--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Odyssey and Iliad say things about…" description: "\"The Odyssey and Iliad say things about the human condition in ways we should re-acquaint ourselves with, and use as a prism to interpret though.\" — Rob..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/robert-dessaix-21751_conditions_the-odyssey-and-iliad-say-things-about-t_2109551.png" --- # The Odyssey and Iliad say things about the human condition… ![“The Odyssey and Iliad say things about the human condition in ways we should re-acquaint ourselves with, and use as a prism to interpret though.” quote by Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/robert-dessaix-21751_conditions_the-odyssey-and-iliad-say-things-about-t_2109551.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/robert-dessaix-21751_conditions_the-odyssey-and-iliad-say-things-about-t_2109551.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/robert-dessaix-21751_conditions_the-odyssey-and-iliad-say-things-about-t_2109551.png) > “The Odyssey and Iliad say things about the human condition in ways we should re-acquaint ourselves with, and use as a prism to interpret though.” [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. These classic poems explore timeless aspects of humanity, offering perspectives that help us understand modern life. **In simple terms:** Ancient stories reveal human nature. Key Takeaway Read them to gain fresh insight into today’s challenges. Themes human nature literature reflection Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - education - creative writing - therapy - public speaking Key Concepts mythology psychology cultural analysis Questions to Reflect On - How can these epics inform your current decisions? - What modern issue mirrors a mythic conflict? A Different Perspective Ancient texts may feel distant to some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-condition/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Iliad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iliad/) [Odyssey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odyssey/) [Prisms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisms/) ## Related quotes > [I was more worn out with the "Odyssey" than it was with the "Iliad." I mean, just comparing those two - you can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/i-was-more-worn-out-with-the-odyssey-than-it-was-with-the-iliad-i/) [Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/) > [The Iliad is only great because all life is a battle, The Odyssey because all life is a journey, The Book of Job because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-iliad-is-only-great-because-all-life-is-a-battle-the-odyssey/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Odyssey is, indeed, one of the greatest of all stories, it is the original romance of the West; but the Iliad, though a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saintsbury/the-odyssey-is-indeed-one-of-the-greatest-of-all-stories-it-is-the/) [George Saintsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saintsbury/) > [Go over to Greece with the Iliad and Odyssey. These have elements of history, and they have non-historical elements. It's very difficult to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/go-over-to-greece-with-the-iliad-and-odyssey-these-have-elements-of/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [When I was nine, I started reading Homer. I would get up at four o'clock in the morning, before I had to go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-wright/when-i-was-nine-i-started-reading-homer-i-would-get-up-at-four-o/) [Franz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-wright/) > [It is perhaps not surprising, amid the general leveling of individual aspirations in the growing megalopolis that it was the "Odyssey", not the "Iliad"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-h-whitman/it-is-perhaps-not-surprising-amid-the-general-leveling-of-individual/) [Cedric H Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-h-whitman/) > [One can easily classify all works of fiction either as descendants of the Iliad or of the Odyssey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/one-can-easily-classify-all-works-of-fiction-either-as-descendants-of/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [Every great literature has always been allegorical - allegorical of some view of the whole universe. The 'Iliad' is only great because all life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/every-great-literature-has-always-been-allegorical-allegorical-of/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Be that blind bard who on the Chian strand, By those deep sounds possessed with inward light, Beheld the Iliad and the Odyssey Rise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/be-that-blind-bard-who-on-the-chian-strand-by-those-deep-sounds/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [“...we have a right to narrow down our universe ever further and further; until like the world of the Iliad and the Odyssey it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/we-have-a-right-to-narrow-down-our-universe-ever-further-and-further/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [I heard about Bhagavad Gita very early in my childhood, from the age of five onwards. It was one of the earliest things I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/i-heard-about-bhagavad-gita-very-early-in-my-childhood-from-the-age/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I practiced on the greatest model of storytelling we've got, which is "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey." I told those stories many, many times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-practiced-on-the-greatest-model-of-storytelling-we-ve-got-which-is/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [My real purpose in telling middle-school students stories was to practice telling stories. And I practiced on the greatest model of storytelling we've got,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/my-real-purpose-in-telling-middle-school-students-stories-was-to/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [No ancient story, not even Homer's Iliad or Odyssey, has remained as popular through the course of time. The story of Rama appears as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frawley/no-ancient-story-not-even-homer-s-iliad-or-odyssey-has-remained-as/) [David Frawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frawley/) > [It doesn't seem to me that anyone has discovered much that's new since the Iliad or the Odyssey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/it-doesn-t-seem-to-me-that-anyone-has-discovered-much-that-s-new/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) ## More by Robert Dessaix > [Every time you watch a performance in the theatre, you know that this is just for you, and will never be the same again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/every-time-you-watch-a-performance-in-the-theatre-you-know-that-this/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [I did spend about 5 years in the Griffin Theatre Company in 1978 actually , and worked therefore about 5 years on a voluntary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/i-did-spend-about-5-years-in-the-griffin-theatre-company-in-1978/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [Writers feel that they can't afford to wait. They must do it now, and they are so clever, and there is so much competition.