The next tiny quote are from a work by Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Emperor and philosopher who lived during the 2nd century B.C.E
“Nothing is so conducive to greatness of mind as the ability to subject each element of our experience in life to methodical and truthful examination, always at the same time using this scrutiny as a means to reflect on the nature of the universe..”
Marcus Aurelius Meditations 3.2 (trans.) Hammond, M. 2006 London: Penguin
Simonides of Ceos was a Ancient Greek poet who lived from about 556 B.C.E to 468 B.C.E The following a few of the sayings attributed to him. I like the second one in particular.
The word is the image of the thing.
Painting is silent poetry and poetry is a painting that speaks.
Simonides of Ceos in Lattimore, R. 1960 (2nd Ed.) Greek Lyrics Chicago: University of Chicago Press
The next tiny quote comes from Pliny the Younger, a Roman lawyer and landowner, who lived during the first century A.D. In a letter to his friend Caninius Rufus, Pliny tries to encourage him to pursue his creative interests.
“Create something, perfect it to be yours for all time; for everything else you possess will fall to one or another master after you are dead, but this will never cease to be yours once it has come into being.“
Pliny the Younger Letters 1.3 in Radice, B. (trans.) The Letters of the Younger Pliny London: Penguin
Hi all. Thought I would start a posting with small quotes from some of my favourite poets and authors. When possible I have included a link to a Wiki about the relevant author. I am not total convert to Wikipedia and have some reservations about linking to it, but it will give you enough general information to start with.
The first quote comes from Ben Jonson a playwright, poet and friend of Shakespeare. It is the last line from one his epigrams (short bits of verse about various people of the time):
Though life be short, let us not make it so.
Ben Jonson, Epigrammes LXX in Johnston, G.B. (ed.) 1968 Poems of Ben Jonson London: Routledge Kegan and Paul
