# data[].attributes.headline
Σοφώτατον χρόνος, ἀνευρίσκει γὰρ πάντα.

# data[].attributes.subject
Σοφώτατον χρόνος, ἀνευρίσκει γὰρ πάντα.

# data[].attributes.body
Time is the wisest, for it finds out all things.

This saying is attributed to the philosopher Thales by Diogenes Laertius as follows:

πρεσβύτατον τῶν ὄντων θεός: ἀγένητον γάρ. The oldest of all things that are is God, for he is un-created.

κάλλιστον κόσμος: ποίημα γὰρ θεοῦ. The most beautiful is the universe, for it is the work of God.

μέγιστον τόπος: ἅπαντα γὰρ χωρεῖ. The greatest is space, for it holds everything.

τάχιστον νοῦς: διὰ παντὸς γὰρ τρέχει. The swiftest is the mind, for it runs through everything.

ἰσχυρότατον ἀνάγκη: κρατεῖ γὰρ πάντων. The strongest is necessity, for it has mastery over all.

σοφώτατον χρόνος: ἀνευρίσκει γὰρ πάντα The wisest is time, for it finds out all things.

You can find out more about Thales at Miletus at Wikipedia.

# data[].attributes.headline
Τίμα τὸ γῆρας, οὐ γὰρ ἔρχεται μόνον.

# data[].attributes.subject
Τίμα τὸ γῆρας, οὐ γὰρ ἔρχεται μόνον.

# data[].attributes.body
Revere old age, for it does not come alone.

The saying appears in Menander, and it also appears in medieval florilegia, such as the Corpus Parisinum. Perhaps not surprisingly, this saying is found in another form:  Φοβοῦ τὸ γῆρας· οὐ γὰρ ἔρχεται μόνον, "Fear old age, for it does not come alone," and similarly: Δεινόν το γήρας, ου γαρ έρχεται μόνον, "A terrible thing is old age, for it does not come alone."

# data[].attributes.headline
Δάτος ἀγαθῶν.

# data[].attributes.subject
Δάτος ἀγαθῶν.

# data[].attributes.body
A Datus of good things.

Datus, a city in Macedonia, was famed for its good fortune (specifically, for its gold), hence this proverb. The word ἀγαθῶν is the neuter adjective being used substantively: A Datus of good (things). The spelling Δάθος is also found for the city's name. It is uncertain where this ancient city was located; some speculate that it was what is now the seaport of Kavala, a.k.a. Νεάπολις, "New-City."

# data[].attributes.headline
Ἰλιὰς κακῶν.

# data[].attributes.subject
Ἰλιὰς κακῶν.

# data[].attributes.body
An Iliad of evils.

As Erasmus explains, this refers to a series of disasters and calamities, alluding to the disasters and calamities that befell Troy in their war with the Greeks as narrated in Homer's Iliad. The word κακῶν is the neuter adjective being used substantively: An Iliad of evil (things). The word Ἰλιὰς (genitive Ῑ̓λῐᾰ́δος, hence English Iliad) is formed from Ἴλιον, Ilium, i.e. Troy. The Homeric evidence suggests that this name began with a digamma: *Ϝίλιον. You can find out more about the Greek digamma at Wikipedia.

# data[].attributes.headline
Οὐδὲν ἱερόν.

# data[].attributes.subject
Οὐδὲν ἱερόν.

# data[].attributes.body
Nothing sacred.

The phrase appears in one of Theocritus's idylls, and it also appears in the traditional collections of Greek proverbs. As Erasmus explains, it refers to things that are of little or no value. Compare the English saying, "no big deal." Erasmus explains that Heracles supposedly used these words to express contempt for an image of Adonis that he saw in a temple, a story that Francis Bacon repeats: "Hercules, when he saw the image of Adonis, Venus’s minion, in a temple, said in disdain, Nil sacri es," i.e. "You are nothing sacred."

