Chiron had said once that nations were the most foolish of mortal inventions. "No man is worth more than another, wherever he is from."" But what if he is your friend?" Achilles had asked him, feet kicked up on the wall of the rose-quartz cave. "Or your brother? Should you treat him the same as a stranger?"" You ask a question that philosophers argue over, " Chiron had said. He is worth more to you, perhaps. But the stranger is someone else's friend and brother. So which life is more important?" We had been silent. We were fourteen, and these things were too hard for us. Now that we are twenty-seven, they still feel too hard. He is half of my soul, as the poets say. He will be dead soon, and his honor is all that will remain. It is his child, his dearest self. Should I reproach him for it? I have saved Briseis. I cannot save them all. I know, now, how I would answer Chiron. I would say: there is no answer. Whichever you choose, you are wrong. .Madeline Miller
About This Quote
The quote “Chiron had said once that nations were the most foolish of mortal inventions. "No man is worth more than another, wherever he is from.""But what if he is your friend? Or your brother? Should you treat him the same as a stranger?"” is a quote of Achilles’ of his friend and brother Chiron. The quote was made after Chiron had had a dream about Achilles and his brother dying. Since Chiron’s dream was about his friends, he wanted to know what they thought.
In the end, Achilles admits that he does not know how to decide which person’s life is more important. This shows that even when the choice seems clear, there is no easy answer to this question.
Source: The Song Of Achilles
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