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Chilon of Sparta Quotes

b. 555 BC Greece

Chilon (fl. 555 BC) was a Spartan politician reckoned one of the seven wise men.

Greece
Poets
Politicians

Random Chilon of Sparta quote

15 quotes

Seek no excess—all timely things are good.

To be more prompt to go to one’s friends in adversity than in prosperity.

To make but a moderate display at one’s marriage.

To threaten no one; for that is a womanly trick.

To rule one’s tongue, especially at a banquet, and not to speak ill of one’s neighbors; for if one does so one is sure to hear what one will not like.

If one is strong to be also merciful, so that one’s neighbors may respect one rather than fear one.

To prefer punishment to disgraceful gain; for the one is painful but once, but the other for one’s whole life.

When speaking not to gesticulate with the hand; for that is like a madman.

To learn how to regulate one’s own house well.

Not to let one’s tongue outrun one’s sense.

Not to make too much haste on one’s road.

Not to laugh at a person in misfortune.

Not to speak evil of the dead.

The reason is because I know how to bear injustice, but you do not.
Being asked in what educated men differed from those who were illiterate, he said

To be silent about secrets; to make good use of one’s leisure, and to be able to submit to injustice.
And besides these three things he added further

Attribution

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