I would rather be tied to the soil as another man's serf, even a poor man's, who hadn't much to live on himself, than be King of all these the dead and destroyed.

βουλοίμην κ᾽ ἐπάρουρος ἐὼν θητευέμεν ἄλλῳ,
ἀνδρὶ παρ᾽ ἀκλήρῳ, ᾧ μὴ βίοτος πολὺς εἴη,
ἢ πᾶσιν νεκύεσσι καταφθιμένοισιν ἀνάσσειν.

Homer

The Odyssey

Buy The Odyssey at Amazon Buy The Odyssey at Amazon
Read The Odyssey at MIT's classics department website

More information about this quote

Topic

Life is precious Life and death

Speaker

Odysseus

Author

Homer

Source

The Odyssey

Medium

Poem

Genre

Epic poem

Language

Greek

Time

700 BC 700s BC 8th century BC

Era

Classical antiquity

Occupation

Poet

From

Greece Europe Ancient Greece

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Homer. Ὀδύσσεια [Odyssey]. c. 710 BC, bk. 11, l. 489-491.

Current Citation

Homer. The Odyssey, edited by Bernard Knox, translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin Classics, 2006, bk. 11, l. 489-491.

Illustrated Quote

A quote by Homer about life is precious: “I would rather be tied to the soil as another man's serf, even a poor…”
Download
A quote by Homer about life is precious: “I would rather be tied to the soil as another man's serf, even a poor…”
Download
A quote by Homer about life is precious: “I would rather be tied to the soil as another man's serf, even a poor…”
Download

Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote by Homer

I should rather labor as another's serf, in the home of a man without fortune, one whose livelihood was meager, than rule over all the departed dead.

Homer

The Odyssey

Buy The Odyssey at Amazon Buy The Odyssey at Amazon
Read The Odyssey at MIT's classics department website
More information about this quote
Topic
Slavery Death

Author

Homer
Source
The Odyssey
Medium
Poem
Genre
Epic poem
Language
Greek
Time
700 BC 700s BC 8th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Homer. Ὀδύσσεια [Odyssey]. c. 710 BC, bk. 11, l. 489-491.

Current Citation

Homer. The Odyssey, edited by Bernard Knox, translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin Classics, 2006, bk. 11, l. 489-491.

Another quote about Life and death

Death is certain, replacing both the siren-song of Paradise and the dread of Hell. Life on this earth, with all its mystery and beauty and pain, is then to be lived far more intensely: we stumble and get up, we are sad, confident, insecure, feel loneliness and joy and love. There is nothing more; but I want nothing more.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

The Portable Atheist

Buy The Portable Atheist at Amazon Buy The Portable Atheist at Amazon
More information about this quote
Topic
Living life to the fullest Life and death Life Death

Author

Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Source
How (and Why) I Became an Infidel The Portable Atheist
Medium
Essay
Genre
Religious literature
Language
English
Time
2007 2000s 21st century
Authentication Score 3
Citation

Hirsi Ali, Ayaan. "How (and Why) I Became an Infidel." The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever, edited by Christopher Hitchens. Da Capo Press, 2007, ch. 47.

Another quote from the 8th century BC

We are quick to flare up, we races of men on the earth.

Homer

The Odyssey

Buy The Odyssey at Amazon Buy The Odyssey at Amazon
Read The Odyssey at MIT's classics department website
More information about this quote
Topic
Temper Anger Human nature

Author

Homer
Source
The Odyssey
Medium
Poem
Genre
Epic poem
Language
Greek
Time
700 BC 700s BC 8th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Homer. Ὀδύσσεια [Odyssey]. c. 710 BC, bk. 7, l. 307.

Current Citation

Homer. The Odyssey, edited by Bernard Knox, translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin Classics, 2006, bk. 7, l. 307.

Another quote from Classical antiquity

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Jesus

John 3:17

Buy the Bible (KJV) at Amazon Buy the Bible (KJV) at Amazon
Read this verse at Bible Hub
More information about this quote
Topic
Salvation Jesus
Speaker
Jesus
Source
Gospel of John The Bible
Medium
Scripture
Genre
Religious literature
Language
Greek
Time
90 90s 1st century
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 3
Citation

The Holy Bible: The King James Version. 1611. (John 3:17).

Another quote from The Odyssey

Of all the creatures that breathe and move across the earth, there is nothing feebler than man.

Homer

The Odyssey

Buy The Odyssey at Amazon Buy The Odyssey at Amazon
Read The Odyssey at MIT's classics department website
More information about this quote
Topic
Human frailty Nature of man

Author

Homer
Source
The Odyssey
Medium
Poem
Genre
Epic poem
Language
Greek
Time
700 BC 700s BC 8th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Homer. Ὀδύσσεια [Odyssey]. c. 710 BC, bk. 18, l. 130.

Current Citation

Homer. The Odyssey, edited by Bernard Knox, translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin Classics, 2006, bk. 18, l. 130.