The Beginning of All Wisdom: Timeless Advice from the Ancient Greeks

By Steven Stavropoulos

Book Overview

Who knew the ancient Greeks had it all figured out three thousand years ago? In The Beginning of All Wisdom, author Steve Stavropoulos has sifted through nearly every recorded ancient Greek text for the very best sayings, proverbs, and maxims by ancient Greek philosophers, tragedians, scientists, politicians, generals, and poets, from Plato and Pericles to Socrates and Sophocles. Here is practical advice on everyday problems as well as answers to deep moral questions: "Getting to know yourself is extremely difficult" (Thales). "Ignorance is a tough evil to conquer" (Sophocles). "We must take care of our minds because we cannot benefit from beauty when our brains are missing." (Euripides). Organized into 100 topics that cover all human experience -- anger, fear, good and evil, truth, prayer and hope, aging and old age, friendship, gossip, pain and sorrow, self-deception, war and peace, public speaking, democracy -- The Beginning of All Wisdom inspires, advises, and satisfies the urge to learn the best the ancient Greeks have to teach -- without having to read through a whole shelf of Loeb classics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1569244855
• ISBN13: 9781569244852
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Balance
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Know the ancient Greeks

"He who can summarize many ideas in a brief statement, is a wise man." --Euripides "You should not honor men more than truth." --Plato, The Republic This is very nice collection of quotes from ancient Greece. It's great for browsing or reading from start to finish. I devoured it on a short flight and still refer to it regularly. The ancient Greeks were something special and this book shows off their wisdom, creativity and value to contemporary people. I also recommend: Empires - The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization Pericles Of Athens And The Birth Of Democracy --Guy P. Harrison, author of Race and Reality: What Everyone Should Know About Our Biological Diversity and 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God

Concise and nearly complete

Steven Stavropoulos has chosen some of the most well known quotes of the ancient Greeks for this book, and some which are more difficult to find. This is an excellent reference book for anyone who would like to quickly look up a quote on "love", "virtue", "justice", etc. I can see where his translation is slightly diffent from others that I have read, but the message is still transmitted very accurately. This is a must own for anyone who enjoys reading about Greek philosophy, theater or culture.

All the answers -- and not a trend

I found each quote here more fascinating and profound than the next. I find myself thinking about the ideas here all the time and USING them. They're profound but also simple -- just straight forward, ethical answers. The Ancient Greeks really did seem to have figured out so much way back when. We've just mussed it all up. A wonderful book. Thank you.