"The average beast of prey is a decent creature who merely kills for the sake of food or in a fight against an enemy. It is only man who calls killing "sport" and kills for the pleasure of killing; not for food, not for self-defense, but just to satisfy some primitive instinct, once necessary and now perverted."
Gilbert Murray
Classical Scholar, Writer
Gilbert Murray was a British classical scholar and playwright known for his translations of Greek tragedies and advocacy for social justice.
- Born
- January 2, 1866
- Died
- May 20, 1957
- Quotes
- 11
- Rank
- #1827
About Gilbert Murray
Gilbert Murray — Life and Legacy
Gilbert Murray was a prominent British classical scholar and playwright, recognized for his significant contributions to the understanding of ancient Greek literature and his passionate advocacy for social justice. His translations of Greek tragedies brought the complexities of ancient thought to contemporary audiences, emphasizing themes of truth and freedom that resonate in modern discourse. Murray's core thinking revolved around the belief that literature and philosophy are powerful tools for societal change. He famously stated that 'The truth is always the same,' a reflection of his commitment to integrity and the pursuit of knowledge. This perspective not only shaped his academic work but also his activism, as he sought to promote human rights and justice through his writings and public engagements. Today, Murray's quotes and ideas continue to inspire discussions about the role of truth in society and the importance of freedom in the pursuit of knowledge. His legacy lies in the way he challenged prevailing norms, advocating for a world where education and understanding pave the way for justice and equality.
Quote collection
Gilbert Murray quotes
11 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"Greek was very much a live language, and a language still unconscious of grammar, not, like ours, dominated by definitions and trained upon dictionaries."
"Few of the great works of ancient Greek literature are easy reading."
"Be careful in dealing with a man who cares nothing for comfort or promotion, but is simply determined to do what he believes to be right. He is a dangerous uncomfortable enemy, because his body, which you can always conquer, gives you little purchase upon his soul."
"Sometimes Aristotle analyses his terms, but very often he takes them for granted; and in the latter case, I think, he is sometimes deceived by them."
"A machine is a great moral educator. If a horse or a donkey won’t go, men lose their tempers and beat it; if a machine won’t go, there is no use beating it. You have to think and try till you find what is wrong. That is real education."
"It is doubtless one of Aristotle's great services that he conceived so clearly the truth that literature is a thing that grows and has a history."
"Where words can be translated into equivalent words, the style of an original can be closely followed; but no translation which aims at being written in normal English can reproduce the style of Aristotle."
"The fashions of the ages vary in this direction and that, but they vary for the most part from a central road which was struck out by the imagination of Greece."
"The fact is that much misunderstanding is often caused by our modern attempts to limit too strictly the meaning of a Greek word."
"The life and liberty and property and happiness of the common man throughout the world are at the absolute mercy of a few persons whom he has never seen, involved in complicated quarrels that he has never heard of."