There is no greater fame for a man than that which he wins with his footwork or the skill of his hands.
HomerRead
No one can hurry me down to Hades before my time, but if a man's hour is come, be he brave or be he coward, there is no escape for him when he has once been born.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the inevitability of death and the importance of accepting one's fate regardless of courage.
Homer reflects on the concept of mortality, suggesting that no one can hasten their demise; each person's time will come according to a natural order. The quote insists that whether one faces death with bravery or cowardice, it remains an unavoidable part of life that follows birth, urging acceptance of this ultimate truth.
Themes
DeathMortalityFateCourageLife
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about embracing challenges, one might use this quote to highlight the inevitability of facing fears.
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!
HomerRead
Be strong, saith my heart; I am a soldier; I have seen worse sights than this.
HomerRead
Sing, O muse, of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.
HomerRead
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.
HomerRead
[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.
HomerRead
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