“When the gods created mankind, death they dispensed to mankind, life they kept for themselves.”

— Epic of Gilgamesh, Sippar tablet, tr. Andrew R. George (2000), Siduri to Gilgamesh

About Epic of Gilgamesh

Ancient Mesopotamian epic poem, among the earliest surviving works of literature.

“Cherish the children your love gave life.”

“I will proclaim to the world the deeds of Gilgamesh.”

“This was the man to whom all things were known; this was the king who knew the countries of the world.”

“Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life.”

“The great moral teachers of humanity were, in a way, artistic geniuses in the art of living.”

“No hour of life is lost that is spent in the saddle.”

“You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you.”

“A living dog is better than a dead lion.”

“Ye are better than all the ballads that ever were sung or said; for ye are living poems, and all the rest are dead.”