The Lives and Opinions of Eminent PhilosophersDiogenes Laertius
Philosophy
The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
Diogenes Laertius
Philosophers, Ancient -- Biography; Philosophy, Ancient
On one occasion he saw a child drinking out of its hands, and so he threw
away the cup which belonged to his wallet, saying, “That child has beaten
me in simplicity.” He also threw away his spoon, after seeing a boy, when
he had broken his vessel, take up his lentils with a crust of bread. And
he used to argue thus,—“Everything belongs to the gods; and wise men
are the friends of the gods. All things are in common among friends;
therefore everything belongs to wise men.” Once he saw a woman falling
down before the Gods in an unbecoming attitude; he, wishing to cure her
of her superstition, as Zoilus of Perga tells us, came up to her, and
said, “Are you not afraid, O woman, to be in such an indecent attitude,
when some God may be behind you, for every place is full of him?” He
consecrated a man to Æsculapius, who was to run up and beat all these who
prostrated themselves with their faces to the ground; and he was in the
habit of saying that the tragic curse had come upon him, for that he was—
Houseless and citiless, a piteous exile
From his dear native land; a wandering beggar,
Scraping a pittance poor from day to day.
And another of his sayings was that he opposed confidence to fortune,
nature to law, and reason to suffering. Once, while he was sitting in
the sun in the Craneum, Alexander was standing by, and said to him, “Ask
any favour you choose of me.” And he replied, “Cease to shade me from
the sun.” On one occasion a man was reading some long passages, and when
he came to the end of the book and showed that there was nothing more
written, “Be of good cheer, my friends,” exclaimed Diogenes, “I see
land.” A man once proved to him syllogistically that he had horns, so
he put his hand to his forehead and said, “I do not see them.” And in a
similar manner he replied to one who had been asserting that there was
no such thing as motion, by getting up and walking away. When a man was
talking about the heavenly bodies and meteors, “Pray how many days,” said
he to him, “is it since you came down from heaven?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account