Silence is an ornament for women.
SophoclesRead
Time alone reveals the just man; but you might discern a bad man in a single day.
Interpretation
What this quote means
It takes time to truly understand a person's character, while negative traits can be spotted quickly.
This quote by Sophocles suggests that the true nature of a person, particularly that of a just man, becomes evident only through the passage of time and their consistent actions over that time. Conversely, negative characteristics or the essence of a 'bad man' can often be identified quickly, implying the complexity of goodness versus the straightforwardness of wrongdoing.
Themes
CharacterTimeJusticeMoralityUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about ethics, you might say, 'As Sophocles noted, time alone reveals the just man.'
More from Sophocles
All quotes βNone love the messenger who brings bad news.
SophoclesRead
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.
SophoclesRead
Not even Ares battles against necessity.
SophoclesRead
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.
SophoclesRead
There is nothing more hateful than bad advice.
SophoclesRead
Similar quotes
It is the awareness of unfulfilled desires which gives a nation the feeling that it has a mission and a destiny.
Eric HofferRead
He that is already corrupt is naturally suspicious, and he that becomes suspicious will quickly become corrupt.
Samuel JohnsonRead
Without reflecting that this is the only moment in which you can study character," said the count; "on the steps of the scaffold death tears off the mask that has been worn through life, and the real visage is disclosed.
Alexandre DumasRead
People derived too much pleasure from seeing their fellow man morally humiliated to spoil that pleasure by hearing out an explanation.
Milan KunderaRead
We have for too long been taught that the sight of a man speaking to himself is a sign of eccentricity or madness; we are no longer at all habituated to our own voices, except in conversation or from within the safety of a shouting crowd.
Teju ColeRead
The mystery of human destiny is that we are fated, but that we have the freedom to fulfill or not fulfill our fate: realization of our fated destiny depends on us. While inhuman beings like the cockroach realize the entire cycle without going astray because they make no choices.
Clarice LispectorRead