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Xenophon was an ancient Greek philosopher, historian, soldier, and student of Socrates. In the dialogue between the poet Simonides and Hiero, tyrant of Syracuse, Xenophon discusses the burdens of being an absolute dictator and the superior happiness of the private individual.

The Persians: A Translation from Aeschylus There is no drama where the total multiplicity of horror in defeat is more cogently presented than in the Persians by Aeschylus, who fought in the Athenian triumph at Salamis, where the Persian fleet was rammed and wrecked.

In all the revelations which await you, there is none so fundamental as the revelation of Jesus Christ. He cannot be known outwardly, but must unveil himself from within. This experience will be yours when your immortal eyes are opened inward, into eternity, the world of thought.

In the Metamorphoses Ovid retells stories from the Greek myths, arranging them in roughly chronological order, from the origins of the world to his own times. His charming and graceful versions, full of life and interest, express his humanist approach, his feeling for pathos, and his endless curiosity and delight in human affairs. Each tale involves a transformation of some kind, and the whole collection provided a potent source of motifs and images for later art, especially the paintings, sculpture, and verse of the Renaissance.

In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle delves into the question of what is best for mankind and humans as individuals. His conclusion is that happiness is the best possible human condition, though he is not referencing the emotion of happiness. Instead, Aristotle concludes that true happiness comes as a way of life in which the individual contributes to the good of his community, as well as his mind.

Aristotle's Poetics is best known for its definitions and analyses of tragedy and comedy, but it also applies to truth and beauty as they are manifested in the other arts. In our age, when the natural and social sciences have dominated the quest for truth, it is helpful to consider why Aristotle claimed poetry is more philosophical and more significant than history. Like so many other works by Aristotle, the Poetics has dominated the way we have thought about all forms of dramatic performance in Europe and America ever since.

The great Marcus Tillius Cicero was a well-known statesman during the time of Caesar and a revolutionary orator. In On Invention, Cicero offers his reflections on rhetoric at only 21 years of age. Given his youth at the time, he mainly discarded its value later in life, but the words do already announce a powerful orator in the making.

The Iliad is an epic Greek poem written by philosopher Homer, and is considered one of the oldest pieces of western literature still in existence. The story takes place during the last weeks of the 10-year Trojan War, with a focus on the quarrels between King Agamemnon and the legendary warrior Achilles. However, this tale's most famous scene is when the Greek's give a gift to the Trojans of a large wooden horse, but one that is filled with soldiers, that allows the Greeks to infiltrate the high walls of the city of Troy.

His victories won him many supporters, but they also earned him enemies. This easy-to-listen-to biography offers a fascinating look at the life of Alexander and the world in which he lived.

"The truly happy man ought to stay at home." "Hunger, and lack of coin, put a stop to love." "Hades, alone of the gods, does not enjoy bribes." These quotes―and hundreds of others from the great Greek dramatists, including Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Menander―were preserved in the fifth century AD, when a man named Stobaeus compiled an anthology to inspire and instruct his son. The quotes were pithy packets of wisdom expressed in eloquent verse and selected with a father's discerning eye: some prompt "aha" moments, others offer wit or dark humor, still others give moral insight.

Valmiki Ramanyam- Balakandam. రామాయణం ఆదికావ్యం గా పిలవబడుతుంది. వాల్మీకి మహర్షి రచించిన ఈ ఆది కావ్యాన్ని రచయిత శ్రీపాద...

युगावतार श्री श्री रामकृष्ण की लीलाकथा को केंद्रित करते हुए उन्नीसवीं सदी के अंतिम पर्व से लेकर अनेक जीवनी...

Epiktet (ca. 50–138 n. Chr.), einer der bedeutendsten Vertreter der Stoa, vermittelt in seinem Handbüchlein der Moral (Encheiridion) eine Philosophie, die auf Selbstbeherrschung, Gelassenheit und innerer Freiheit basiert. Der kurze, präzise Text ist ein Leitfaden für eine ethische Lebensführung, der in klarer Sprache zur Reflexion über das eigene Handeln anregt. Ein praktischer Wegweiser für alle, die in einer lauten Welt innere Ruhe und geistige Klarheit suchen.

First published in 1752, "Micromegas" is one of Voltaire’s best-known works. It is a tale of mordant irony, and actually the original science-fiction short story. Arriving on Earth from the star Sirius, the gigantic explorer Micromegas discovers the people of Earth, so small compared to him that he first believes that no creature this size can hope to achieve any degree of intelligence; he will soon discover the ways and thoughts of these diminutive people, who clearly have an over-inflated idea of their own importance in the universe. Voltaire's extrapolations of sun-powered interstellar flight, alien civilizations, and the two moons of Mars, are designed to make us see ourselves in a new light and laugh at what we find.

Chi è più sapiente? Colui che dice di sapere o colui che sa di non sapere? Su questo bivio del pensiero Socrate ha fondato la sua vita e imposta ora la sua autodifesa: stringente, appassionante, inoppugnabile. La fine è nota. E tuttavia Socrate non perde la sua forza: perché anche la morte può essere un’avventura, di silenzio o di conversazione.

‘Ram’s story as a metaphor for human strengths and weaknesses and as a window to inner divinity’—Tehelka / Ram is maryada purushottam, the supreme upholder of social values, scion of the Raghu clan, jewel of the solar dynasty, seventh avatar of Vishnu. Reviled by feminists, appropriated...

Plato's Allegory of the Cave is what many believe to be the foundation of Western Philosophy. It addresses what is visible and invisible, seen and observed versus intuited and imagined, and what is public versus private and just versus unjust. It also concerns the meaning and importance of education, the state of the soul, the conflict between truth and beauty, animal urges versus higher aspirations, knowledge versus ignorance, and on and on.

The Myth of Demeter is the second book in the exciting The Broadcast Muse Audio Theatre - Episodes for Radio from Myths of Ancient Greece series! In this second installment, Eisenstadter brings an ancient Greek myth to modern-day life, as we meet Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, harvest, and fertility, and the mother of Persephone, who was fathered by the great god Zeus.

Considered the greatest surviving work by the "father of tragedy" is the classic tale of King Agamemnon as he returns from Troy victorious in battle but with a wife whose reaction to her son's sacrifice has led her to harbor a burning and hidden resentment toward him.

Marcus Aurelius was the Roman emperor from 161 to AD 180, and during that time, he kept several collections of journals that contained personal notes, militaristic strategy, and ideas on Stoic philosophy. While unlikely that he ever intended to publicly publish these journals, there is no real official title, so most often "Meditations" is used because of his in depth writings on philosophy. These journals give an introspective look at how and why Marcus Aurelius' operated as an emperor.