craven.fr (.ox.ac.uk)

ἢ μὴ γενοίμαν ἢ πατέρων ἀγαθῶν
εἴην πολυκτήτων τε δόμων μέτοχος.
εἴ τι γὰρ πάσχοι τις ἀμήχανον, ἀλκᾶς
οὐ σπάνις εὐγενέταις,
κηρυσσομένοισι δ᾽ ἀπ᾽ ἐσθλῶν δωμάτων
τιμὰ καὶ κλέος· οὔτοι λείψανα τῶν ἀγαθῶν
ἀνδρῶν ἀφαιρεῖται χρόνος· ἁ δ᾽ ἀρετὰ
καὶ θανοῦσι λάμπει.
κρεῖσσον δὲ νίκαν μὴ κακόδοξον ἔχειν
ἢ ξὺν φθόνῳ σφάλλειν δυνάμει τε δίκαν.
ἡδὺ μὲν γὰρ αὐτίκα τοῦτο βροτοῖσιν,
ἐν δὲ χρόνῳ τελέθει
ξηρὸν καὶ ὀνείδεσιν ἔγκειται δόμος.
ταύταν ᾔνεσα ταύταν καὶ φέρομαι βιοτάν·
μηδὲν δίκας ἔξω κράτος ἐν θαλάμοις
καὶ πόλει δύνασθαι.

I've already given one concrete reason why learning classical languages does indeed have practical utility: it can save you from getting a nonsense tattoo. This selection from Euripides' Andromache is another example; but explaining why requires a little context.

The section that is in italics in the text above, "οὔτοι λείψανα τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀφαιρεῖται χρόνος· ἁ δ᾽ ἀρετὰ καὶ θανοῦσι λάμπει," is engraved in stone at McGill University (my alma mater), over the entrance to the Sir Arthur Currie Memorial Gymnasium and Armoury, which was the main student sports building, where I regularly worked out as a student.

The noble sentiments expressed in this quote, clearly intended in memory of McGill's war dead, are only part of what make it an inspirational thing to read on one's way to a workout. As choral verse, this passage also happens to be in the Doric dialect of Ancient Greek—the dialect of Sparta (as you can immediately see from "ἁ ἀρετά"). There is nothing more motivating, when you are setting off to lift weights and train, than having an inspirational verse of Spartan Greek put into your head on your way in the door. Not only does the entire Greek ideal of physical perfection come to mind, but beyond that the extreme training of the Lacedæmonian state as well. (ἢ τᾶν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς!) By the time you lift the first weight, you already picture yourself training for Leonidas! I have no doubt that my university workouts were far more effective because of this inscription over the door than they would have been otherwise, and it would have had no effect if I did not know Ancient Greek :-)

Besides that personal anecdote, I do think that this is a fine passage of Greek poetry, easy to read while at the same time offering a thought-provoking pre-Judæo-Christian take on morality, so I recommend taking a look at it if you study Ancient Greek. Bonus points for any commenters who relate the selection to this quote from Sallust :-)

Nam sæpe ego audivi Q. Maximum, P. Scipionem, præterea civitatis nostræ præclaros viros solitos ita dicere, cum majorum imagines intuerentur, vehementissime sibi animum ad virtutem accendi. Scilicet non ceram illam neque figuram tantam vim in sese habere, sed memoria rerum gestarum eam flammam egregiis viris in pectore crescere neque prius sedari, quam virtus eorum famam atque gloriam adæquaverit.