QuoteProject
For every nation that lives peaceably, there will be many others to grow hard and push their arrogance to extremes; the gods attend to these things slowly. But they attend to those who put off God and turn to madness.
Sophocles
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Nations that seek peace may face others who become overbearing and arrogant, as divine balance eventually addresses these behaviors.

This quote reflects on the dynamics between peaceful nations and those that adopt aggressive or arrogant postures. It suggests that while tranquility may prevail in certain areas, there will always be nations that exploit their power and exhibit hubris. Over time, divine forces or cosmic justice will address these imbalances, particularly when those in power turn away from moral considerations and towards recklessness or madness.

Themes

PeaceArroganceNationsDivine JusticeMadness

In practice

Example use cases

In a political speech advocating for peace among nations.

More from Sophocles

Silence is an ornament for women.
SophoclesRead
None love the messenger who brings bad news.
SophoclesRead
All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.
SophoclesRead
Not even Ares battles against necessity.
SophoclesRead
You clearly hate to yield, but you will regret it when your anger has passed. Such natures are justly the hardest for themselves to bear.
SophoclesRead
There is nothing more hateful than bad advice.
SophoclesRead

Similar quotes

When a person becomes a legend, the very thing that makes them human and knowable is killed off, so it's like being killed over and over and over again, for all eternity.
Miriam ToewsRead
A human life is a story told by God.
Hans Christian AndersenRead
In our country are evangelists and zealots of many different political, economic and religious persuasions whose fanatical conviction is that all thought is divinely classified into two kinds - that which is their own and that which is false and dangerous.
Robert H. JacksonRead
People just overshoot trying to find God. They're going outside and trying everything. They don't realize that it's right inside themselves.
Dolly PartonRead
God expects but one thing of you, and that is that you should come out of yourself in so far as you are a created being made and let God be God in you.
Meister EckhartRead
I am now convinced that theoretical physics is actually philosophy.
Max BornRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.