# data[].attributes.headline
Ἡ δ᾽ ὁμιλία πάντων βροτοῖσι γίγνεται διδάσκαλος.

# data[].attributes.subject
Ἡ δ᾽ ὁμιλία πάντων βροτοῖσι γίγνεται διδάσκαλος.

# data[].attributes.body
Cooperation is the teacher of all things to mortal men.

The words are from Euripides' Andromache; Menelaus is speaking about how the Greeks learned to be soldiers as a result of having to band together to fight the Trojans. Greek ὁμιλία has a wide range of meanings, including a "crowd," which is the origin of the English word "homily," i.e. the sermon preached to the crowd who assembled for a church service. More specifically, it can also mean a crowd of people working together (hence my choice of "cooperation" in the translation), and it can also refer to the habits of a crowd, common usage, etc. You can find out more at Logeion.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ἡ δὲ μωρία μάλιστ' ἀδελφὴ τῆς πονηρίας ἔφυ.

# data[].attributes.subject
Ἡ δὲ μωρία μάλιστ' ἀδελφὴ τῆς πονηρίας ἔφυ.

# data[].attributes.body
Stupidity is really the sister of wickedness.

This type of proverb plays on the metaphor of family relationships; stupidity, μωρία, is the sister of wickedness because μωρία is a feminine noun in Greek, a gender distinction that is lost in any English translation. The Greek ἔφυ has the sense of being born to be something, to be something by nature, from the verb φύω. The Greek nouns ἀδελφὴ, sister, and ἀδελφός, brother, are from the word δελφύς, womb, i.e. sisters and brothers are people who come form the same womb.

# data[].attributes.headline
Μέγιστον ὀργῆς ἐστι φάρμακον λόγος.

# data[].attributes.subject
Μέγιστον ὀργῆς ἐστι φάρμακον λόγος.

# data[].attributes.body
The greatest remedy for anger is speech.

This is another one of the monostichs (one-liners) of Menander; here is the iambic meter marked:

Μέγισ|τον ὀρ||γῆς ἐσ|τι φάρ||μακον | λόγος.

The word λόγος means speech, but it also has the connotations of reason; so, not just any speech, but reasonable speech, rational words is what can bring a person back from irrational anger. Compare a different remedy from this saying in an earlier blog post: Φάρμακον ὀργῆς ὁ χρόνος.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ἐμπεδοκλέους ἔχθρα.

# data[].attributes.subject
Ἐμπεδοκλέους ἔχθρα.

# data[].attributes.body
The hostility of Empedocles.

This saying invokes the philosopher Empedocles to refer to someone who is prone to grudges, resentment, and outbursts of hostility.  Ancient sources report that Empedocles was quick to anger, hating not just his enemies but his erstwhile friends too. You can read more about Empedocles at Wikipedia. Related to the noun ἔχθρα is the adjective ἐχθρός, meaning hostile, hated, etc., and the adjective is often used substantively to mean "an enemy."

# data[].attributes.headline
Οἱ φῶρες τὴν βοήν.

# data[].attributes.subject
Οἱ φῶρες τὴν βοήν.

# data[].attributes.body
Thieves (fear) the outcry.

As Erasmus explains, the saying can refer not just to thieves but to any guilty person who is acutely aware of their own guilt and fearful of being found out. Thanks to the use of nominative and accusative cases in the Greek, the nouns can stand on their own with the verb being implied. From the noun βοή comes the Greek contract verb βοάω.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

# data[].attributes.subject
Ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

# data[].attributes.body
Having ears, do you not hear?

The words come from the Gospel of Mark when Jesus is rebuking his disciples for their lack of understanding. He also invokes the eyes and sight: ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντες οὐ βλέπετε; καὶ ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε; "Having eyes, do you not see?"

