"Sing, goddess, the wrath of Achilles, son of Peleus, that ruinous wrath which brought the Achaeans countless woes, and hurled down into Hades many strong souls of heroes, and gave their bodies to be a…"

"The tale of Achilles' wrath, and therefore the poem, ends only once the alienated hero is able to accept loss as an inevitable element in the shared life of mortals."

"For rarely are sons similar to their fathers: most are worse, and a few are better than their fathers."

"A man dies still if he has done nothing, as one who has done much."

"The God of War will see fair play-he's often slain that wants to slay!"