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Herodotus Biography

Herodotus (/hɪˈrɒdətəs/; Ancient Greek: Ἡρόδοτος, Hêródotos, Attic Greek pronunciation: [hɛː.ró.do.tos]) was a Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus in the Persian Empire (modern-day Bodrum, Turkey) and lived in the fifth century BC (c. 484–c. 425 BC), a contemporary of Thucydides, Socrates, and Euripides. He is often referred to as "The Father of History", a title first conferred by Cicero; he was the first historian known to have broken from Homeric tradition to treat historical subjects as a method of investigation—specifically, by collecting his materials systematically and critically, and then arranging them into a historiographic narrative.

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Herodotus Quotes

There is nothing more foolish, nothing more given to outrage than a useless mob.

Foolish, Mob, Outrage, Useless

Not snow, no, nor rain, nor heat, nor night keeps them from accomplishing their appointed courses with all speed.

Heat, Night, Rain, Snow, Speed

The most hateful human misfortune is for a wise man to have no influence.

Hateful, Men, Misfortune, Wise

They [the Persians] are accustomed to deliberate on matters of the highest moment when warm with wine; but whatever they in this situation may determine is again proposed to them on the morrow, in their cooler moments, by the person in whose house they had before assembled. If at this time also it meet their approbation, it is executed; otherwise it is rejected. Whatever also they discuss when sober, is always a second time examined after they have been drinking.

Drinking, Examined, Time, Wine

The period of a [Persian] boy's education is between the ages of five and twenty, and he is taught three things only: to ride, to use the bow, and to speak the truth.

Age, Boys, Education, Speak, Taught, Twenties

It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a days journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed.

Horse, Journey, Rain, Road, Stayed, Whole

For as the body grows old, so the wits grow old and become blind towards all things alike.

Become, Blind, Body, Wit

Illness strikes men when they are exposed to change.

Change, Men, Resistance, Strikes

Historia (Inquiry); so that the actions of of people will not fade with time.

People, Inquiry, Action, Time, Fade

How much better a thing it is to be envied than to be pitied.

Envied, Envy, Pitied, Thing

It is clear that not in one thing alone, but in many ways equality and freedom of speech are a good thing.

Equality, Freedom Of Speech, Way, Clear, Ways

Egypt is the gift of the Nile.

Egypt, Gift, Nile

He is the best man who, when making his plans, fears and reflects on everything that can happen to him, but in the moment of action is bold.

Action, Bold, Happen, Men, Planning, Reflects

The ears of men are lesser agents of belief than their eyes.

Belief, Believe, Ears, Eye, Lesser, Men

This king [Sesostris] divided the land among all Egyptians so as to give each one a quadrangle of equal size and to draw from each his revenues, by imposing a tax to be levied yearly. But everyone from whose part the river tore anything away, had to go to him to notify what had happened; he then sent overseers who had to measure out how much the land had become smaller, in order that the owner might pay on what was left, in proportion to the entire tax imposed. In this way, it appears to me, geometry originated, which passed thence to Hellas.

Appears, Kings, Revenues, River, Rivers, Science

Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. [The Motto Of The U. S. Postal Service]

Motto, Night, Postal, Rain, Service, Snow

One man envies the success in life of another, and hates him in secret; nor is he willing to give him good advice when he is consulted, except it be by some wonderful effort of good feeling, and there are, alas, few such men in the world. A real friend, on the other hand, exults in his friend?s happiness, rejoices in all his joys, and is ready to afford him the best advice.

Except, Happiness, Joys, Life, Man, Success

The Andrians were the first of the islanders to refuse Themistocles' demand for money. He had put it to them that they would be unable to avoid paying, because the Athenians had the support of two powerful deities, one called Persuasion and the other Compulsion. The Andrians had replied that Athens was lucky to have two such useful gods, who were obviously responsible for her wealth and greatness; unfortunately, they themselves, in their small & inadequate land, had two utterly useless deities, who refused to leave the island and insisted on staying; and their names were Poverty and Inability.

Gods, Greatness, Lucky, Names, Powerful, Unable

For if one should propose to all men a choice, bidding them select the best customs from all the customs that there are, each race of men, after examining them all, would select those of his own people; thus all think that their own customs are by far the best

Bidding, Customs, Men, Propose, Race, Thinking

A man trusts his ears less than his eyes.

Ears, Eye, His Eyes, Man, Men, Trusts

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