Shrines! Shrines! Surely you don't believe in the gods. What's your argument? Where's your proof?
AristophanesRead
When men drink, then they are rich and successful and win lawsuits and are happy and help their friends. Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.
Interpretation
This quote humorously suggests that drinking enhances one's perception of success and happiness.
Aristophanes uses satire to illustrate how intoxication can alter one's state of mind, making them feel wealthy, successful, and more socially adept. The quote suggests that alcohol may provide a temporary boost in confidence and cleverness, highlighting the irony of relying on substances to achieve such states.
In practice
A toast at a wedding that reflects on celebration and friendship.
Shrines! Shrines! Surely you don't believe in the gods. What's your argument? Where's your proof?
[Y]ou [man] are fool enough, it seems, to dare to war with [woman=] me, when for your faithful ally you might win me easily.
Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.
Open your mouth and shut your eyes and see what Zeus will send you.
These impossible women! How they do get around us! The poet was right: Can't live with them, or without them.
Children have a master to teach them, grown-ups have the poets.
Oh, well, if you want original conversations, you'd better go and talk to yourself.
You can't imagine how stupid the whole world has grown nowadays.
Nanny Ogg could see the future in the froth on a beer mug. It invariably showed that she was going to enjoy a refreshing drink which she almost certainly was not going to pay for.
Now, some people do this for shock value. Shock is just another uptown word for surprise. Granted it has a different quality to it, but a joke is about surprising someone. I'm a great believer in context. You can joke about anything. I do like finding out where the line is drawn, deliberately crossing it and bringing some of them with me across the line, and having them be happy that I did.
It wasn't that Nanny Ogg sang badly. It was just that she could hit notes which, when amplified by a tin bath half full of water, ceased to be sound and became some sort of invasive presence.
Bullshit is truly the American soundtrack.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.