History of the Peloponnesian War (Primary source)
The History of the Peloponnesian War is about what happens when a rising power threatens an established one. Spoiler: nothing good.
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“The growth of the power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired in Lacedaemon [Sparta], made war inevitable.”
— Thucydides Primary source“So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand.”
— Thucydides Primary source“I am more afraid of our own blunders than of the enemy’s devices.”
— Thucydides Primary source“The absence of romance in my history will, I fear, detract somewhat from its interest; but if it be judged useful by those inquirers who desire an exact knowledge of the past as an aid to the interpretation of the future, which in the course of human things must resemble if it does not reflect it, I shall be content. In fine, I have written my work, not as an essay which is to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time.”
— Thucydides Primary source“Without justice courage is weak.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“When the wine enters, out goes the truth.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“White Fang knew the law well: to oppress the weak and obey the strong.”
— Jack London Primary source“It was for beauty that the world was made.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source