Full of wiles, full of guile, at all times, in all ways, Are the children of Men.
– Aristophanes
Context
The quote is from the play “The Birds” written by Aristophanes, which was first performed in 414 BCE.
Meaning
It seems people have been foolish and deceitful for a helluva long time. This was expressed about 2400 years ago and still we’re filled with people, the children of men being dishonest and treacherous.
Oh and if you didn’t understand the words wiles and guile, they mean something akin to trickery and deceit.
It seems to me that as Aristophanes said, people are deceitful in every way imaginable.
Does this mean we should fret about the human condition?
Nah, just understand the conundrum we sometimes find ourselves and make sure to the best of your ability that you yourself are free from wiles and guile.
What do you think about the quote? Is it true? Is it false? Is it pessimistic?
Daniel Seeker is a wandering dervish and lifelong student of the past, present and future. He realized that he was made of immaculate and timeless consciousness when meditating in his hermit cave on the island of Gotland. His writings are mostly a reflection of that realizaton. Daniel currently studies history, philosophy, egyptology and western esotericism at Uppsala Universitet. He’s also currently writing his B.A. thesis in history which explores how Buddhist and Hindu texts were first properly translated and introduced to the western world in the late 18th and 19th century.