# data[].attributes.headline
Κοσκίνῳ ὕδωρ φέρει.

# data[].attributes.subject
Κοσκίνῳ ὕδωρ φέρει.

# data[].attributes.body
He's carrying water in a sieve.

This is a proverbial fool's errand, since of course the water comes streaming out of the sieve before the fool reaches his destination. The saying appears in Plato's Gorgias and also in the Republic.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ὄνος ἄγει μυστήρια.

# data[].attributes.subject
Ὄνος ἄγει μυστήρια.

# data[].attributes.body
A donkey carries the holy things.

This joking proverb becomes a fable in Aesop: when the people along the way bow down to worship the religious procession, the donkey thinks they are worshiping him... until the donkey-driver corrects him with the whip.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ἔγνω δὲ θὴρ θῆρα.

# data[].attributes.subject
Ἔγνω δὲ θὴρ θῆρα.

# data[].attributes.body
One beast recognized another.

This is a proverb cited by Aristotle in his Rhetoric, referring to how two wicked persons ally themselves to one another, and this saying is cited in the LSJ dictionary entry for θήρ. Aristotle quotes the saying using the aorist, ἔγνω, while Erasmus quotes a version using the perfect, ἔγνωκε: "One beast knows another;" compare the use of οἶδα, a perfect verb with present meaning.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ἀρχαϊκὰ φρονεῖς.

# data[].attributes.subject
Ἀρχαϊκὰ φρονεῖς.

# data[].attributes.body
You are thinking old things.

In other words, you have old-fashioned ideas. This saying appears in the LSJ entry for the verb φρονέω, citing Aristophanes' The Clouds in which the old farmer Strepsiades is mocking his son for being old-fashioned by invoking the gods.

# data[].attributes.headline
Τὰ μικρὰ κέρδη ζημίας μεγάλας φέρει.

# data[].attributes.subject
Τὰ μικρὰ κέρδη ζημίας μεγάλας φέρει.

# data[].attributes.body
Small profits can bring great losses.

This is one of the monostichs (one-liners) of Menander. This paradox can apply both to buyers and sellers. Someone might save a little money by something cheap, only to find out it was not a bargain after all. Likewise, merchants might engage in some business that brings them a little profit only to find out later that the business had unexpected costs. Compare this related saying: κερδός πονηρὸν ζημίαν αεὶ φέρει, "profit ill-gained always brings loss."

# data[].attributes.headline
Γηράσκω δ' ἀεὶ πολλὰ διδασκόμενος.

# data[].attributes.subject
Γηράσκω δ' ἀεὶ πολλὰ διδασκόμενος.

# data[].attributes.body
I grow old, ever learning many things.

Plutarch attributes the words to Solon, one of the Seven Sages of Greece; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Solon. From the root in Greek πολλὰ (πολύ), we get the poly- words in English like polygamy and polygon.

# data[].attributes.headline
Βλέποντα ὀξύτερον τοῦ Λυγκέως.

# data[].attributes.subject
Βλέποντα ὀξύτερον τοῦ Λυγκέως.

# data[].attributes.body
Seeing more sharply than Lynceus.

The phrase is used in Aristophanes' Plutus. Lynceus was one of the Argonauts, famous for his sharp vision which allowed him to see in the dark and also to see through walls (compare Superman's X-ray vision). Find out more at Wikipedia: Lynceus of Messene. Lynceus's name means "lynx-like," and lynxes do have acute eyesight; to find out more, see Wikipedia: Lynx. The word ὀξύτερον is the comparative form of ὀξύ, sharp, which gives us oxy- words in English, including oxygen. As often, the neuter adjective, ὀξύτερον, is being used as an adverb.

