Greek Proverbs: Nov. 29

Here are today's Greek proverbs; it's Group 210. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἁρμόζω ~ ἁρμόσω ~ ἥρμοσα (verb): fit together; accommodate 

ἐλαίον ~ ἐλαίου (noun n.): olive oil 

βίος ~ βίου (noun m.): life, lifestyle 

φύω ~ φύσω ~ ἔφυσα (verb): grow, be born, be 

τίθημι ~ θήσω ~ ἔθηκα (verb): put, place 

These are the proverbs (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Πᾶσιν ἁρμόζου.

Ἐλαίῳ πῦρ σβεννύεις.

Εὐμετάβολός ἐστιν ἀνθρώπων βίος.

Οὔτοι συνέχθειν ἀλλὰ συμφιλεῖν ἔφυν.

Ὁ ἔχων πολὺ πέπερι τίθησι κἀν λαχάνοις.

And now, some commentary:

Πᾶσιν ἁρμόζου.

Accommodate yourself to everyone/everything.

This is one of the so-called Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. Note the middle/passive imperative: ἁρμόζου. The Greek word has a wonderfully wide range of metaphorical uses which you can see in the LSJ dictionary entry.

Ἐλαίῳ πῦρ σβεννύεις.

You're putting out a fire with olive oil.

This is one of Plutarch's adynata. Compare the English "putting out a fire with gasoline." Which means: you're not putting the fire out; you're making it worse.

Εὐμετάβολός ἐστιν ἀνθρώπων βίος.

Human life changes easily.

This is a fragment from Greek comedy. We use "metabolism" in a scientific/medical sense in English, but this is about the basic meaning of the Greek word: μετά-βολος, "changeable" — and εὐ-μετά-βολος means "easily changing." 

Οὔτοι συνέχθειν ἀλλὰ συμφιλεῖν ἔφυν.

I was born not to join in hatred but to join in love.

Antigone speaks these words to Creon in Sophocles's play, Antigone.

Ὁ ἔχων πολὺ πέπερι τίθησι κἀν λαχάνοις.

He who has a lot of pepper puts it even on vegetables.

Compare an Aesopic proverb you saw earlier about putting pepper on lentils: ῾Ο πέπερι ἔχων καὶ εἰς φακὸν βάλλει.

And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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