Better a serpent than a stepmother!
Meaning of the quote
The quote suggests that having a snake as a parent is better than having a stepmother. This means that a stepmother, who is not a child's biological mother, can sometimes be very cruel or mean. The poet is saying that even a snake, which is a dangerous animal, is preferable to having a stepmother who treats you poorly.
More quotes from Euripides
The wavering mind is but a base possession.
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Chance fights ever on the side of the prudent.
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No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.
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No one is happy all his life long.
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One does nothing who tries to console a despondent person with word. A friend is one who aids with deeds at a critical time when deeds are called for.
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To a father growing old nothing is dearer than a daughter.
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The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.
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Forgive, son; men are men; they needs must err.
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Some wisdom you must learn from one who’s wise.
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No one is truly free, they are a slave to wealth, fortune, the law, or other people restraining them from acting according to their will.
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There is just one life for each of us: our own.
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Life has no blessing like a prudent friend.
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He is not a lover who does not love forever.
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Silver and gold are not the only coin; virtue too passes current all over the world.
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No one who lives in error is free.
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Events will take their course, it is no good of being angry at them; he is happiest who wisely turns them to the best account.
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Do not plan for ventures before finishing what’s at hand.
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Joint undertakings stand a better chance when they benefit both sides.
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I would prefer as friend a good man ignorant than one more clever who is evil too.
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Youth is the best time to be rich, and the best time to be poor.
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This is slavery, not to speak one’s thought.
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There is the sky, which is all men’s together.
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When a man’s stomach is full it makes no difference whether he is rich or poor.
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Danger gleams like sunshine to a brave man’s eyes.
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Much effort, much prosperity.
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Friends show their love in times of trouble.
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One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives.
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Down on your knees, and thank heaven, fasting, for a good man’s love.
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Cleverness is not wisdom.
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Wealth stays with us a little moment if at all: only our characters are steadfast, not our gold.
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Luckier than one’s neighbor, but still not happy.
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Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other.
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The greatest pleasure of life is love.
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Prosperity is full of friends.
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Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom.
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Impudence is the worst of all human diseases.
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Fortune truly helps those who are of good judgment.
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Nothing has more strength than dire necessity.
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Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head.
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Ignorance of one’s misfortunes is clear gain.
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Better a serpent than a stepmother!
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To persevere, trusting in what hopes he has, is courage in a man.
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The best of seers is he who guesses well.
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Happiness is brief. It will not stay. God batters at its sails.
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God hates violence. He has ordained that all men fairly possess their property, not seize it.
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Among mortals second thoughts are wisest.
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In misfortune, which friend remains a friend?
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Silence is true wisdom’s best reply.
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Slight not what’s near through aiming at what’s far.
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He was a wise man who originated the idea of God.
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It’s not beauty but fine qualities, my girl, that keep a husband.
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The good and the wise lead quiet lives.
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‘Twas but my tongue, ’twas not my soul that swore.
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Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing.
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The lucky person passes for a genius.
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Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.
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Human misery must somewhere have a stop; there is no wind that always blows a storm.
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The bold are helpless without cleverness.
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Do not consider painful what is good for you.
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But learn that to die is a debt we must all pay.
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Whoso neglects learning in his youth, loses the past and is dead for the future.
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Those whom God wishes to destroy, he first makes mad.
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New faces have more authority than accustomed ones.
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Leave no stone unturned.
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Authority is never without hate.
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