Demosthenes

Athenian statesman and orator, 4th century BCE

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About

Demosthenes (384-322 BCE) is regarded as the greatest orator of ancient Greece. Born in Athens, he overcame a speech impediment by practicing with pebbles in his mouth. He began as a logographer, suing his guardians who had squandered his inheritance. He entered politics, delivering the Philippics to urge Athens to resist Philip II of Macedon. After the defeat at Chaeronea, he continued to oppose Macedonian hegemony. His speech On the Crown is his masterpiece. Forced into exile, he took his own life to avoid capture by the Macedonians.

Major works

Philippics (351-341 BCE)political orations
Olynthiacs (349-348 BCE)political orations
On the Crown (330 BCE)judicial oration

Key milestones

384 BCEBorn in Athens.
338 BCEFought at the Battle of Chaeronea, a defeat of the Greeks by Philip II.
322 BCETook his own life by poison on the island of Calauria to avoid capture.

Themes

Resistance to MacedonAthenian freedom and democracyEloquence and persuasionPatriotismJustice and law

Sources: worldhistory.org · smb.museum-digital.de

“with thoughts of failure. Don't set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. Simply do what you can do, in the best way that you know how and the Lord will accept your effort. - Gordon B. Hinkley g'% -If Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.”

— DemosthenesTheme · Personal Development

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“Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.”

— DemosthenesTheme · Psychology

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“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.”

— DemosthenesTheme · Success

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