Greece Quotes

“I think the secret is that it belongs to all of us - to us of the West. We've learned to think in its terms, and to live in its laws. It's given us almost everything that our world has that is worthwhile. Truth, straight thinking, freedom, beauty. It's our second language, our second line of thought, our second country. We all have our own country -- and Greece.”
― Mary Stewart, My Brother Michael

“If you wish to make Pythocles wealthy, don't give him more money; rather, reduce his desires.”
― Epicurus, Άπαντα

“The air of the islands, she believed, was different than the air of other regions of the world. It engulfed her now, carrying with it flavors of sun-drenched soil and foam-flecked sea, aromas of virgin woods and naked rocks, its tang of citrus trees and its fizz of foreign wine-misted lips. It carried in its pockets the sounds of children's laughter, the clatter of drunken brawls, the mandolin music thrumming sensually from decades-old cassette tapes in the colorful souvenir shops where old ladies and young women waved at passersby. It came from near and far, rebounding off the blue-white flag strapped to ferry masts rearing above the sparkling waters, glinting in the brown-eyed winks and twirled mustaches of the locals.”
― Angela Panayotopulos, The Wake Up

“The Greeks have a trick of disguising a poor quality wine by adding pine resin to it, the idea being that the taste of the resin is not quite so appalling as the taste of the wine. We drank retsina because that was all there was.”
― Roald Dahl, Going Solo: The Centenary Collection

“Sea, autumnal sweetness, islands bathed in light, diaphanous cloak of delicate rainfall clothing Greece’s eternal bareness. “Happy the person,” I thought, “who is deemed worthy, before dying, to sail the Aegean.” This world offers many pleasures: women, fruit, ideas. But I think no pleasure exists that plunges a person’s heart into Paradise more than the joy of cutting across this sea on a gentle autumn day, murmuring the name of each island. Nowhere else are you transported from truth to dream with such serenity and ease. Boundaries fade; the mast of even the most dilapidated ship sprouts buds and grapes. Here in Greece, truly, necessity blossoms most certainly into miracle.

Kazantzakis, Nikos. Zorba the Greek (p. 23). Simon & Schuster. Kindle Edition.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek

“If I’d been born in ancient Greece, I’d worship Zeus and Aphrodite”
― Richard Dawkins, Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism

“Lots of people have been afraid of the vanity of things! I´ve overcome it. Lots reflect hard; I have no need to reflect. I don´t rejoice over the good and don´t despair over the bad. If I hear that the Greeks have taken Constantinople, it´s just the same to me as if the Turks were taking Athens.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek

“War was what the world would say Achilles was born for. That his hands and swift feet were fashioned for this alone - the cracking of Troy's mighty walls. They would throw him among thousands of Trojan spears and watch with triumph as he stained his fair hands red.”
― Madeline Miller The song of achilles

“He was going to escort us to the Temple of Jupiter and the Theseion and other places as soon as we had had our fill of the Acropolis. We never went to these places, of course. We told him to drive into town, find a cool spot and order some ice cream.”
― Henry Miller, The Colossus of Maroussi

“Days of Kindness

Greece is a good place
to look at the moon, isn’t it”
― Kari Hesthamar, So Long, Marianne: A Love Story

“Her dress sparkled like the stars that blanketed the Mykonos night sky.”
― Anthea Syrokou, The Greek Tapestry

“Greek was her first language, and in Greek literature and culture she was educated. Although representing on Egyptian temples and some statuary in the traditional headgear and robes of the pharaohs’ wives, it was unlikely she actually dressed this way save perhaps occasionally to perform certain rites. Instead she wore the headband and robes of a Greek monarch. Cleopatra proclaimed herself the ‘New Isis’, and yet her worship of the goddess betrayed a strongly Hellenised version of the cult. She was no more Egyptian culturally or ethnically than most residents of modern day Airzona are Apaches.”
― Adrian Goldsworthy, Antony and Cleopatra

“The forces that drove Britain and the United States to control the world's shipping lanes in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, respectively, first saw light of day in Greece's need to feed itself with imported wheat and barley.”
― William J. Bernstein, A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World

“In the Timaeus dialogues, these being a record of discussions between the Greek Statesman Solon and an Egyptian priest, Plato reports the following: 'You Greeks are all children... you have no belief rooted in the old tradition and no knowledge hoary with age. And the reason is this. There have been and will be many different calamities to destroy mankind, the greatest of them by fire and water, and lesser one by countless other means... You remember only one deluge, though there have been many.”
― Brien Foerster, Aftershock: The Ancient Cataclysm That Erased Human History

