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.

History is marked by alternating movements across the imaginary line that separates East from West in Eurasia.

A multitude of rulers is not a good thing. Let there be one ruler, one king.

the Egyptians were the first to discover the solar year, and to portion out its course into twelve parts both the space of time and the seasons which they delimit. It was observation of the course of the stars which led them to adopt this divisionIt is also the Egyptians who first bought into use the names of the twelve gods, which the Greeks adopted from them

The period of a [Persian] boy's education is between the ages of five and twenty, and he is taught three things only: to ride, to use the bow, and to speak the truth.

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

The most hateful grief of all human griefs is to have knowledge of a truth, but no power over the event.