Aeschylus

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

1. Learning comes through suffering.

   The chorus says Zeus set mortals on the road to understanding by making it a law that we learn by suffering, pathei mathos. Pain is not wasted if you let it teach you. The hard seasons are where most real wisdom comes from.

   Agamemnon 176-178, our translation from the Greek

2. Even the unwilling come to wisdom.

   Aeschylus pictures remembered pain dripping on the heart even in sleep, until wisdom arrives to people who did not ask for it. Some lessons find you whether you want them or not. Better to meet them halfway.

   Agamemnon 179-181, our translation from the Greek

3. He wants to be the best, not to seem it.

   The prophet Amphiaraus goes into battle with a plain shield and no boastful emblem, because he wants to be the best, not to look it. Plato quoted this line in the Republic. Skip the badge. Do the work that earns it.

   Seven Against Thebes 592, our translation from the Greek

4. Words are the healers of an angry mind.

   Oceanus reminds Prometheus that for a sick temper, words are the doctors. Prometheus answers that they work only if used at the right moment. Talk it through, but pick your time.

   Prometheus Bound 379-380, our translation from the Greek

5. Skill is far weaker than necessity.

   Prometheus, the god of craft and cleverness, admits that skill is much weaker than necessity. Some things no technique can change. Know which battles are about effort and which are about acceptance.

   Prometheus Bound 514, our translation from the Greek

6. The one who does must suffer.

   The chorus calls it a saying three generations old: the doer must suffer. Actions return to the one who did them. It is the oldest form of 'what goes around comes around'.

   Libation Bearers 313-314, our translation from the Greek

7. Few men can honor a friend's success without envy.

   Agamemnon says it is in the nature of few men to respect a friend who is doing well without feeling envy. Cheering for someone when things go badly is easy. Cheering when they pull ahead is the real test.

   Agamemnon 832-833, our translation from the Greek

8. This is the disease of tyranny: it trusts no friends.

   Prometheus explains that the sickness built into absolute power is not trusting your friends. Leaders who suspect everyone end up alone and badly advised. Trust is part of strength.

   Prometheus Bound 226-227, our translation from the Greek