“I'm looking at the sea on the wall, and
even though it's a copy of a copy of the Aegean,
I wish you would grab me and take me to Greece.”
― Analicia Sotelo, Virgin

“There will always be the Greece of the starved and the Greece of the satiated, and there will always be the Greece of the warmth in winter's cold and the Greece of frostbitten horror.
That is why those children, of the poor and the rich can never play together as common Greek-borns.”
― Νίκος Ζαχαριάδης

“As they climbed towards Delphi, the cypress trees lined the road like javelin heads, and when they passed its sanctuary of Apollo, a place pagans once thought of as the navel of the world, the light was beginning to fade with the sun…”
― Paul Alkazraji, The Migrant

“My tumultuous feelings were getting stronger and had to be evaded aggressively. One was especially tenacious: 'Would it really be so bad to leave Gregori?”
― Patricia V. Davis, Harlot's Sauce: A Memoir of Food, Family, Love, Loss, and Greece

“Για παραπάνω από ένα χρόνο το αδιέξοδο των λιμοκτονούντων φτωχών εκδηλωνόταν σποραδικά με επιθέσεις, κλοπές και σουφρώματα, χωρίς όμως πολιτική έκφραση. Τα περί κοινοτικής αλληλεγγύης - η δυσαρέσκεια από τις εγωιστικές αξίες του προπολεμικού καπιταλισμού- έμοιαζαν κούφια και απατεωνίστικα σλόγκαν στο στόμα ενός Τσολάκογλου κι ενός Γκοτζαμάνη. Έμελαν όμως να εμφανιστούν ξανά στο δημόσιο στίβο και, προερχόμενα αυτή τη φορά από την παράνομη Αριστερά, θα έβρισκαν άμεση ανταπόκριση σε μια κοινωνία που είχε ριζοσπαστικοποιηθεί από μια οικονομική κατάρρευση χωρίς προηγούμενο.”
― Mazower Mark

“Μπαίνει κανείς στον πειρασμό να εικάσει για ποιο λόγο πήγαν τόσο λίγοι Έλληνες να δουλέψουν στο Ραιχ. Η οικονομική καταστροφή στην πατρίδα τους σίγουρα δεν ήταν ικανή να τους κάνει να τραβήξουν βόρεια, παρόλο που οι συνθήκες ήταν πολύ χειρότερες στην Ελλάδα απο ότι σε άλλες περιοχές της Ευρώπης, οι οποίες αναλογικά προμήθευσαν μεγαλύτερους αριθμούς στρατολογημένων: πολύ περισσότεροι Βέλγοι, Γάλλοι, και Τσέχοι κατέληξαν να δουλεύουν στη Γερμανία παρά Έλληνες. Επίσης δεν αποτελεί εξήγηση η κακομεταχείρισή τους μέσα στο Ραιχ, γιατί δεν ήταν χειρότερη από εκείνη των άλλων αλλοδαπών εργατών, και πιθανόν να ήταν καλύτερη από εκείνη που επιφύλαξαν οι Γερμανοί στους Πολωνούς, στους Ουκρανούς και τους Ρώσους. Ούτε πάλι οι δυσχέρειες στη μεταφορά εξηγούν τους χαμηλούς αριθμούς, γιατί, όταν καταστρώνονταν οι μεταφορές, δεν ήταν πάντα γεμάτες. Η προπαγάνδα των Συμμάχων την εποχή του πολέμου έλεγε πως οι Γερμανοί είχαν αφήσει επίτηδες τους Έλληνες να λιμοκτονήσουν, για να τους κάνουν σκλάβους. Ίσως όμως ο λιμός του 1941-42, μαζί με την σκληρότητα της κατοχικής πολιτικής του Άξονα γενικότερα, να προκάλεσε το αντίθετο αποτέλεσμα. Οι εκθέσεις της Γκεστάπο δίνουν την εντύπωση ότι ο ελληνικός πληθυσμός ήταν περισσότερο ανοιχτά αντιναζί από οτι, ας πούμε, οι Ιταλοί, οι Γάλλοι ή οι Τσέχοι. Ο Νίκος Καζαντζάκης πέρασε την Κατοχή δουλεύοντας το μυθιστόρημά του "Αλέξης Ζορμπάς". Μετά τον πόλεμο ο "Ζορμπάς ο Έλληνας", ένας χειρώνακτας, έμελλε να συμβολίσει ένα ιδιότυπα ελληνικό πνεύμα αντίστασης και ανεξαρτησίας. Ο ίδιος ο Καζαντζάκης έγραψε οτι έμαθε από τον Ζορμπά πως "ο Ζορμπάς με έμαθε να αγαπώ τη ζωή και να μην φοβούμαι το θάνατο". Ίσως εδώ βρίσκεται το κλειδί για το σθένος του εθνικού αισθήματος, που έκανε μια ολόκληρη κοινωνία να απορρίψει το προπαγανδιστικό ειδύλλιο περί Νέας Ευρώπης.”
― Mazower Mark

