Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.
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Greek proverb, 5th century BCE or earlier. Often misattributed by recent writers to Euripides; the misattribution seems to date to the mid-to-late 20th century. The earliest variant is a paraphrase in Sophocles' Antigone, lines 620ff. See Euripides for a full list of variants and paraphrases. The most pithy ancient variant is that of Publilius Syrus (qv.).
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Variant: Whom gods destroy they first make mad.
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Widely quoted variant in Latin (but not dating to antiquity): quem Iuppiter vult perdere dementat prius ("Whom Jupiter wishes to destroy he first sends mad").Anonymous
Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.
Euripides
Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.
Euripides
Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad.
Euripides
Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad—but they don't bother about the working classes.
Anonymous
Nor do the gods appear in warrior's armour clad
To strike them down with sword and spear
Those whom they would destroy
They first make mad.Euripides
Anonymous
Anouilh, Jean
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