Euripides (480–406 BCE) was an Athenian tragic playwright who wrote 92 plays, 18 of which have survived. This corpus is the largest number of surviving plays among the great Athenian playwrights, including Aeschylus and Sophocles. Euripides’s tragedies like Medea, The Bacchae, and Alcestis were immensely influential on generations of playwrights and remain popular to this day.
Euripides was born probably near Athens. Not much is known about his early life except that when he was twenty, he started submitting his tragedies to theater contests. Euripides was an iconoclast in his life and his literary work. He is the archetype for the estranged artist. He played no role in public life and wrote in isolation in a 10-chambered cave, which was rediscovered by archaeologists in 1997.
Euripides was also innovative in the way he expanded the range of drama. His plays depict subjects and perspectives never represented before on stage. For instance, The Troades shows war for its casualties, Trojan Women, not its warriors. In his best-known tragedy, Medea (431 BCE,) a princess murders her sons to even the score on the husband who left her to marry another princess.
At a time when other playwrights focused on more powerful, triumphant characters, Euripides exposed the gods as small-minded and indifferent. He portrayed mythical heroes like regular people—with their human struggles and emotional conflicts. He also represented the downtrodden in society, particularly women and slaves. His discourses were less structured and resembled normal speech.
Euripides was exiled to Macedonia for some unknown reason. His vast popularity came only after his death, when, since the fourth century, his plays outshone those of the other great Athenian playwrights.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Euripides
People that seem so glorious are all show; underneath they are like everyone else.
—Euripides
Topics: Appearance
How base a thing it is when a man will struggle with necessity! We have to die.
—Euripides
Topics: Acceptance, Necessity
There is in the worst of fortune the best of chances for a happy change.
—Euripides
Topics: Health, Adversity, Optimism, Fortune, Difficulties, Misfortune, Luck, Positive Attitudes
Chance fights ever on the side of the prudent.
—Euripides
Topics: Chance, Prudence
Second thoughts are ever wiser.
—Euripides
Topics: Thought
Noble fathers have noble children.
—Euripides
Topics: Father, Fathers, Family
Pray the Gods do not envy your happiness.
—Euripides
Topics: Reality, Opportunities
For a silence and a chaste reserve is genuine praise, and to remain quiet within the house.
—Euripides
Topics: Woman
Those whom God wishes to destroy, he first makes mad.
—Euripides
Topics: Anger, Insanity, Wishes, One liners
A coward turns away, but a brave man’s choice is danger.
—Euripides
Topics: Danger, Courage, Cowardice
Often a noble face hides filthy ways.
—Euripides
Topics: Hypocrisy
Enjoy yourself, drink, call the life you live today your own—but only that; the rest belongs to chance.
—Euripides
Topics: The Present, Time Management
Real friendship is shown in times of trouble; prosperity is full of friends.
—Euripides
Topics: Friendship
Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.
—Euripides
Topics: Stupidity, Fools, One liners
But this is slavery, not to speak ones thought.
—Euripides
Where there is no wine there is no love.
—Euripides
Topics: One liners, Wine
Joint undertakings stand a better chance when they benefit both sides.
—Euripides
Topics: Confidence
The same man cannot be skilled in everything; each has his special excellence.
—Euripides
Topics: Work, Talents, Abilities
Money is the wise man’s religion
—Euripides
Topics: Religion
Death is a debt we all must pay.
—Euripides
Topics: Death
To a father waxing old nothing is dearer than a daughter.—Sons have spirits of higher pitch, but less inclined to sweet, endearing fondness.
—Euripides
Topics: Fathers, Family, Father
Sufficiency’s enough for men of sense.
—Euripides
Topics: Gratitude, Appreciation, Blessings
Virtue proceeds through effort.
—Euripides
Topics: Effort
No one is happy all his life long.
—Euripides
Topics: Forgiveness, Realistic Expectations
Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other.
—Euripides
Topics: Love
The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.
—Euripides
Topics: Balance
Slight not what’s near through aiming at what’s far.
—Euripides
Topics: Gratitude, Goals, Live-now, Blessings, Appreciation
Waste not fresh tears over old griefs.
—Euripides
Topics: Bereavement, Past and Present, Live-now, Grief, Sorrow, Tears
Among mortals second thoughts are wisest.
—Euripides
Topics: Wisdom
Danger gleams like sunshine to a brave man’s eyes.
—Euripides
Topics: Danger
It was my tongue that swore; my heart is unsworn.
—Euripides
Topics: Dedication, Commitment
The coward despairs.
—Euripides
Topics: Cowardice, Courage
Reason can wrestle and overthrow terror.
—Euripides
Topics: Logic
Bodies devoid of mind are as statues in the market place.
—Euripides
Topics: Mind
Those who are held wise among men, and who search for the reason of things, are those who bring the most sorrow upon themselves.
—Euripides
Topics: Sorrow
The day is for honest men, the night for thieves.
—Euripides
Topics: Night
Friends show their love in times of trouble…
—Euripides
Topics: Friends and Friendship, Trouble
To generous souls every task is noble.
—Euripides
Topics: Generosity
I loathe a friend whose gratitude grows old, a friend who takes his friend’s prosperity but will not voyage with him in his grief
—Euripides
Topics: Grief
Time will explain it all. He is a talker, and needs no questioning before he speaks.
—Euripides
Topics: Time Management, Time
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