Aeschines Quotes, born around 389 BC and died around 314 BC, was a prominent Athenian statesman and one of the ten Attic orators, known for his rivalry with the orator Demosthenes. Active during the rise of Macedonian power under Philip II and Alexander the Great, Aeschines advocated for peace and cooperation with Macedon, contrasting with Demosthenes’ calls for resistance. His surviving speeches—Against Timarchus, On the Embassy, and Against Ctesiphon—are key sources for studying Athenian politics and diplomacy. After losing influence, he retired to Rhodes to teach rhetoric. These 15 quotes—sourced from his speeches, historical records, and secondary accounts like Diogenes Laërtius—reflect his insights on law, truth, morality, and governance, capturing his rhetorical skill and political perspective.
15 Aeschines Quotes
- “For then only will you be strong, when you cherish the laws, and when the revolutionary attempts of lawless men shall have ceased.” (Against Timarchus, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “Truth is strong enough to overcome all human sophistries.” (In Timarchum, 84, Wikiquote, 2006)
- “Lying rumours do not penetrate farther than our ears.” (De Falsa Legatione, 149, Wikiquote, 2006)
- “Right is not unlimited, but is limited by the laws.” (On the Embassy, 199, Wikiquote, 2006)
- “The man who is unprincipled in private life will never make a good public servant, nor will one who is of no account at home prove a man of light and leading with the embassy in Macedonia; for he has only changed his abode, not his nature.” (On the Embassy, 78, Wikiquote, 2006)
- “Be assured, fellow citizens, that in a democracy it is the laws that guard the person of the citizen and the constitution of the state, whereas the tyrant and the oligarch find their protection in suspicion and in armed guards.” (Against Timarchus, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “He is specially deserving of our hatred, in that being wicked he has all the outward signs of virtue.” (On the Embassy, 99, Wikiquote, 2006)
- “An evil nature wielding great authority brings misfortune upon the community.” (On the Embassy, 147, Wikiquote, 2006)
- “What strange and unexpected event has not occurred in our time? The life we have lived is no ordinary human one, but we were born to be an object of wonder to posterity.” (Speeches, Goodreads, n.d.)
- “I am a poor man and have nothing else to give, but I offer you myself.” (Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of the Philosophers, 1969, QuotePark, n.d.)
- “For at a congress of the Lacedaemonian allies and the other Greeks, in which Amyntas, the father of Philip, being entitled to a seat, was represented by a delegate whose vote was absolutely under his control, he joined the other Greeks in voting to help Athens to recover possession of Amphipolis.” (On the Embassy, 32, Wikiquote, 2006)
- “The laws alone are the bonds which hold the fabric of our common life together.” (Against Timarchus, AZQuotes, n.d.)
- “Justice, not expediency, must guide the actions of a state that seeks to endure.” (On the Embassy, QuoteFancy, n.d.)
- “A man’s worth is not in his words alone, but in the consistency of his deeds.” (Against Ctesiphon, minimalistquotes.com, 2022)
- “To govern well is to uphold the law, not to bend it for favor or fear.” (Against Timarchus, lenquotes.com, 2021)
Aeschines’ quotes are a compelling mix of rhetorical eloquence, moral clarity, and political wisdom, urging readers to value truth, law, and integrity in public life. Which one’s got you ready to stand for justice? Drop it in the comments and keep his oratorical legacy alive!