Quotes from Antigone

The following passages are drawn from Ian Johnston's translation of Antigone, published by Richer Resources Publications. Book and line numbers are provided for each selection.

 

“My honours for the dead 

must last much longer than for those up here.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 92–94

 

“Zeus hates an arrogant boasting tongue.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, line 152 

 

“There are many strange and wonderful things, 

but nothing more strangely wonderful than man.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 377–378 

 

“There’s no event his skill cannot confront— 

other than death—that alone he cannot shun.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 410–412 

 

“But my nature is to love. I cannot hate.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, line 597 

 

“Hope ranging far and wide brings comfort 

to many men—but then hope can deceive, 

delusions born of volatile desire.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 700–702 

 

“So don’t let your mind dwell on just one thought, 

that what you say is right and nothing else.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 799–800 

“For any man, 

even if he’s wise, there’s nothing shameful 

in learning many things, staying flexible.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 804–806 

“You notice how in winter floods the trees 

which bend before the storm preserve their twigs.

 —Sophocles, Antigone, lines 714-715

 

“If men by nature understood all things—
if not, and that is usually the case, 
when men speak well, it’s good to learn from them.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 817–819 

 

“A city which belongs to just one man is no true city.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 839–840 

“No immortal god escapes from you,
nor any man, who lives but for a day.
And the one whom you possess goes mad.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 898–901 

“The power of fate is full of mystery.
There’s no evading it, no, not with wealth,
or war, or walls, or black sea-beaten ships.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 1065–1067 

 

“All men make mistakes—that’s not uncommon.
But when they do, they’re no longer foolish
or subject to bad luck if they try to fix
the evil into which they’ve fallen..."

 —Sophocles, Antigone, lines 1139–1142


“Men who put their stubbornness on show
invite accusations of stupidity.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 1144–1145 

“Learning can be pleasant when a man speaks well,
especially when he seeks your benefit.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 1149–1150 

“How good advice
is valuable—worth more than all possessions.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 1173–1174 

“In human life 
there’s no set place which I would praise or blame. 
The lucky and unlucky rise or fall 
by chance day after day—and how these things 
are fixed for men no one can prophesy.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 1285–1289 

“For when a man has lost
what gives him pleasure, I don’t include him
among the living—
he’s a breathing corpse. 

 —Sophocles, Antigone, lines 1296–1298 

“Alas, it seems you’ve learned to see what’s right—
but far too late.” 

—Sophocles, Antigone, lines 1415–1416 


"There's no release for mortal human beings 
not from events which destiny has set."
 —Sophocles, Antigone, lines 1484–1485 

“The most important part of true success 
is wisdom—not to act impiously 
tow  ards the gods, for boasts of arrogant men 
bring on great blows of punishment—
so in old age men can discover wisdom."

 —Sophocles, Antigone, lines 1492–1496