“ইথাকা

ইথাকার পথে তুমি যখন মাস্তুল দিলে তুলে
প্রার্থনা কর যেন যাত্রা হয় প্রলম্বিত,
পরিপূর্ণ রোমাঞ্চ ও অভিজ্ঞতা দ্বারা।
লিস্ট্রাইগ্যনি, সাইক্লপ, ক্রুদ্ধ পসাইডন
কাউকে করো না ভয় যতক্ষণ তোমার হৃদয়
রয়েছে উন্নত, যতক্ষণ তোমার দেহ ও আত্মা
সৃষ্টি করে দুর্লভ আবেগ।
লিস্ট্রাইগ্যণি, সাইক্লপ, রুষ্ট পসাইডন
এদের কারোই দেখা পাবে না, যদি না
নিজেই তুমি এদের বহন কর অন্তর্গত প্রাণে,
যদি না তোমার মন এদের সারাটা ক্ষণ
ধরে রাখে সমুখে তোমার।

প্রার্থনা কর যেন যাত্রা হয় দীর্ঘায়িত,
অনেক গ্রীষ্ম আর বসন্ত প্রভাতে
কি আনন্দে ফুল্লচিত্তে না-দেখা বন্দরে ফেলা প্রথম নোঙ্গর
জাহাজ ভেড়ানো ব্যস্ত ফিনিসিয় বাণিজ্য নগরে
সওদা করেছ তুমি দ্রব্যাদি উত্তম–
প্রবাল, স্ফটিক, মুক্তা, আবলুস কাঠ,
রকমারি ইন্দ্রজাগানীয়া ঘ্রাণ, মেশক-এ-অম্বর;
মিশরীয় অনেক শহরে ভ্রমণে;
গুণীজন সংস্পর্শে, জ্ঞান সঞ্চয়নে
ইথাকাকে পুষে রাখো মনের কোঠায়।
শেষযাত্রা সেখানেই বিধির বিধান
কিন্তু ভুলেও যাত্রা করো না ত্বরিৎ।

বরং এটাই ভালো,
হাজার বছর যাক সমুদ্র ভ্রমণে
কারণ যখন তুমি ফিরবে স্বদেশ তটে
বৃদ্ধ হয়ে গেছ তুমি বটে।
পথের সঞ্চয়ে তুমি হয়েছো ধনেশ
ইথাকার সম্পদের ভগ্ন অবশেষ
না-ই বা করলে আশা আর।
তোমার গৌরবযাত্রা–সে তো ইথাকারই দান
তার উদ্দেশ্যেই ছিল দুর্জয় এ অভিযান
এখন ফেরার পর তোমাকে দেবার
বাকী আর নাই কিছু তার
তবু যদি জননীকে মনে হয় বড় আকিঞ্চনা
জেনে রেখো সে কখনো করেনি বঞ্চনা।
অভিজ্ঞতাপ্লুত হয়ে এতটাই হয়েছ সজ্ঞান যে
ইতিমধ্যে এইসব ইথাকার মানে
তোমার হৃদয়ই সেটা জানে।”
― C.P.Kavafy

“I was just thinking about Byron,’ said Jude. ‘He went to Greece, you know, Athens, during his gap years. A young man doing the grand tour; loved ancient Greece and all it stood for; put it all down in a poetic travelogue, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage … yeah. There’s a bit about Albania in it too.’ Jude covered his mouth and coughed lightly. ‘“Morn dawns and with it stern Albania’s hills … birds, beasts of prey, and wilder men appear … and gathering storms around, convulse the closing year.”
― Paul Alkazraji, The Migrant

