Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.

About Demosthenes

Portrait of Demosthenes

Demosthenes (; Greek: Δημοσθένης, romanized: Dēmosthénēs; Attic Greek: [dɛːmostʰénɛːs]; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century...

More quotations from Demosthenes

Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master.

All speech is vain and empty unless it be accompanied by action.

The easiest thing of all is to deceive one's self; for what a man wishes he generally believes to be true.

Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.

You cannot have a proud and chivalrous spirit if your conduct is mean and paltry; for whatever a man's actions are, such must be his spirit.

More quotations tagged with “opportunity”

Seize opportunity by the beard, for it is bald behind.

—Bulgarian Proverb

Next to knowing when to seize an opportunity, the most important thing in life is to know when to forego an advantage.

—Benjamin Disraeli

When you're young, you always think you'll meet all sorts of wonderful people, that drifting apart and losing friends is natural. You don't worry, at first, about the friends you leave behind. But as you get older, it gets harder to build friendships. Too many defenses, too little opportunity. You get busy. And by the time you realize that you've lost the dearest best friend you've ever had, years have gone by and you're mature enough to be embarrassed by your attitude and, frankly, by your arrogance.

—Kate Jacobs in The Friday Night Knitting Club

friendship friends youth opportunity busyness attitude arrogance defense

You don't gain much in life if you never allow yourself to be vulnerable. Sometimes the best things in life happen when we open our hearts and give someone the opportunity to hurt us, and trust them not to, and they don't.

—Terry Bolryder in Bearlebrity

life heart trust hurt opportunity

If you have the ability and the opportunity to help someone, but you don't do anything just because you're scared or it's inconvenient or something, then maybe you're just as bad as the people who caused the trouble in the first place.

—Bree Despain in The Lost Saint

people bad help trouble opportunity ability

History

11 Jul 2015 Added