"... it is ever to be borne in mind that though the outside of human life changes much, the inside changes little, and the lesson-book we cannot graduate from is human experience. Great literature, past or present, is the expression of great knowledge of the human heart; great art is the expression of a solution of the conflict between the demands of the world without and that within; and in the wisdom of either there would seem to be small progress."

--Edith Hamilton, taken from her book The Greek Way, 1930 & 1942

This is taken from the first chapter in this book which I found at Half Price Books (AAAHmazing store btw) which muses on the affects the Greek culture has had on writing and other areas of Western development. I read this passage though and just thought about the extreme impact the Greeks had on the development of art, religions, literature, drama, philosophy, the list goes on and on.... Sometimes it really is awe inspiring to just look back on the accomplishments of another culture in the history of the world. What if one thing was different about the culture? Maybe I'm being silly, but when I read passages of this nature, I just have such renewed respect for literature--especially when it makes me retreat somewhere and just think.

ps. I'm a huuge mythology buff, which is the main reason I even picked this book up... it turned out to be a reflection on the impact Ancient Greece had on the modern world as well as an exploration and analysis of various areas of ancient Greek culture. But really the reading is extremely intriguing.