There is no greater fame for a man than that which he wins with his footwork or the skill of his hands.
HomerRead
Sing, O muse, of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the destructive wrath of Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior, and the consequences of his anger in the Trojan War.
In this opening line of Homer's 'Iliad', the focus is on the intense rage of Achilles, a pivotal character in the epic. His fury leads to significant suffering for the Achaeans, or Greeks, and sets the stage for the themes of pride, honor, and the fallout of personal conflicts in war. The line underscores how personal emotions, particularly rage, can affect larger events and lives in profound ways.
Themes
AngerAchillesWarEpicConsequences
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of personal emotions on leadership decisions.
More from Homer
All quotes →For Fate has wove the thread of life with pain,_x000D_ _x000D_ And twins ev'n from the birth are Misery and Man!
HomerRead
Be strong, saith my heart; I am a soldier; I have seen worse sights than this.
HomerRead
There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.
HomerRead
[I]t is the wine that leads me on, the wild wine that sets the wisest man to sing at the top of his lungs, laugh like a fool – it drives the man to dancing... it even tempts him to blurt out stories better never told.
HomerRead
Come, weave us a scheme so I can pay them back! Stand beside me, Athena, fire me with daring, fierce as the day we ripped Troy's glittering crown of towers down. Stand by me - furious now as then, my bright-eyed one - and I would fight three hundred men, great goddess, with you to brace me, comrade-in-arms in battle!
HomerRead
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