Quote by Theognis of Megara: “The best thing for man is not to be born at all.”

This extremely pessimistic statement reflects a deep disillusionment with human existence and its inherent suffering. It suggests that non-existence is preferable to the pain and struggles of life, acknowledging the profound difficulties of being alive.

This sentiment, known as the 'Theognidean elegy,' is a recurring motif in ancient Greek thought, found in works like Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus. It reflects a profound ancient awareness of human mortality and suffering inherent in existence.

Greek elegiac poet from Megara, active around 540–490 BCE. His surviving poems, collected in the Theognidea, address topics of aristocratic life, friendship, justice, and loss with a distinctive bitterness shaped by political exile and social upheaval. He is one of the earliest Greek poets whose work survives in substantial quantity.