Silence is an ornament for women.
SophoclesRead
Not to be born surpasses thought and speech. The second best is to have seen the light and then go back quickly whence we came
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the value of existence and the profound experience of life, suggesting it is better to have lived than to have never existed.
In this quote, Sophocles expresses a deep philosophical thought about the experience of life. He suggests that the state of never being born is beyond comprehension, and emphasizes that the next best experience is to be alive, even if briefly, before returning to the non-existence from which we came. This encapsulates a viewpoint on the significance of life experiences and the inevitable return to silence and oblivion.
Themes
ExistenceLifePhilosophyExperienceNon-Existence
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech to encourage students to embrace life experiences.
More from Sophocles
All quotes →None love the messenger who brings bad news.
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All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.
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Not even Ares battles against necessity.
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You clearly hate to yield, but you will regret it when your anger has passed. Such natures are justly the hardest for themselves to bear.
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There is nothing more hateful than bad advice.
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