It was a happy moment of ancient history when free and prosperous men said things about the human condition which have not been said better since, in my opinion. Perhaps no other city or culture has enjoyed such a fertile period of genius and brilliance in so many different disciplines. As a culture which prized intelligence and pleasure, Athens boasted a veritable pantheon of exceptional citizens who achieved brilliance in the arts, medicine, mathematics, and philosophy. They were proud and considered even arrogant. They had reason to be.
Many people today consider Athens in the age of Pericles as an ideal to be lived up to.
Our form of does not imitate the laws of neighboring states. On the contrary, we are rather a model to others. Our form of government is called a democracy because its administration is in the hands, not of a few, but of the whole people. In the settling of private disputes, everyone is equal before the law. Election to public office is made on the basis of ability, not on the basis of membership to a particular class.