The Lives and Opinions of Eminent PhilosophersDiogenes Laertius
Philosophy
The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
Diogenes Laertius
Philosophers, Ancient -- Biography; Philosophy, Ancient
suitable place to spit in.”
Charondas, or as some say, Phædon, asked him once, “Who are the people
who use perfumes?” “I do,” said he, “wretched man that I am, and the
king of the Persians is still more wretched than I; but, recollect, that
as no animal is the worse for having a pleasant scent, so neither is a
man; but plague take those wretches who abuse our beautiful unguents.”
On another occasion, he was asked how Socrates died; and he made answer,
“As I should wish to die myself.” When Polyxenus, the Sophist, came to
his house and beheld his women, and the costly preparation that was made
for dinner, and then blamed him for all this luxury, Aristippus after a
while said, “Can you stay with me to day?” and when Polyxenus consented,
“Why then,” said he, “did you blame me? it seems that you blame not the
luxury, but the expense of it.” When his servant was once carrying some
money along the road, and was oppressed by the weight of it (as Bion
relates in his Dissertations), he said to him, “Drop what is beyond your
strength, and only carry what you can.” Once he was at sea, and seeing
a pirate vessel at a distance, he began to count his money; and then he
let it drop into the sea, as if unintentionally, and began to bewail his
loss; but others say that he said besides, that it was better for the
money to be lost for the sake of Aristippus, than Aristippus for the
sake of his money. On one occasion, when Dionysius asked him why he had
come, he said, to give others a share of what he had, and to receive a
share of what he had not; but some report that his answer was, “When I
wanted wisdom, I went to Socrates; but now that I want money, I have come
to you.” He found fault with men, because when they are at sales, they
examine the articles offered very carefully, but yet they approve of
men’s lives without any examination. Though some attribute this speech
to Diogenes. They say that once at a banquet, Dionysius desired all the
guests to dance in purple garments; but Plato refused, saying:—
“I could not wear a woman’s robe, when I
Was born a man, and of a manly race.”
But Aristippus took the garment, and when he was about to dance, he said
very wittily:—
“She who is chaste, will not corrupted be
By Bacchanalian revels.”
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