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Sophocles [writes]: "and lest any contest-judges or he who is my destroyer should give my arms to the Achaeans."[1]
Also [sc. attested is] a proverb: "a contest does not accept excuses."[2] It is applied to those who have not profited at all if they made excuses.
Also [sc. attested is] "a contest does not wait for a pretext."[3] The proverb [is used] in reference to those who are by nature lazy and neglectful; alternatively to those who do not believe the words of those making pretexts.

Ἀγωνάρχαι: Σοφοκλῆς: καὶ τἀμὰ τεύχη μήτ' ἀγωνάρχαι τινὲς θήσουσ' Ἀχαιοῖς μήθ' ὁ λυμεὼν ἐμός. καὶ παροιμία: Ἀγὼν οὐ δέχεται σκήψεις. τάττεται ἐπὶ τῶν μηδὲν ὀνιναμένων εἰ σκήψαιντο. καὶ Ἀγὼν πρόφασιν οὐκ ἀναμένει. ἡ παροιμία ἐπὶ τῶν φύσει ῥᾳθύμων καὶ ἀμελῶν: ἢ ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ προσιεμένων τοὺς λόγους τῶν προφασιζομένων.

[1] Sophocles, Ajax 572-3 (web address 1 below); again at lambda 839.
[2] (Also in the pareoemiographers, e.g. Apostolius 1.25.) Possibly Contest, the divine personification of the agon (cf. Pausanias 5.26.3), though the apparently personifying language does not guarantee this. See further, next note.
[3] Used in Plato, Cratylus 421D (where a scholiast cited Aristophanes fr. 321 Kock as an earlier attestation of it) and Laws 751D. Also in the paroemiographers, e.g. Gregorius 1.11.

David Whitehead (modified translation; augmented and modified notes; added keywords) on 19 March 2001@04:07:49.
Jennifer Benedict (Updated link to Perseus) on 11 March 2008@23:49:24.
David Whitehead (augmented notes and keywords; cosmetics) on 12 March 2008@04:23:38.
David Whitehead (cosmetics) on 6 January 2012@06:29:38.
Catharine Roth (upgraded link) on 7 January 2012@12:38:35.

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