“Poetry is finer and more philosophical than history; for poetry expresses the universal, and history only the particular.”

“History describes what has happened, poetry what might. Hence poetry is something more philosophic and serious than history; for poetry speaks of what is universal, history of what is particular.”

“The poet's function is to describe, not the thing that has happened, but a kind of thing that might happen, i.e., what is possible as being probable or necessary...Hence poetry is something more philosophic and of graver import than history, since its statements are of the nature rather of universals, whereas those of history are singulars.”

“Comedy has had no history, because it was not at first treated seriously.”

“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.”

“We acquire a particular quality by acting in a particular way.”

“Therefore, even the lover of myth is a philosopher; for myth is composed of wonder.”