I love the old way best, the simple way of poison, where we too are strong as men.
EuripidesRead
Do we, holding that the gods exist, deceive ourselves with insubstantial dreams and lies, while random careless chance and change alone control the world?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote questions the existence of gods and challenges the idea that our lives are guided by divine forces, suggesting instead that randomness and change dominate our reality.
Euripides poses a thought-provoking question about the nature of existence and the role of divine beings in our lives. He implies that believing in the gods may lead us to deceive ourselves with fantasies, while in reality, the world is governed not by divine intervention but by chance and the constant flux of change. This invites a deeper reflection on whether our beliefs truly shape our experiences or if they are mere illusions in an indifferent universe.
Themes
GodsChanceChangeDeceptionRealityPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
A thoughtful discussion on the nature of fate versus free will.
More from Euripides
All quotes βMankind . . . possesses two supreme blessings. First of these is the goddess Demeter, or Earth whichever name you choose to call her by. It was she who gave to man his nourishment of grain. But after her there came the son of Semele, who matched her present by inventing liquid wine as his gift to man. For filled with that good gift, suffering mankind forgets its grief; from it comes sleep; with it oblivion of the troubles of the day. There is no other medicine for misery.
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Those whom God wishes to destroy, he first makes mad.
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Who then will dare to say I'm weak or timid? No, they'll say I'm loyal as a friend, ruthless as a foe, so much like a hero destined for glory.
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Waste not fresh tears over old griefs.
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