When the freedom they wished for most was freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free and was never free again.
Edith HamiltonRead
A people's literature is the great textbook for real knowledge of them. The writings of the day show the quality of the people as no historical reconstruction can.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Literature reflects the true character and knowledge of a society.
Edith Hamilton emphasizes that literature serves as a profound medium through which we can understand a culture and its people. Unlike historical accounts, contemporary writings capture the essence, values, and quality of a societyβs character, offering insights into their beliefs, struggles, and aspirations.
Themes
LiteratureKnowledgeCultureSocietyCharacter
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about how literature can reflect societal values, this quote could serve as a strong point.
More from Edith Hamilton
All quotes βThe power of good is shown not by triumphantly conquering evil, but by continuing to resist evil while facing certain defeat.
Edith HamiltonRead
Theories that go counter to the facts of human nature are foredoomed.
Edith HamiltonRead
To rejoice in life, to find the world beautiful ... was a mark of the Greek spirit.
Edith HamiltonRead
Responsibility is the price every man must pay for freedom.
Edith HamiltonRead
So far, we do not seem appalled at the prospect of exactly the same kind of education being applied to all the school children from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but there is an uneasiness in the air, a realization that the individual is growing less easy to find; an idea, perhaps, of what standardization might become when the units are not machines, but human beings.
Edith HamiltonRead
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To encounter 'Beowulf' is like taking a sledgehammer to a quarry face. You must bang in there.
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It really matters to writers to find and treasure readers, all the more when they're on the other side of the world.
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