35 Inspirational Demosthenes Quotes On Success

Demosthenes was a Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide an insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century BC. Demosthenes learned rhetoric by studying the speeches of previous great orators. He delivered his first judicial speeches at the age of 20, in which he argued effectively to gain from his guardians what was left of his inheritance. For a time, Demosthenes made his living as a professional speech-writer (logographer) and a lawyer, writing speeches for use in private legal suits. May these Demosthenes Quotes On Success inspire you to take action so that you may live your dreams.

1. “Great and unexpected successes are often the cause of foolish rushing into acts of extravagance.” Demosthenes

2. “Success has a great tendency to conceal and throw a veil over the evil deeds of men.” Demosthenes

3. “Every dictator is an enemy of freedom, an opponent of law.” Demosthenes

4. “The fact speak for themselves.” Demosthenes

5. “One believes in what one wants to believe in.” Demosthenes

6. “The end of wisdom is consultation and deliberation” Demosthenes

7. “Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” Demosthenes

8. “The man who has received a benefit ought always to remember it, but he who has granted it ought to forget the fact at once.” Demosthenes

9. “A power without mind is the source of evil” Demosthenes

10. “Nothing is so easy as to deceive one’s self; for what we wish, that we readily believe; but such expectations are often inconsistent with the real state of things.” Demosthenes

11. “The sower of the seed is assuredly the author of the whole harvest of mischief” Demosthenes

12. “All speech is vain and empty unless it be accompanied by action.” Demosthenes

13. “You cannot have a proud and chivalrous spirit if your conduct is mean and paltry; for whatever a man’s actions are, such must be his spirit.” Demosthenes

14. “We need money, for sure, Athenians, and without money nothing can be done that ought to be done.” Demosthenes

15. “The best protection for the people is not necessarily to believe everything people tell them.” Demosthenes

16. “He who confers a favor should at once forget it if he is not to show a sordid ungenerous spirit. To remind a man of a kindness conferred and to talk of it, is little different from reproach.” Demosthenes

17. “Everything great is not always good, but all good things, are great.” Demosthenes

18. “Nothing is so easy as to deceive oneself; for what we wish, we readily believe.” Demosthenes

19. “Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master” Demosthenes

20. “A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true.” Demosthenes

21. “The readiest and surest way to get rid of censure, is to correct ourselves.” Demosthenes

22. “Clouds cannot cover secret places, nor denials conceal truth.” Demosthenes

23. “Do you remember that in classical times when Cicero had finished speaking, the people said, “How well he spoke” but when Demosthenes had finished speaking, they said, “Let us march.” Demosthenes

24. “There is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and security to all, but especially to democracies as against despots – suspicion.” Demosthenes

25. “There are all kinds of devices invented for the protection and preservation of countries: defensive barriers, forts, trenches, and the like. But prudent minds have as a natural gift one safeguard which is the common possession of all, and this applies especially to the dealings of democracies. What is this safeguard? Skepticism. This you must preserve. This you must retain. If you can keep this, you need fear no harm.” Demosthenes

26. “Good fortune is the greatest of blessings, but good counsel comes next, and the lack of it destroys the other also.” Demosthenes

27. “The man who is in the highest state of prosperity, and who thinks his fortune is most secure, knows not if it will remain unchanged till the evening.” Demosthenes

28. “Nothing is easier than self-deceit.” Demosthenes

29. “By persistent labor man may attain to all excellence.” Demosthenes

30. “Since we are not yet fully comfortable with the idea that people from the next village are as human as ourselves, it is presumptuous in the extreme to suppose we could ever look at sociable, tool-making creatures who are from other evolutionary paths and see not beasts, but brothers, not rivals, but fellow pilgrims journeying to the shrine of intelligence. The difference is not in the creature judged, but in the creature judging.” Demosthenes

31. “It is impossible for men engaged in low and groveling pursuits to have noble and generous sentiments. A man’s thought must always follow his employment.” Demosthenes

32. “It is not possible to found a lasting power upon injustice, perjury, and treachery.” Demosthenes

33. “As a vessel is known by the sound, whether it be cracked or not; so men are proved, by their speeches, whether they be wise or foolish.” Demosthenes

34. “The more able a man is, if he make ill use of his abilities, the more dangerous will he be to the commonwealth.” Demosthenes

35. “I am a citizen of the world.” Demosthenes

I hope you enjoyed these Demosthenes Quotes On Success. Do let us know which one was your favorite in the comments section below.

Check Out “The History of Demosthenes” by Joel Underwood (Seattle Academy Faculty):

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