6

Fear? What has a man to do with fear? Chance rules our lives, and the future is all unknown. Best live as we may, from day to day.

Sophocles (Oedipus Rex)

5

Men of ill judgement oft ignore the good
That lies within their hands, till they have lost it.

Sophocles (Ajax)

4

Wisdom is a curse when wisdom does nothing for the man who has it.

Sophocles (Oedipus Rex)

3

Wise thinkers prevail everywhere. 

Sophocles

2

The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves.

Sophocles (Oedipus Rex)

1

One word
Frees us of all the weight and pain of life:
That word is love.

Sophocles (Oedipus at Colonus, 401 BCE)

See all quotes by Sophocles



Sophocles Biography

Born: 496 BCE
Died: 405 BCE

Sophocles was an ancient Greek writer and tragedian. He is mostly known for his plays "Oedipus" and "Antigone", also known as the Theban plays. He has had an great influence on drama throughout history.

Notable Works

Ajax
Antigone
Trachiniae
, or Trachinian Women
Oedipus Rex, or Oedipus the King
Electra
Philoctetes
(409 BCE)
Oedipus at Colonus (401 BCE)


All Quotations by Sophocles