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/writers-feel-that-they-can-t-afford-to-wait-they-must-do-it-now-and/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [I think it is an important question of our lives - what is the meaning of literature to us as humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/i-think-it-is-an-important-question-of-our-lives-what-is-the-meaning/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [A form of art that I like is portraiture. I've been thinking about portraiture, and its relationship to writing and literature, biography and autobiography,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/a-form-of-art-that-i-like-is-portraiture-i-ve-been-thinking-about/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [It is much easier for me to define what makes a novel French or Russian, but defining the characteristics of an Australian novel are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/it-is-much-easier-for-me-to-define-what-makes-a-novel-french-or/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [There is a mental space that we consciously makes our way back to, and give honour to what has formed us in this mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/there-is-a-mental-space-that-we-consciously-makes-our-way-back-to-and/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [I think that a lot of people do have a physical Ithaca, but I don't think that I do and I think that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/i-think-that-a-lot-of-people-do-have-a-physical-ithaca-but-i-don-t/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [Despite the war, and bombings, and all the big things that happen to us, the stuff of our lives is small and always will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/despite-the-war-and-bombings-and-all-the-big-things-that-happen-to-us/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [“...'undertow'. It describes (...) how underneath our own everyday lives - the shopping and squabbles and weeding and trips to the vet - there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/undertow-it-describes-how-underneath-our-own-everyday-lives-the/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [When I re-read the Odyssey, it felt like I was reading PD James or Minette Walters - you feel that you are sharing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/when-i-re-read-the-odyssey-it-felt-like-i-was-reading-pd-james-or/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [“How do you irradiate the humbly trivial - the sneezes and waiting in bus-queues - with the lofty, and at the same time cherish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/how-do-you-irradiate-the-humbly-trivial-the-sneezes-and-waiting-in/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [I think that in this globalised world, the local is going to become more and more important - it is a paradox. You see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/i-think-that-in-this-globalised-world-the-local-is-going-to-become/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [The extraordinarily facile and in literary terms long lived works tend to be about ordinary people. Even Sappho writes about the utterly insignificant .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/the-extraordinarily-facile-and-in-literary-terms-long-lived-works/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [One has to choose a word in English. If you want to be eligible for a literary prize you have to designate it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/one-has-to-choose-a-word-in-english-if-you-want-to-be-eligible-for-a/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) [Explore all 28 Robert Dessaix quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) ## More Conditions quotes > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Most celebrated men live in a condition of prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/most-celebrated-men-live-in-a-condition-of-prostitution/) [Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [History is, in its essentials, the science of change. It knows and it teaches that it is impossible to find two events that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bloch/history-is-in-its-essentials-the-science-of-change-it-knows-and-it/) [Marc Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bloch/) > [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [The so-called evils are evils only in relation to a certain thing, and that which is evil in relation to a certain existing thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/the-so-called-evils-are-evils-only-in-relation-to-a-certain-thing-and/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [Experiences in order to be educative must lead out into an expanding world of subject matter, a subject matter of facts or information and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/experiences-in-order-to-be-educative-must-lead-out-into-an-expanding/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [A social group can, indeed must, already exercise 'leadership' before winning governmental power (this is indeed one of the principal conditions for the winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/a-social-group-can-indeed-must-already-exercise-leadership-before/) [Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/) > [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Changes in human conditions are brought about by the pioneering of the cleverest and most energetic men. They take the lead and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/changes-in-human-conditions-are-brought-about-by-the-pioneering-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) Browse all 4,249 Conditions quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Odyssey and Iliad say things about the human condition in ways we should re-acquaint ourselves with, and use as a prism to interpret though.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Dessaix" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/the-odyssey-and-iliad-say-things-about-the-human-condition-in-ways-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conditions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/the-odyssey-and-iliad-say-things-about-the-human-condition-in-ways-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/robert-dessaix-21751_conditions_the-odyssey-and-iliad-say-things-about-t_2109551.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/robert-dessaix-21751_conditions_the-odyssey-and-iliad-say-things-about-t_2109551.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/robert-dessaix-21751_conditions_the-odyssey-and-iliad-say-things-about-t_2109551.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Odyssey and Iliad say things about the human condition in ways we should re-acquaint ourselves with, and…” — Robert Dessaix", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robert Dessaix", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Odyssey and Iliad say things...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/the-odyssey-and-iliad-say-things-about-the-human-condition-in-ways-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/the-odyssey-and-iliad-say-things-about-the-human-condition-in-ways-we/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```