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Even to a wicked man a divinity gives wealth, Cyrus, but to few men comes the gift of excellence.

— Theognis of Megara

χρήματα μὲν δαίμων καὶ παγκάκῳ ἀνδρὶ δίδωσιν
Κύρν᾿· ἀρετῆς δ᾿ ὀλίγοις ἀνδράσι μοῖρ᾿ ἕπεται.

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.

All Theognis of Megara quotes →

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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.