"I too seemed destined to be a man of fortune once
and a wild wicked swath I cut, indulged my lust for violence,
staking all on my father and my brothers.
Look at me now.
And so, I say, let no man ever be lawless all his life,
just take in peace what gifts the gods will send."
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 18, lines 159-163. Odysseus-the-beggar appears to be showing humility and a recognition of his own past mistakes in this speech to Amphinomus. He warns that people should respect the gods and obey the laws or they will face punishment. The passage foreshadows the suitors’ own doom.