Silence is an ornament for women.
SophoclesRead
A fool cannot be an actor, though an actor may act a fool's part.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the distinction between true foolishness and the act of pretending to be foolish.
Sophocles suggests that true fools lack the understanding and insight required to be an effective actor, suggesting that genuine foolishness is a state of being that impedes one's ability to engage in the art of acting. Conversely, a skilled actor can play the role of a fool without being foolish themselves, emphasizing the difference between performance and reality, as well as the deeper intelligence that comes with understanding different roles in life.
Themes
FoolActorPerformanceWisdomPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a drama class, to illustrate the nuances of acting, one might quote this saying.
More from Sophocles
All quotes βNone 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
In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.
William BlakeRead
The thing about being autistic is that you gradually get less and less autistic, because you keep learning, you keep learning how to behave. It's like being in a play; I'm always in a play.
Temple GrandinRead
No opinion has ever been too errant to become a creed.
Bertrand RussellRead
Religious faith not only lacks evidence, its independence from evidence is its pride and joy, shouted from the rooftops.
Richard DawkinsRead
After a crisis we tell ourselves we understand why it happened and maintain the illusion that the world is understandable. In fact, we should accept the world is incomprehensible much of the time.
Daniel KahnemanRead
My future is in my past and my past is my present. I must now make the present my future.
Vladimir HorowitzRead