The peoples of the Mediterranean began to emerge from barbarism when they learned to cultivate the olive and the vine.
ThucydidesRead
In a democracy, someone who fails to get elected to office can always console himself with the thought that there was something not quite fair about it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
In a democracy, losing an election can lead to feelings of unfairness, allowing one to find solace in that notion.
Thucydides suggests that in a democratic system, individuals who do not win elections often rationalize their defeat by believing that the process was flawed or biased in some way. This perspective highlights the human tendency to seek comfort in perceived injustices, particularly in contexts as competitive as politics, where the stakes are high and emotions are strong.
Themes
DemocracyElectionFairnessPoliticsRationalization
In practice
Example use cases
During a political debate, to illustrate how candidates cope with losing.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Remember that this greatness was won by men with courage, with knowledge of their duty, and with a sense of honor in action.
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