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
I love you - I am at rest with you - I have come home.
Yes," replied Darcy, who could contain himself no longer, "but that was when I first knew her; for it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance.
God loved us before he made us; and his love has never diminished and never shall.
I wish every woman would love herself and embrace what she was given naturally.
I was late to understand that chaos and intensity are no subsitute for lasting love, nor are they necessarily an improvement on real life. Normal people are not always boring. On the contrary. Volatility and passion, although often more romantic and enticing, are not intrinsically preferable to a steadiness of experience and feeling about another person.
My lips got lost on the way to the kiss - that's how drunk I was.