Man, supposing you and I, escaping this battle, would be able to live on forever, ageless, immortal, so neither would I myself go on fighting in the foremost, nor would I urge you into the fighting where men win glory. But now, seeing that the spirits of death stand close about us in their thousands, no man can turn aside or escape them, let us go on and win glory for ourselves, or yield it to others.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- If men were immortal they would not fight for glory, but since death is near they must strive for fame.
- In plain terms
- We fight for glory because we are mortal and will die soon.
- What can you take from it?
- Mortality drives us to seek meaning through action.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What would you do if you were immortal?
- Why does death give life urgency?
Another view
It assumes glory is the only valid response to death.
More from Homer
Among all creatures that breathe on earth and crawl on it there is not anywhere a thing more dismal than man is.
Permalink to quote #7 Victory passes back and forth between men.
Permalink to quote #5 I have gone through what no other mortal on earth has gone through; I put my lips to the hands of the man who has killed my children.
Permalink to quote #8
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