At first the Lacedaemonians trusted the words of Themistocles, through their friendship for him; but when others arrived, all distinctly declaring that the work was going on and already attaining some elevation, they did not know how to disbelieve it.
Thucydides: The History of the Peloponnesian War
"O Conspiracy,
Sham’st thou to show thy dang’rous brow by night,
When evils are most free?"
Julius Caesar by Shakespeare
"At the same time, we tend to take pleasure in the notion that great men are, in various ways, human, all too human"
Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil (Pg. 23 is in the Introduction)
'What do you mean?' asked Gerstäcker uncomprehendingly, but without waiting for an answer he spoke to the horse and they moved on again.
"In his working clothes, Joe was a well-knit characteristic-looking blacksmith; in his holiday clothes, he was more like a scarecrow in good circumstances, than anything else."
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations.
"They were called criminals, and the outraged law, like the bursting shells had to come to them, an insoluble mystery from the sea."
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
What a fabulous thread to stumble upon, right after registration! Also Hi everyone :-)
"They were the only group that consistently refused to acknowledge the gods of their neighbours, send gifts to their temples or participate in festivals honouring these gods."
From - A Convenient Hatred: The History of Antisemitism by Harold Evans and Phyllis Goldstein
I know, great thread, isn't it.
Welcome :wave:
I pay my taxes and insurance myself.
'He loved to consort with low people.'
Doctor Thorne, Anthony Trollope, 1858
She learned circumspection, judgement, the need for strict self-control and the virtues of silence - but also the necessity to speak out for herself, with all her courage and eloquence, when the occasion demanded.
Bit of synchronicity here:
"The cold was bitter; he guessed several degrees of frost already, and the worst of the night was still to come." -- Pavane by Keith Roberts.
They don't believe in God, but they pretend to because their charges, they think, need this belief.
The Problem of the Soul, Owen Flanagan, 2002
One thing that makes this a great thread is the great writing it contains, proof that great writers make every sentence, every word, count.
...then rolled a joint, lit up the dollar/franc debate.
Having Fled the Cite Universitaire - Robert Graves
I looked like I wasn't at a cocktail party but an airport, waiting for my life to take off.