Athenians Quote by Pericles
“We Athenians hold that it is not poverty that is disgraceful but the failure to struggle against it.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Funeral Oration, Athens, 431 BC
It is not poverty itself that is shameful, but the inability to resist or overcome it through effort.
In simple terms: Poverty is not disgraceful; failing to fight it is.
Key Takeaway
Strive against hardship rather than accept it.
Themes
poverty
dignity
effort
resilience
social responsibility
Mood
determined
reflective
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- personal finance
- public policy
- community aid
- social welfare
- education
Key Concepts
Stoicism
civic virtue
self‑efficacy
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies support those unable to struggle alone?
- What personal actions best combat poverty?
A Different Perspective
Even with effort, structural barriers may limit success.
![“It was about that time [415 BCE] that the poet Diagoras of Melos was proscribed for atheism, he having declared that the non-punishment of a certain act of iniquity proved that there were no gods. It has been surmised, with some reason, that the iniquity in question was the slaughter of the…” quote by J. M. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/21f/j-m-robertson-95682_alcibiades_it-was-about-that-time-415-bce-that-the_812164.jpg)
![“Everyone, including the Athenians [...] are right to accept advice from anyone, since it is incumbent on everyone to share in that sort of excellence, or else there can be no city at all.” quote by Protagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/842/protagoras-29073_accepting_everyone-including-the-athenians-are-rig_379015.jpg)
