Plutarch (46 – 120 A.D.) was a Greek biographer, philosopher and essayist, born in the small town of Chaeronea, where he lived most of his life. He studied mathematics and philosophy at the Academy of Athens under Ammonius from 66 to 67. For many years Plutarch served as one of the two priests at the temple of Apollo at Delphi. In addition to his duties as a priest, Plutarch was also a magistrate and represented his home town on various missions to foreign countries. Plutarch’s best-known work is the Parallel Lives, a series of biographies of famous Greeks and Romans.
Quotations by Plutarch…
Talkative people listen to no one, for they are ever speaking. And the first evil surrounding those who do not know the meaning of silence is that they hear nothing.
What sort of tree is there which will not, if neglected, grow crooked and unfruitful, but which will, if given right attention, prove to be productive, and bring its fruit to maturity?
When people are overcome by rage, it is good to observe attentively the effects on those who deliver themselves up to this emotion.
Let a prince be guarded with soldiers, attended by counsellors, and protected by a fort, yet if his thoughts disturb him, he is miserable.
Philosophy is the art of living.
To live in the light of the universal order is to be awake. To turn aside into our own microcosm is to go to sleep.
