For of those [cities] that were great in earlier times, most of them have now become small, while those which were great in my time were small formerly.

Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest do not happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects.

As the old saw says well: every end does not appear together with its beginning.

If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.

Civil strife is as much a greater evil than a concerted war effort as war itself is worse than peace.

It is sound planning that invariably earns us the outcome we want; without it, even the gods are unlikely to look with favour on our designs.

Adversity has the effect of drawing out strength and qualities of a man that would have laid dormant in its absence.