Tao Te Ching

The Power of Goodness, the Wisdom Beyond Words
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Histories

By Herodotus

The foundational work of Western history and one of the first descriptions of both the Persian Empire and the Greco-Persian Wars; this account established history as a field of study. Some of the stories are fanciful and others inaccurate; but Herodotus was open about it stating that he was only reporting what he was told and a large amount of his narration was later confirmed by historians and archaeologists. He framed his account as the conflict between slavery and freedom which maintained its relevancy down through the ages and into modern times. Though written so long ago and in such a different world; modern readers could find the captivating stories, interpersonal drama, political intrigue, and psychological insight much more interesting than 80% of the insipid TV shows, movies, and books they waste so much of their time with today.

Quotes from Histories

“Anyone understanding their neighbor's suffering would be glad to go home with their own.”

Chapters:

Themes: Suffering

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“Circumstances rule men; men do not rule circumstances.”

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Themes: Power

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“Circumstances rule men; men do not rule circumstances.”

Chapters:

Themes: Free Will

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“Civil strife is as much a greater evil than war as war itself is worse than peace.”

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“Everyone believes his own native customs, and the religion he was brought up in, to be the best.”

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“Happiness does not come from fame, riches, or virtue. It only arises when posterity—reflecting on our life—believes it to be a life they would wish to live.”

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“It is better by far to risk the evils we anticipate than to remain in fear of what might happen.”

Chapters:

Themes: Fear

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“Nobody should be mad enough to choose war when there is peace. During times of peace, sons bury their fathers but in war fathers bury their sons.”

Chapters:

Themes: War Peace

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“Of all possessions, a friend is the most precious.”

Chapters:

Themes: Friendship

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“Prosperity never stays long in the same place: cities once great are now small and ones great now were small.”

Chapters:

Themes: Change History

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“The gods love to thwart whatever is greater than the rest. They do not suffer pride in anyone but themselves.”

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“The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance.”

Chapters:

Themes: Ignorance

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

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“Until he is dead, keep the word ‘happy’ in reserve. Till then, he is not happy, but only lucky.”

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“Were there no question of advantage, the honest would be as likely to lie as the liar, and the liar would tell the truth as readily as the honest man.”

Chapters:

Themes: Lies Crime

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“Every woman born in the country must once in her life go and sit down in the precinct of Venus [Mylitta], and there consort with a stranger…. A woman who has once taken her seat is not allowed to return home till one of the strangers throws a silver coin into her lap, and takes her with him beyond the holy ground…. The silver coin may be of any size….”

Chapters:

Themes: Prostitution

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