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Diogenes Laertius


Native of Laerte in Cilicia, was a biographer of ancient Greek philosophers.
Diogenes Laertius
That virtue was sufficient of herself for happiness.
Laertius quotes
They say that the first inclination which an animal has is to protect itself.
Laertius
Once Diogenes, who was washing vegetables, ridiculed him as he passed by, and said, "If you had learnt to eat these vegetables, you would not have been a slave in the palace of a tyrant." But Aristippus replied, "And you, if you had known how to behave among men, would not have been washing vegetables."




Laertius Diogenes quotes
The question was once put to him, how we ought to behave to our friends; and the answer he gave was, "As we should wish our friends to behave to us."
Laertius Diogenes
Epimenides was sent by his father into the field to look for a sheep, turned out of the road at mid-day and lay down in a certain cave and fell asleep, and slept there fifty-seven years; and after that, when awake, he went on looking for the sheep, thinking that he had been taking a short nap.
Diogenes Laertius quotes
The question was put to him, what hope is; and his answer was, "The dream of a waking man."
Diogenes Laertius
Writers differ with respect to the apophthegms of the Seven Sages, attributing the same one to various authors.
Laertius Diogenes quotes
Among what he called his precepts were such as these: Do not stir the fire with a sword. Do not sit down on a bushel. Do not devour thy heart.
Laertius
Another of his sayings was, that education was the best viaticum of old age.
Laertius Diogenes
It was a favourite expression of Theophrastus that time was the most valuable thing that a man could spend.
Diogenes Laertius
He used to say that it was better to have one friend of great value than many friends who were good for nothing.




Diogenes Laertius quotes
The road to Hades is the easiest to travel.
Diogenes Laertius
Bias used to say that men ought to calculate life both as if they were fated to live a long and a short time, and that they ought to love one another as if at a future time they would come to hate one another; for that most men were bad.
Laertius quotes
Nothing can be produced out of nothing.
Laertius Diogenes
One of the sayings of Diogenes was that most men were within a finger’s breadth of being mad; for if a man walked with his middle finger pointing out, folks would think him mad, but not so if it were his forefinger.
Laertius Diogenes quotes
Being asked whether it was better to marry or not, he replied, "Whichever you do, you will repent it."
Diogenes Laertius
Protagoras asserted that there were two sides to every question, exactly opposite to each other.
Diogenes Laertius quotes
When he was praised by some wicked men, he said, "I am sadly afraid that I must have done some wicked thing."
Diogenes Laertius
When Thales was asked what was difficult, he said, "To know one’s self." And what was easy, "To advise another."
Laertius Diogenes
Asked what he gained from philosophy, he answered, "To do without being commanded what others do from fear of the laws."


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