10 Famous Quotes from Ancient History: From Socrates' Trial to Augustus' Last Words
TheCollector highlights ten memorable quotes from ancient times, exploring their meanings and origins. In 399 BC, during his trial in Athens, Socrates famously stated, "an unexamined life is not worth living," a remark captured by Plato. After winning the Battle of Zela in 47 BC, Julius Caesar addressed the Roman Senate with "veni vidi vici." Archimedes exclaimed "Eureka!" in relation to buoyancy and King Hiero II's crown. At Thermopylae in 480 BC, Leonidas I declared, "come and take them," as noted by Plutarch. Additional quotes include Virgil's "fortune favors the bold" from the Aeneid, Horace's "carpe diem" from 23 BC, and Cicero's "while I breathe, I hope" from 49 BC. Suetonius recorded Augustus' final words.
Key facts
- Socrates uttered 'an unexamined life is not worth living' during his trial in Athens in 399 BC, as recorded by Plato in the Apology.
- Julius Caesar sent 'veni vidi vici' to the Roman Senate in 47 BC after his victory at the Battle of Zela against Pharnaces II of Pontus.
- Archimedes exclaimed 'Eureka' after realizing the principle of buoyancy while measuring the density of King Hiero II's crown.
- Alexander the Great's quote about armies of lions and sheep is apocryphal, not found in ancient sources.
- Hannibal Barca reportedly said 'I will either find a way or make one,' but the line comes from Seneca the Younger's play Hercules Furens.
- Leonidas I of Sparta responded 'come and take them' to Xerxes I's demand at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, as reported by Plutarch.
- Virgil's 'fortune favors the bold' is spoken by Turnus in the Aeneid, not Aeneas.
- Augustus reportedly said 'Have I played the part well? Then applaud as I exit' on his deathbed in AD 14, according to Suetonius.
Entities
Artists
- Socrates
- Plato
- Julius Caesar
- Pharnaces II of Pontus
- Suetonius
- Archimedes
- Vitruvius
- King Hiero II
- Plutarch
- Alexander the Great
- Hannibal Barca
- Seneca the Younger
- Livy
- Leonidas I of Sparta
- Xerxes I
- Virgil
- Aeneas
- Turnus
- Romulus
- Augustus
- Octavian
- Pliny the Elder
- Laocoön
- Horace
- Epicurus
- Cicero
- Atticus
- Pompey
- Vespasian
- Jacopo Ripanda
- Homer
Institutions
- Roman Senate
- Musei Capitolini
Locations
- Athens
- Greece
- Rome
- Italy
- Sparta
- Thermopylae
- Zela
- Turkey
- Asia Minor
- Carthage
- Tunisia
- Syracuse
- Macedonia
- Persia
- Iran
- Gaugamela
- Iraq
- Rubicon
- Troy
- Spain
- Alps
- Babylon