There is no greater fame for a man than that which he wins with his footwork or the skill of his hands.
If you are one of earth’s inhabitants, how blest your father, and your gentle mother, blest all your kin. I know what happiness must send the warm tears to their eyes, each time they see their wondrous child go to the dancing! But one man’s destiny is more than blest—he who prevails, and takes you as his bride. Never have I laid eyes on equal beauty in man or woman. I am hushed indeed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses profound admiration for beauty and the happiness it brings to family, as well as the joy and privilege of love.
In this quote, Homer reflects on the beauty of a beloved and the joy it brings not just to the person enamored but also to their family. He articulates how the sight of their 'wondrous child' dancing brings tears of happiness to the eyes of parents, highlighting the deep connection between love, familial pride, and the transcendent experience of marriage. The speaker emphasizes that finding such beauty is a rare and blessed occurrence, especially in the context of love and commitment.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a wedding speech to celebrate the couple's love and beauty.
More from Homer
All quotes →For Fate has wove the thread of life with pain,_x000D_ _x000D_ And twins ev'n from the birth are Misery and Man!
Be strong, saith my heart; I am a soldier; I have seen worse sights than this.
Sing, O muse, of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.
There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.
[I]t is the wine that leads me on, the wild wine that sets the wisest man to sing at the top of his lungs, laugh like a fool – it drives the man to dancing... it even tempts him to blurt out stories better never told.
Similar quotes
And both of them remained floating in an empty universe where the only everyday & eternal reality was love.
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The person one loves never really exists, but is a projection focused through the lens of the mind onto whatever screen it fits with least distortion.
What breaks my heart is suffering of any kind. Too often, our world is divisive and cruel where it needs to be uniting and loving.
Training is needed in order to love properly; and to be able to give happiness and joy, you must practice DEEP LOOKING directed toward the other person you love. Because if you do not understand this person, you cannot love properly. Understanding is the essence of love. If you cannot understand, you cannot love. That is the message of the Buddha.
When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed - that's the finest I know.