it is better to rule over men than over waste place

WEll the quote means it is better to rule over men meaning civilized people thenthen over savages with no education or self valuation.

You have misquoted the text. It is closer to this (I don't have a copy handy, or I'd quote it precisely): "It is better to rule over men than over a waste land." What Oedipus was telling the chorus was that if a king only rules over a piece of land, and not over people inhabiting the land, his rule is useless. Remember, the people of Thebes were dying from plague and famine.

oedipus was a wacky guy