Quote collection
106 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"To arrive at perfection, a man should have very sincere friends or inveterate enemies; because he would be made sensible of his good or ill conduct, either by the censures of the one or the admonitions of the other."
"I do not know whether there are gods, but there ought to be."
"When asked what was the proper time for supper: If you are a rich man, whenever you please; and if you are a poor man, whenever you can."
"The only way to gall and fret effectively is for yourself to be a good and honest man."
"As a matter of self-preservation, a man needs good friends or ardent enemies, for the former instruct him and the latter take him to task."
"I threw my cup away when I saw a child drinking from his hands at the trough."
"To become self-educated you should condemn yourself for all those things that you would criticize others."
"Let us not unlearn what we have already learned"
"The most beautiful thing in the world is freedom of speech."
"It is the privilege of the gods to want nothing, and of godlike men to want little."
"The noblest people are those despising wealth, learning, pleasure and life; esteeming above them poverty, ignorance, hardship and death."
"It was a favorite expression of Theophrastus that time was the most valuable thing that a man could spend."
"Those who have virtue always in their mouths, and neglect it in practice, are like a harp, which emits a sound pleasing to others, while itself is insensible of the music."
"Poverty is a virtue which one can teach oneself."
"Calumny is only the noise of madmen."
"Democritus says, "But we know nothing really; for truth lies deep down"."
"Being asked where in Greece he saw good men, he replied, "Good men nowhere, but good boys at Sparta.""
"Lust is a strong tower of mischief, and hath in it many defenders, as neediness, anger, paleness, discord, love, and longing."
"I am called a dog because I fawn on those who give me anything, I yelp at those who refuse, and I set my teeth in rascals."
"Antisthenes used to say that envious people were devoured by their own disposition, just as iron is by rust. Envy of others comes from comparing what they have with what the envious person has, rather than the envious person realising they have more than what they could have and certainly more than some others and being grateful. It is really just an inability to get a correct perspective on their lives."