Η πόλη της Αθήνας έχει μια μακρά και πλούσια ιστορία, καθώς και μια ζωντανή πολιτιστική κληρονομιά που την καθιστά ένα από τα πιο σημαντικά πολιτιστικά κέντρα στον κόσμο. Αυτά είναι μερικά από τα πιο γνωστά αποφθέγματα και φράσεις διάσημων για την Αθήνα.
“Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts and eloquence.” – John Milton
“Justice will not come to Athens until those who are not injured are as indignant as those who are injured.” – Thucydides
“At Athens, wise men propose, and fools dispose.” – Alcuin
“I am a citizen, not of Athens, or Greece, but of the world.” – Socrates
“I would like to be a philosopher in ancient Athens and a poet in ancient China.” – Shan Sa
“A great city, whose image dwells in the memory of man, is the type of some great idea. Rome represents conquest; Faith hovers over the towers of Jerusalem; and Athens embodies the pre-eminent quality of the antique world, Art.” – Benjamin Disraeli
“A few of the sublimest geniuses of Rome and Athens had some faint discoveries of the spiritual nature of the human soul, and formed some probable conjectures, that man was designed for a future state of existence.” – David Brainerd
“If Athens shall appear great to you, consider then that her glories were purchased by valiant men, and by men who learned their duty.” – Pericles
“Let there be light! Said Liberty, And like sunrise from the sea, Athens arose!” – Percy Bysshe Shelley
“Earth proudly wears the Parthenon As the best gem upon her zone.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Such is beauty ever – neither here nor there, now nor then – neither in Rome nor in Athens, but wherever there is a soul to admire.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Many of our ideas of democracy, so much of our literature and philosophy and science can be traced back to roots right here in Athens.” – Barack Obama
“Athens is an amazing city for creativity. I bought a house there. A little, tiny place.” – Cindy Wilson
“I like living in a smaller place, but I like being in big cities, too, like Athens.” – Giannis Antetokounmpo
“I want to see the Parthenon by moonlight.” – Daphne du Maurier
“I want Rome and the Coliseum, the Acropolis, Athens; I want beauty, and the flame of life.” – Eleanora Duse
“We approached Athens from the north in early twilight, climbing a hill. When we reached its peak, we were dazzled to look down and see the Acropolis struck by one beam of the setting sun, as if posing for a picture.” – Donald Hall
“Greece has got something like 1,400 islands. There is so much of Greece you can’t know even if you’re Greek. It’s sprinkled out all around the edge of the Aegean, all over the place. It’s already a secret place wherever you go, even if it’s somewhere huge like Athens or Corinth. The place enchanted me.” – Joanna Lumley
“My sisters and I were fortunate to travel through Asia and Europe at very young ages. We confronted extraordinary beauty in Athens and unspeakable poverty in India.” – Mary Chapin Carpenter
“The anchovy which is found in the sea at Athens, men despise on account of its abundance and say that it is a poor man’s fish; but in other cities, they prize it above everything, even where it is far inferior to the Attic anchovy.” – Chrysippus
“My worst holiday was in Athens when I was a young drama student at Rada in 1965. I ran out of money. I had my things stolen and I wasn’t able to speak a word of the language.” – Stephanie Beacham
“And thence from Athens turn away our eyes to seek new friends and stranger companies.” – William Shakespeare
“Every time I go to Athens, it’s not just a trip down memory lane; there’s some surprise. I always meet somebody new, or some crazy party happens, or there’s some amazing event.” – Kate Pierson
“The Parthenon is only a farmyard over which someone put a roof; colonnades and sculptures were added because there were people in Athens who happened to be working and wanted to express themselves.”
– Pablo Picasso
