Thursday, July 07, 2016

Quote for the day: Character, the mark stamped upon the coin

"Character is a Greek word, but it did not mean to the Greeks what it means to us. To them it stood first for the mark stamped upon the coin, and then for the impress of this or that quality upon a man, as Euripides speaks of the stamp--character--of valor upon Hercules, man the coin, valor the mark imprinted on him. To us a man's character is that which is peculiarly his own; it distinguishes each one from all the rest. To the Greeks it was a man's share in qualities all men partake of; it united each one to the rest." ~~ Edith Hamilton, The Greek Way

3 comments:

Heather said...

Wow, love the imagery of that idea.

Mama Squirrel said...

I think it's a very Plutarchish image.

GretchenJoanna said...

Everywhere I turn, I see this difference between our forebears and us -- how they understood the real connection between people while we specialize in separating and individuating to excess.

Thank you for a great quote.