Original text (Ancient Greek)
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!
No higher prize is given to men than virtue;
None fairer can the wise man bear away.
All Theognis of Megara quotes →
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.
To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead.
Not for the body, but for the heart; companion and company are needed.
Love seldom haunts the breast where learning lies,
And Venus sets ere Mercury can rise.
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.