Lines 479-480 (tr. William Arrowsmith, 1958)
To the fool, he who speaks wisdom will sound foolish. (Bartlett's, 13th ed. 1955)
He were a fool, methinks, who would utter wisdom to a fool. (tr. E. P. Coleridge, 1891)
Wise words being brought to blinded eyes will seem as things of nought. (tr. Gilbert Murray, 1902)
To the fool, he who speaks wisdom will sound foolish. (Bartlett's, 13th ed. 1955)
He were a fool, methinks, who would utter wisdom to a fool. (tr. E. P. Coleridge, 1891)
Wise words being brought to blinded eyes will seem as things of nought. (tr. Gilbert Murray, 1902)
“
Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.
— Euripides
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish." in the context of "Lines 479-480 (tr. William Arrowsmith, 1958)
To the fool, he who speaks wisdom will sound foolish. (Bartlett's, 13th ed. 1955)
He were a fool, methinks, who would utter wisdom to a fool. (tr. E. P. Coleridge, 1891)
Wise words being brought to blinded eyes will seem as things of nought. (tr. Gilbert Murray, 1902)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Euripides" (Quotes, Bacchae (405 BC))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Euripides
Euripides (Greek: Εὐριπίδης; c. 480 BC–406 BC) was a Greek playwright.
View all quotes →