Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.
DemosthenesRead
Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master
Interpretation
What this quote means
Be careful in trying to prevent conflict, as it may lead to a loss of freedom.
This quote by Demosthenes warns against the dangers of excessive caution in avoiding war. In the quest for peace and the avoidance of conflict, there is a risk of submitting to oppression or tyrannical control, effectively becoming a master’s servant rather than maintaining one's autonomy.
Themes
WarFreedomAnxietyMasterCaution
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate on national security, one might use this quote to illustrate the risks of compromising individual freedoms.
More from Demosthenes
All quotes →You cannot have a proud and chivalrous spirit if your conduct is mean and paltry; for whatever a man's actions are, such must be his spirit.
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Success has a great tendency to conceal and throw a veil over the evil deeds of men.
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A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true.
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Nothing is so easy as to deceive oneself; for what we wish, we readily believe.
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Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states.
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