c. 446-386 BC
Aristophanes
Athens' great comic playwright. Under the jokes of Birds, Peace and Knights sit some hard-earned bits of common sense.
Every line we carry
Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.
- You'll never make a crab walk straight.
In the comedy Peace, a hack prophet uses this proverb to argue the enemy will never change. It is funny because it is half true. Some people will not change their walk; stop wasting energy trying to straighten them.
Peace 1083, our translation from the Greek
- The wise learn much from their enemies.
The hoopoe tells the birds that the wise learn a great deal from enemies, and goes on to say that caution is the lesson an enemy forces on you at once. Rivals are free coaching. Pay attention to what they exploit.
Birds 375-377, our translation from the Greek
- They were men worthy of this land.
The chorus of knights praises their fathers as men worthy of their land, who won everywhere on foot and at sea. It is a simple aim for any generation: be worthy of the ground you stand on and the people who stood there first.
Knights 565-566, our translation from the Greek