A man calumniated is doubly injured -- first by him who utters the calumny, and then by him who believes it.

A general curiosity about the unknown sparked by the multicultural milieu in which I spent my formative years. There was a lot of unknown back then, too. I dare say it was easier to be an explorer then.

Egypt is the gift of the Nile.

In peace children inter their parents, war violates the order of nature and causes parents to inter their children.

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

Where wisdom is called for, force is of little use.

The Scythians take kannabis seed, creep in under the felts, and throw it on the red-hot stones. It smolders and sends up such billows of steam-smoke that no Greek vapor bath can surpass it. The Scythians howl with joy in these vapor-baths, which serve them instead of bathing, for they never wash their bodies with water.