Life & Wisdom Quote by Sophocles

A gift from an enemy is a Trojan horse with better branding. Sophocles distills a hard political truth into a line that sounds almost childishly simple, then turns it into a warning about power: nothing is ever just generosity when it comes from someone invested in your downfall. The phrase “no gifts” is doing more than moralizing. It revokes the social contract that makes gift-giving meaningful in the first place. In Greek culture, gifts aren’t trinkets; they’re obligations, alliances, visible proof that a relationship exists. Accept one, and you’ve accepted a thread that can be pulled later.

That’s the subtext: the real danger isn’t the object but the leverage. “Do no good” is deliberately blunt, refusing the comforting fantasy that you can take the benefit and ignore the motive. Sophocles is writing for an audience steeped in tragedy, where misread intentions are fatal and the gods don’t reward naivete. His characters regularly learn that what looks like reconciliation is often stagecraft, and “peace offerings” can function as traps, bribes, or public relations.

The line also carries Sophocles’ signature pessimism about human clarity. We want gifts to be clean symbols because it’s exhausting to stay suspicious. He punctures that desire. The intent is practical: protect yourself. The deeper sting is civic: in a world of rival houses, factional politics, and honor economies, even kindness can be weaponized. Sophocles isn’t saying never accept help; he’s saying never confuse strategy for solidarity.