Dionysius I of Syracuse

Dionysius I (or Dionysius the Elder; c. 432 BC – 367 BC) was a tyrant of Syracuse, who conquered several cities in Sicily and southern Italy, opposed Carthage's influence and made Syracuse the most powerful of the Western Greek colonies.

So, Damocles, since this life delights you, do you wish to taste it yourself and make trial of my fortune?

Quotes

• Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent.
  • Frag. 6, as quoted in Handy-book of Literary Curiosities (1892) by William Shepard Walsh, p. 1009.

• So, Damocles, since this life delights you, do you wish to taste it yourself and make trial of my fortune?
  • As quoted by Cicero, in Tusculan disputations 5.61 as translated by Gavin Betts

• I would like somebody to be hated more than I am.
  • Clive Foss, The Tyrants: 2500 Years of Absolute Power and Corruption, London: Quercus Publishing, 2006, ISBN 1905204965, p. 11

External links

• Notes on the Sword of Damocles

Anecdotes from The Story of the Greeks (1896) by H. A. Guerber:

• The Tyrant of Syracuse
• The Story of Damon and Pythias
• The Sword of Damocles