# data[].attributes.headline
Τί γὰρ κοινὸν λύρᾳ καὶ ὄνῳ;

# data[].attributes.subject
Τί γὰρ κοινὸν λύρᾳ καὶ ὄνῳ;

# data[].attributes.body
What does a donkey have in common with a lyre?

This rhetorical question is related to other sayings that make fun of a donkey either listening to the music of the lyre or attempting to play the lyre himself. Here's one from a previous blog post: Ὄνος λύρας ἀκούων κινεῖ τὰ ὦτα. From the root in Greek κοινὸν we get the English word Koine, referring to "common" Greek (ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, the "common" dialect; compare the phrase "vulgar" Latin) that evolved from classical Greek; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Koine.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ἐξ ἑνὸς πηλοῦ.

# data[].attributes.subject
Ἐξ ἑνὸς πηλοῦ.

# data[].attributes.body
From one clay.

This saying is used to refer to two people who are similar because they were made "from one clay," i.e. like pots made from the same clay. In one Greek account of the creation, Prometheus shaped human beings from clay (Wikipedia). The same idea also appears in the Biblical Book of Wisdom — ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πηλοῦ, "from the same clay" —as God also was supposed to have made human beings from the clay of the earth.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ὁ θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσεν τὴν γῆν.

# data[].attributes.subject
Ὁ θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσεν τὴν γῆν.

# data[].attributes.body
God established the earth by means of wisdom.

The words come from the Biblical Book of Proverbs. The full verse is ὁ θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσεν τὴν γῆν, ἡτοίμασεν δὲ οὐρανοὺς ἐν φρονήσει, "... and he arranged the heavens with his thinking." The noun θεὸς is common gender, but here it is gendered masculine, ὁ θεὸς. In some traditions, Sophia (ἡ σοφία) is a feminine divine principle, partnered with the masculine god; find out more at Wikipedia: Sophia.

# data[].attributes.headline
Μῦς δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

# data[].attributes.subject
Μῦς δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

# data[].attributes.body
A mouse, having bit a child, ran away.

A child is small, but a mouse is even smaller, so the saying is used when someone, small though he may be, attacks an enemy greater than himself and gets away with it. The accusative form is παῖδα, but the final vowel is elided before the following vowel: παῖδ' ἀπέφυγε. From the root of Greek παῖς (παῖδ-), we get English words like pedagogy and pediatric.

# data[].attributes.headline
Προμέρου κύνες.

# data[].attributes.subject
Προμέρου κύνες.

# data[].attributes.body
The dogs of Promerus.

This saying alludes to the legendary death of the playwright Euripdes: as Erasmus explains, Euripides was supposedly torn to pieces by the dogs of Promerus, a royal official who had conceived an enormous hatred for him. Promerus ordered the dogs to attack Euripides, and they did so. Aulus Gellius also reports that Euripides was killed by dogs, although he does not mention the name Promerus.

# data[].attributes.headline
Λοκρικὸς βοῦς.

# data[].attributes.subject
Λοκρικὸς βοῦς.

# data[].attributes.body
A Locrian bull.

This refers to a cheap imitation. As Erasmus explains, when the people of Locria (located in central Greece) sacrificed cattle to the gods, they didn't sacrifice actual cattle; they carved tiny cattle out of wood and sacrificed the wooden figurines instead. Greek βοῦς can mean a bull or cow (common gender), but it is marked here as masculine: Λοκρικὸς.

# data[].attributes.headline
Γάλα ὀρνίθων.

# data[].attributes.subject
Γάλα ὀρνίθων.

# data[].attributes.body
The milk of birds.

This is something that only a fool would seek: you can't get milk from a bird. Compare donkey's wool in a proverb you saw in an earlier blog post: Ὄνου πόκους ζητεῖς. From Greek ὄρνις we get ornithology, and from γάλα we get galaxy, as in the Milky Way Galaxy.

# data[].attributes.body
Link to this Padlet. The posts are re-ordered at random each time you refresh the page.

Link to Slideshow view. You'll start at a random point in the slideshow each time too!

Link to the blog posts for this week.

You can get a Padlet app for your phone too, or save the browser version as a widget.

Go back to Week 24. Go forward to Week 26.

See all the Greek Proverb Padlets.