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Gilbert Murray
17quotes
Gilbert Murray: A Life of Scholarship and Activism
Full Name and Common Aliases
Gilbert Murray was born on January 2, 1861, in Toongabbie, New South Wales, Australia. He is also known as Sir Gilbert Murray due to his knighthood.
Birth and Death Dates
January 2, 1861 – May 20, 1957
Nationality and Profession(s)
Murray was a British scholar, diplomat, and classicist of Australian birth. He held various positions throughout his career, including Professor of Greek at Oxford University and President of the British Academy.
Early Life and Background
Gilbert Murray's early life was marked by a strong interest in literature and the arts. His family, who were of Scottish descent, encouraged his intellectual pursuits from an early age. After completing his education in Australia, Murray moved to England to attend university, where he studied at Balliol College, Oxford.
Major Accomplishments
Murray's academic achievements are numerous. He was a fellow of Merton and Corpus Christi Colleges at Oxford University and served as Professor of Greek from 1903 until 1936. During his tenure, he also held various administrative positions, including that of Vice-Chancellor of the university.
Notable Works or Actions
Murray's scholarly output is extensive, with numerous publications on classical literature and history. Some notable works include:
Euripides and His Age (1913)
Five Stages in Greece and Gaul (1932)
In addition to his academic pursuits, Murray was an active advocate for peace and social justice. He served as a Labour Member of Parliament from 1906 to 1907 and later became a member of the British delegation to the Paris Peace Conference following World War I.
Impact and Legacy
Gilbert Murray's contributions to scholarship and public service have had a lasting impact on society. His work in classical literature has helped shape our understanding of ancient Greece, while his advocacy for peace and social justice continues to inspire new generations.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Murray's quotes often reflect his commitment to humanism and his desire to promote understanding between nations. Some notable quotes include:
* "The highest result of education is tolerance."
Quotes by Gilbert Murray
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Things of a day! what are we and what not? A dream of a shaddow is man; yet when some god-given splendor falls, a glory of light comes over him and his life is sweet.
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It is doubtless one of Aristotle’s great services that he conceived so clearly the truth that literature is a thing that grows and has a history.
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The average beast of prey is a decent creature who merely kills for the sake of food or in a fight against an enemy. It is only man who calls killing "sport" and kills for the pleasure of killing; not for food, not for self-defense, but just to satisfy some primitive instinct, once necessary and now perverted.
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A machine is a great moral educator. If a horse or a donkey won’t go, men lose their tempers and beat it; if a machine won’t go, there is no use beating it. You have to think and try till you find what is wrong. That is real education.
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Depression, gloom, pessimism, despair, discouragement, these slay ten human beings to every one murdered by typhoid, influenza, diabetes or pneumonia. If tuberculosis is the great white plague, then fear is the great black plague.
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The fashions of the ages vary in this direction and that, but they vary for the most part from a central road which was struck out by the imagination of Greece.
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Greek was very much a live language, and a language still unconscious of grammar, not, like ours, dominated by definitions and trained upon dictionaries.
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It is doubtless one of Aristotle's great services that he conceived so clearly the truth that literature is a thing that grows and has a history.
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The higher Greek poetry did not make up fictitious plots; its business was to express the heroic saga, the myths.
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