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An ox with heavy foot upon my tongue
Forbids my chattering, although I know.

— Theognis of Megara

βοῦς μοι ἐπὶ γλώσσῃ κρατερῷ ποδὶ λὰξ ἐπιβαίνων
ἴσχει κωτίλλειν καίπερ ἐπιστάμενον.

Original text (Ancient Greek)

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More quotes by Theognis of Megara

One finds many companions for food and drink, but in a serious business a man's companions are few.

Kurnos, unless the gods deceive my mind,
That man is forging fetters for himself.

Ploutos, no wonder mortals worship you:
You are so tolerant of their sins!

Adopt the character of the twisting octopus, which takes on the appearance of the nearby rock. Now follow in this direction, now turn a different hue.

Spend time on excellence, and love the right,
And don’t let shameful profit master you.

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Theognis of Megara (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.