Dusty Phrases

Hi! Welcome to “Dusty Phrases.” You will find below an ancient phrase in one language or another, along with its English translation. You may also find the power to inspire your friends or provoke dread among your enemies.

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Greek:

ὅς [θεός], ἡνίκα τι ἀνθρώπῳ συμβῆναι βουλεύηται φλαῦρον, τῷ λογισμὸν ἁψάμενος πρῶτον

English:

who [God], whenever He purposes that some adversity shall befall a man, touches first his reason

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This phrase is attributed to Procopius of Caesarea, a late antiquity Greek scholar during the Roman/Byzantine era, from his work, Vandal Wars, I.19.25. Another variant of this expression, (in English), states “whom the gods would destroy, they first make angry.”