There is no greater fame for a man than that which he wins with his footwork or the skill of his hands.
HomerRead
The outcome of the war is in our hands; the outcome of words is in the council.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The results of actions come from our decisions, while the impact of communication relies on collective discussion.
This quote emphasizes the power and responsibility of individuals in determining the results of their actions, particularly in the context of warfare, while also highlighting the importance of dialogue and deliberation in shaping the consequences of our words. It suggests that while we control our actions and their outcomes, the influence of our speech is shaped by the input and opinions of others in a communal setting.
Themes
WarWordsCouncilOutcomeResponsibility
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about ethical leadership, you might reference this quote to highlight the importance of both action and communication.
More from Homer
All quotes βFor 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 β it drives the man to dancing... it even tempts him to blurt out stories better never told.
HomerRead
Similar quotes
For many terrorists, carrying out an attack allowed them to become the heroes of their own story.
Peter BergenRead
We must distinguish between the kind of structural transformation that would leave in place (even increase) the realities of the exploitation of labor, and one that would undo this kind of exploitation or at least radically reduce it
Immanuel WallersteinRead
Pay no heed to those who tell you that they have relinquished place and power of their own accord, and from their love of quiet. For almost always they have been brought to this retirement by their insufficiency and against their will.
Francesco GuicciardiniRead
Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.
Joseph StoryRead
Few are open to conviction, but the majority of men are open to persuasion
Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheRead
The personal vocabulary, the individual melody whose metre is one's biography, joins in that sound, with any luck, and the body moves like a walking, a waking island.
Derek WalcottRead