Aristophanes

Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever.

Open your mind before your mouth.

Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.

To win the people, always cook them some savoury that pleases them.

By words the mind is winged.

Look at the orators in our republics; as long as they are poor, both state and people can only praise their uprightness; but once they are fattened on the public funds, they conceive a hatred for justice, plan intrigues against the people and attack the democracy.

Wise people, even though all laws were abolished, would still lead the same life.

Let each man exercise the art he knows.

High thoughts must have high language.

You possess all the attributes of a demagogue; a screeching, horrible voice, a perverse, crossgrained nature and the language of the market-place. In you all is united which is needful for governing.

It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls.

Under every stone lurks a politician.

Demagogues are like the fishers for eels; in still waters they catch nothing, but if they thoroughly stir up the slime, their fishing is good; in the same way it's only in troublous times that you line your pockets.