Silence is an ornament for women.
Do not grieve yourself too much for those you hate, nor yet forget them utterly.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote advises against excessive sorrow for those we dislike while also recognizing their impact on our lives.
Sophocles highlights the emotional balance one must strike when dealing with feelings towards others, particularly those we dislike. It suggests that while it is natural to experience some grief or negative emotions toward individuals we hate, we should not dwell excessively on such feelings or let them consume us. However, this does not mean to completely forget these individuals, as they may serve as valuable lessons or reminders in our lives.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about emotional health, one might reference this quote to discuss the importance of managing negative feelings.
More from Sophocles
All quotes βNone love the messenger who brings bad news.
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.
Not even Ares battles against necessity.
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.
There is nothing more hateful than bad advice.
Similar quotes
In some ways I feel sorry for racists and for religious fanatics, because they so much miss the point of being human, and deserve a sort of pity. But then I harden my heart, and decide to hate them all the more, because of the misery they inflict and because of the contemptible excuses they advance for doing so.
Few men think, yet all will have opinions.
Wonder is the feeling of the philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.
I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human.
INDIFFERENT, adj. Imperfectly sensible to distinctions among things.
Use justice to rule a country. Use surprise to wage war. Use non-action to govern the world.