The peoples of the Mediterranean began to emerge from barbarism when they learned to cultivate the olive and the vine.
ThucydidesRead
We secure our friends not by accepting favors but by doing them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True friendship is built on mutual support and selfless actions rather than merely accepting help.
This quote by Thucydides emphasizes that authentic friendships are formed not through receiving favors or assistance, but rather through the act of offering support and kindness to others. It highlights the importance of being proactive in relationships, suggesting that our bonds with friends strengthen when we prioritize their needs and uplift them through our actions.
Themes
FriendshipSupportSelflessnessKindnessRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of community, one might quote this to emphasize giving back.
More from Thucydides
All quotes βWe Greeks are lovers of the beautiful, yet simple in our tastes, and we cultivate the mind without loss of manliness.
ThucydidesRead
If it had not been for the pernicious power of envy, men would not so have exalted vengeance above innocence and profit above justice... in these acts of revenge on others, men take it upon themselves to begin the process of repealing those general laws of humanity which are there to give a hope of salvation to all who are in distress.
ThucydidesRead
Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote the history of the war between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, he began at the moment that it broke out, believing that it would be a great war, and more memorable than any that had preceded it.
ThucydidesRead
Some legislators only wish to vengeance against a particular enemy. Others only look out for themselves. They devote very little time on the consideration of any public issue. They think that no harm will come from their neglect. They act as if it is always the business of somebody else to look after this or that. When this selfish notion is entertained by all, the commonwealth slowly begins to decay.
ThucydidesRead
Remember that this greatness was won by men with courage, with knowledge of their duty, and with a sense of honor in action.
ThucydidesRead
Similar quotes
Nothing will ever please me, no matter how excellent or beneficial, if I must retain the knowledge of it to myself. . . . . . No good thing is pleasant to possess, without friends to share it.
Seneca The YoungerRead
The trouble is not in dying for a friend, but in finding a friend worth dying for.
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Admonish your friends privately, but praise them openly.
Publilius SyrusRead
Loyalty is what we seek in friendship.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
And much more am I sorrier for my good knights' loss than for the loss of my fair queen; for queens I might have enough, but such a fellowship of good knights shall never be together in no company.
Thomas MaloryRead
My best friend is the man who in wishing me well wishes it for my sake.
AristotleRead