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Quotation from Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans by Plutarch
“the most glorious exploits do not always furnish us with the clearest discoveries of virtue or vice in men; sometimes a matter of less moment, an expression or a jest, informs us better of their characters and inclinations, than the most famous sieges, the greatest armaments, or the bloodiest battles whatsoever”
Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans, Life of Alexander, opening, trans. John Dryden et al., rev. A. H. Clough (1864)
Plutarch’s statement of his method: he writes lives, not histories, and looks for character in small things.
Citation: "the most glorious exploits do not always furnish us with the clearest discoveries of virtue or vice in men; sometimes a matter of less moment, an expression or a jest, informs us better of their characters and inclinations, than the most famous sieges, the greatest armaments, or the bloodiest battles whatsoever" — Plutarch, Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans, Life of Alexander, opening, trans. John Dryden et al., rev. A. H. Clough (1864). (id plutarch-lives-q1)
