Hesiod

Hesiod (c.700 BC) was one of the earliest Greek poets and rhapsode. Whatever Greek mythology, farming techniques , Greek astronomy and ancient time-keeping we know are mainly due to him. He was born in Boeotia, probably of humble birth, and lived chiefly at Orchomenos in the 8th century BC.

Of the works ascribed to him the principal were the "Works and Days" the "Theogony," and the "Shield of Hercules". His poems treat of the quiet pursuits of ordinary life, the origin of the world, the gods and heroes.

Theogony, that concerns the origins of the the world and of gods, is traditionally attributed to him, though we are uncertain about its authorship. There are also people who claim that the "Works and Days" is the only poem he wrote.

Wisdom & Quotes

• That man is best who sees the truth himself. Good too is he who listens to wise counsel. But who is neither wise himself nor willing to ponder wisdom is not worth a straw.
• Perses, hear me out on justice, and take what I have to say to heart; cease thinking of violence. For the son of Kronos, Zeus, has ordained this law to men: that fishes and wild beasts and winged birds should devour one another, since there is no justice in them; but to mankind he gave justice which proves for the best.
• The best treasure a man can have is a sparing tongue, and the greatest pleasure, one that moves orderly; for if you speak evil, you yourself will soon be worse spoken of.
• Don't put things off till tomorrow or the day after!

— Works and days

• But he who neither thinks for himself nor learns from others, is a failure as a man.

— Works and days

• A man who works evil against another works it really against himself, and bad advice is worst for the one who devised it”

— Works and Days

• For a man can win nothing better than a good wife, and nothing more painful than a bad one.

— Theogony

• I mean you well, Perses, you great idiot, and I will tell you. Look, badness is easy to have, you can take it by handfuls without effort. The road that way is smooth and starts here beside you. But between us and virtue the immortals have put what will make us sweat. The road to virtue is long and goes steep up hill, hard climbing at first, but the last of it, when you get to the summit (if you get there) is easy going after the hard part.

—The Shield of Herakles

• It is best to work, at whatever you have a talent for doing, without turning your greedy thought toward what some other man possesses, but take care of your own livelihood, as I advise you.

—The Shield of Herakles

Archilochus