“Ramadan was one of more than a million refugees and migrants who took boats and flimsy dinghies to European shores in 2015. Along with forty-seven others, most of whom were Syrian, he crossed the Aegean in an inflatable raft that he estimates was made for a maximum load of twenty-five people. ‘There were so many children on it. We went out in the night. The kids were crying. We kept telling them, ‘See the light there in the distance? That’s where we are going.’” Four hours later, they landed, the boat already halfway full of water and on the brink of sinking. They emerged onto the rock shores and made their way back to solid land after, as Ramadan put it, seeing death yet again.”
― Patrick Strickland, Alerta! Alerta!: Snapshots of Europe's Anti-fascist Struggle

“On the breezy morning of March 31, 2017, a group of seven black-masked anarchists approached the headquarters of the neofascist Golden Dawn party near the Greek capital’s Larissa Station, a central train stop in the densely populated working-class borough of Kolonos. Armed with sledgehammers, sticks, and road flares, many of them donned motorcycle helmets in anticipation of a fight with the far-right Golden Dawn members. But on this morning, they met no resistance. The anti-fascists quickly smashed the windows, and threw flares into the office. Messages lambasting the Golden Dawn were spray-painted on the door. According to some accounts, those inside the office, unprepared for a confrontation, quickly fled. Security footage of the incident emerged in the local media within hours and went viral on social media.
In the video, taxis and other vehicles can be seen speeding past as a group of anarchists stayed back on the road to ensure they weren’t ambushed from behind. Within minutes, the group had smashed the windows of the office, battered the door, and left behind glass shards glimmering under the bright spring sky. Emanating from large holes, weblike cracks stretched across the window panes.”
― Patrick Strickland, Alerta! Alerta!: Snapshots of Europe's Anti-fascist Struggle

“These tit-for-tat attacks and confrontations between anti-fascists and the Golden Dawn have punctuated the last few years of political turmoil in Greece, with the former accusing the police of playing an integral role in protecting the latter. And like any prolonged conflict, these battles have produced ample martyrs, idols and intensely hated enemies for both sides.”
― Patrick Strickland, Alerta! Alerta!: Snapshots of Europe's Anti-fascist Struggle

“Fyssas’s murder was a turning point for the broad anti-fascist left in Greece. The Golden Dawn had always met dedicated resistance to its violent attacks on migrants, leftists, critics, and journalists, but the fatal stabbing of a left-wing rapper in public was kerosene to the anti-fascist fire that had long burned in many Greeks’ hearts.”
― Patrick Strickland, Alerta! Alerta!: Snapshots of Europe's Anti-fascist Struggle

“During a general assembly later that night, an activist led an Afghan refugee family into the squat’s reception area. They were fatigued and searching for a place to stay. Their bags were weatherworn, their clothes disheveled, and their faces drained. From Afghanistan, the father, mother, and their two daughters made the journey by land and sea, crossing mountains, rivers, borders, and fields. With the help of a translator, Marcos explained the politics of Notara. The family said they understood and wanted to stay until they could find their own accommodation. Macros flipped open a notebook and replied, ‘Let’s see if we can find an open room for you.”
― Patrick Strickland, Alerta! Alerta!: Snapshots of Europe's Anti-fascist Struggle

“Jude leant on the hotel balcony railing looking down over the rooftops of central Athens. Below him was a dense plantation of TV aerials, and a building with air-con units slung on the side like finger holds up a climbing wall.”
― Paul Alkazraji, The Migrant

“Κοιτάζεις ένα άγαλμα της κλασικής εποχής και καταλαβαίνεις αμέσως αν ο άντρας που παριστάνει είναι λεύτερος ή δούλος, το σώμα του τον φανερώνει." "Αρμονία νου και κορμιού, ιδού το υψηλό ιδανικό του Έλληνα.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, Journeying: Travels in Italy, Egypt, Sinai, Jerusalem and Cyprus

“Ας φύγουμε, φώναξε ο Γεμιστός στην ψυχή του, ας φύγουμε, ψηχή μου, παίρνοντας μαζί μας την ελληνική σπίθα, κι ας στήσουμε τζάκι αλλού! Εμείς θα κάμουμε νέα αρχή. Ας αφήσουμε τους άλλους να μοιρολογούν την Πόλη που ψηχομαχεί, εμείς θα νανουρίσουμε μια νέα Ελλάδα.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, Journeying: Travels in Italy, Egypt, Sinai, Jerusalem and Cyprus