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Aristophanes Quotes

446 BC–386 BC Greece

Aristophanes (Greek: Ἀριστοφάνης; c. 446 – c. 386 BC) was a Greek poet and playwright of the Old Comedy, also known as the Father of Comedy and the Prince of Ancient Comedy. Of his forty plays, eleven are extant, plus a thousand fragments of the others.

Greece
Playwrights
Poets
Satirists

Also known as: The Birds (Aristophanes)

Random Aristophanes quote

31 quotes

To drink is evil—for from wine arises
Breaking of doors, blows, stoning, and the money
That must be paid down when the headache's past.
(tr. C. A. Wheelwright, 1837)

Peace (-421)

For the barbarians think those only men
Who have the greatest power to eat and drink.
(tr. C. A. Wheelwright, 1837)

Acharnians (-425)

Demosthenes: A demagogue must be neither an educated nor an honest man; he has to be an ignoramus and a rogue.
(tr. O'Neill 1938, Perseus)

Knights (-424)

Bdelycleon: It is so that you may know only those who nourish you
(tr. O'Neill 1938, Perseus)

Wasps (-422)

What good is in a drunken counsellor?
(tr. C. A. Wheelwright, 1837)

Knights (-424)

Thou speakest roses to me.
(tr. T. B. Harbottle, 1897)

Clouds (-423)

Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever.

Misattributed Fictional attribution in the movie The Emperor's Club (2002)

Times change. The vices of your age are stylish today.

Misattributed

Philokleon: Let each man exercise the art he knows.
(tr. Rogers 1909, p. 110)

Misattributed

[909] Just Cause: You are debauched and shameless.
[910] Unjust Cause: You have spoken roses of me.
[910] Just Cause: And a dirty lickspittle.
[911] Unjust Cause: You crown me with lilies.
[911] Just Cause: And a parricide.
[912] Unjust Cause: You don't know that you are sprinkling me with gold.
[913] Just Cause: Certainly not so formerly, but with lead.
[914] Unjust Cause: But now this is an ornament to me.
(tr. Hickie 1853, vol. 1, Perseus — for comparison with tr. below)

Misattributed

[909] Philosophy: Why, you Precocious Pederast! You Palpable Pervert!
[910] Sophistry: Pelt me with roses!
[910] Philosophy: You Toadstool! O Cesspool!
[911] Sophistry: Wreath my hairs with lilies!
[911] Philosophy: Why, you Parricide!
[912] Sophistry: Shower me with gold! Look, don't you see I welcome your abuse?
[913] Philosophy: Welcome it, monster? In my day we would have cringed with shame.
[914] Sophistry: Whereas now we're flattered. Times change. The vices of your age are stylish today.
(heavily rewritten and embellished tr. Arrowsmith 1962, p. 70)

Misattributed

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Aristophanes (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.