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
Virtue proceeds through effort.
—Euripides
Topics: Effort
Cleverness is not wisdom.
—Euripides
Topics: Cleverness, Intelligence, Wisdom
Pray the Gods do not envy your happiness.
—Euripides
Topics: Reality, Opportunities
The day is for honest men, the night for thieves.
—Euripides
Topics: Night
All is change; all yields its place and goes.
—Euripides
Topics: Change
No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.
—Euripides
Topics: Tomorrow, Time Management, Value of a Day, Death
How base a thing it is when a man will struggle with necessity! We have to die.
—Euripides
Topics: Acceptance, Necessity
No one is happy all his life long.
—Euripides
Topics: Forgiveness, Realistic Expectations
Some wisdom you must learn from one who’s wise.
—Euripides
Topics: Leadership, Influence
For a silence and a chaste reserve is genuine praise, and to remain quiet within the house.
—Euripides
Topics: Woman
It was my tongue that swore; my heart is unsworn.
—Euripides
Topics: Dedication, Commitment
Tragedy isn’t getting something or failing to get it, it’s losing something you already have.
—Euripides
In goodness there are all kinds of wisdom.
—Euripides
Topics: Goodness
The wavering mind is but a base possession.
—Euripides
Topics: Indecision, Mind, The Mind
Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom.
—Euripides
Topics: Reputation, Success
A bad ending follows a bad beginning.
—Euripides
Topics: Beginning
Poverty possesses this disease, that through want it teaches man to do evil.
—Euripides
Topics: Poverty
Sound judgment, with discernment, is the best of seers.
—Euripides
Topics: Judgment
Human misery must somewhere have a stop; there is no wind that always blows a storm.
—Euripides
Topics: Difficulty
A coward turns away, but a brave man’s choice is danger.
—Euripides
Topics: Courage, Cowardice, Danger
Forgive, son; men are men; they needs must err.
—Euripides
Topics: Forgiveness
I would prefer as a friend a good man who is ignorant than one more clever who is evil, too.
—Euripides
Topics: Cleverness, Ignorance, Friendship
Time will explain it all. He is a talker, and needs no questioning before he speaks.
—Euripides
Topics: Time Management, Time
To generous souls every task is noble.
—Euripides
Topics: Generosity
Reason can wrestle and overthrow terror.
—Euripides
Topics: Logic
There is just one life for each of us: our own.
—Euripides
Topics: Aptness, Appropriateness
Noble fathers have noble children.
—Euripides
Topics: Fathers, Family, Father
Danger gleams like sunshine to a brave man’s eyes.
—Euripides
Topics: Danger
Nothing has more strength than dire necessity.
—Euripides
Topics: One liners, Necessity
There is as much confusion in the world of the gods as in ours.
—Euripides
Topics: Reality, Opportunities
Authority is never without hate.
—Euripides
Topics: One liners, Control, Hate, Authority
Where there is no wine there is no love.
—Euripides
Topics: One liners, Wine
Of all the evils that infest a state, a tyrant is the greatest; his sole will commands the laws, and lords it over them.
—Euripides
Topics: Tyranny
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
What can we take on trust
in this uncertain life? Happiness, greatness,
pride – nothing is secure, nothing keeps.
—Euripides
Topics: Safety, Security, Change
Time will unveil all things to posterity; it is a chatterer and speaks to those who do not question it.
—Euripides
Topics: Posterity
Do not consider painful what is good for you.
—Euripides
Topics: Discipline
I hate it in friends when they come too late to help.
—Euripides
Topics: Friends and Friendship
People that seem so glorious are all show; underneath they are like everyone else.
—Euripides
Topics: Appearance
I envy that man who passes through life safely, to the world and fame unknown.
—Euripides
Topics: Life
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
Sophocles Ancient Greek Dramatist
Homer Ancient Greek Poet
Epicurus Greek Philosopher
Heraclitus Ancient Greek Philosopher
Xenocrates Greek Philosopher, Scientist
Epictetus Ancient Greek Philosopher
Bias of Priene Greek Orator
Aristotle Ancient Greek Philosopher
Plotinus Ancient Greek Philosopher, Mystic
Plato Ancient Greek Philosopher