6th century BC
Phocylides
Poet of Miletus known for short, plain maxims on character and common sense.
Every line we carry
Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.
- What good is noble birth without grace in speech or sense in counsel?
Phocylides asks what advantage good birth gives to people who have no charm in what they say and no wisdom in what they advise. Family name is borrowed credit. Your own words and judgment are what count.
Fragment 3 Diehl, our translation from the Greek