"Circumstances rule men men do not rule circumstances."

Action

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Action as articulated by Herodotus. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Action provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About Herodotus

Herodotus was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the Histories, a detailed account of the Greco-Persian Wars, among other subjects such as the rise of the Achaemenid dynasty of Cyrus. He has been described as "The Father of History", a title conferred on him by the ancient Roman orator Cicero.

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More by Herodotus

"Whatever comes from God is impossible for a man to turn back."

— Herodotus
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"Death is a delightful hiding place for weary men."

— Herodotus
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"It is clear that not in one thing alone, but in many ways equality and freedom of speech are a good thing."

— Herodotus
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"I never yet feared those men who set a place apart in the middle of their cities where they gather to cheat one another and swear oaths which they break."

— Herodotus
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More about Action

"Mainly, I have actually been getting involved with an organization called MALDEF. It's a Latino organization. And I would like to get involved with charities that have to do with children or homelessness or education, or all of them together."

— Edy Ganem
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"Do you know what it means to come home at night to a woman who'll give you a little love, a little affection, a little tenderness? It means you're in the wrong house, that's what it means."

— Henny Youngman
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"Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way."

— Booker T. Washington
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"Most people sort of enjoy going to work because of the socialisation, a chance to flirt with co-workers and so on, but actually hate the job they do."

— P. J. O'Rourke
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