Diogenes Quotes
By Alan Reiner – July 17, 2024
‘In a rich man’s house there is no place to spit but his face.’ – Diogenes
‘The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.’ – Diogenes
‘The sun, too, shines into cesspools and is not polluted.’ – Diogenes
‘It is the privilege of the gods to want nothing, and of godlike men to want little.’ – Diogenes
‘Stand a little less between me and the sun.’ – Diogenes
‘There is only a finger’s difference between a wise man and a fool.’ – Diogenes
‘In a rich man’s house there is no place to spit but his face.’ – Diogenes
‘The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.’ – Diogenes
‘The sun, too, shines into cesspools and is not polluted.’ – Diogenes
‘It is the privilege of the gods to want nothing, and of godlike men to want little.’ – Diogenes
‘Stand a little less between me and the sun.’ – Diogenes
‘There is only a finger’s difference between a wise man and a fool.’ – Diogenes
‘What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others.’ – Diogenes
‘We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less.’ – Diogenes
‘He has the most who is most content with the least.’ – Diogenes
‘I know nothing, except the fact of my ignorance.’ – Diogenes
‘Why not whip the teacher when the pupil misbehaves?’ – Diogenes
‘The mob is the mother of tyrants.’ – Diogenes
‘Of what use is a philosopher who doesn’t hurt anybody’s feelings?’ – Diogenes
‘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.’ – Diogenes
‘Man is the most intelligent of the animals – and the most silly.’ – Diogenes
‘Dogs and philosophers do the greatest good and get the fewest rewards.’ – Diogenes
‘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.’ – Diogenes
‘Calumny is only the noise of madmen.’ – Diogenes
‘When I look upon seamen, men of science and philosophers, man is the wisest of all beings; when I look upon priests and prophets nothing is as contemptible as man.’ – Diogenes
‘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.’ – Diogenes
‘A friend is one soul abiding in two bodies.’ – Diogenes
‘I have nothing to ask but that you would remove to the other side, that you may not, by intercepting the sunshine, take from me what you cannot give.’ – Diogenes
‘Modesty is the color of virtue.’ – Diogenes
‘The art of being a slave is to rule one’s master.’ – Diogenes
‘The great thieves lead away the little thief.’ – Diogenes
‘I threw my cup away when I saw a child drinking from his hands at the trough.’ – Diogenes
‘No man is hurt but by himself.’ – Diogenes
‘Most men are within a finger’s breadth of being mad.’ – Diogenes
‘Wise kings generally have wise counselors; and he must be a wise man himself who is capable of distinguishing one.’ – Diogenes
‘It takes a wise man to discover a wise man.’ – Diogenes
‘I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world.’ – Diogenes
‘The sun too penetrates into privies, but is not polluted by them.’ – Diogenes
‘It was a favorite expression of Theophrastus that time was the most valuable thing that a man could spend.’ – Diogenes
‘Wise leaders generally have wise counselors because it takes a wise person themselves to distinguish them.’ – Diogenes
‘I do not know whether there are gods, but there ought to be.’ – Diogenes
‘Blushing is the color of virtue.’ – Diogenes
‘In a rich man’s house there is no place to spit but his face.’ – Diogenes
‘The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.’ – Diogenes
‘The sun, too, shines into cesspools and is not polluted.’ – Diogenes
‘It is the privilege of the gods to want nothing, and of godlike men to want little.’ – Diogenes
‘Stand a little less between me and the sun.’ – Diogenes
‘There is only a finger’s difference between a wise man and a fool.’ – Diogenes
‘What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others.’ – Diogenes
‘We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less.’ – Diogenes
‘He has the most who is most content with the least.’ – Diogenes
‘I know nothing, except the fact of my ignorance.’ – Diogenes
‘Why not whip the teacher when the pupil misbehaves?’ – Diogenes
‘The mob is the mother of tyrants.’ – Diogenes
‘Of what use is a philosopher who doesn’t hurt anybody’s feelings?’ – Diogenes
‘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.’ – Diogenes
‘Man is the most intelligent of the animals – and the most silly.’ – Diogenes
‘Dogs and philosophers do the greatest good and get the fewest rewards.’ – Diogenes
‘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.’ – Diogenes
‘Calumny is only the noise of madmen.’ – Diogenes
‘When I look upon seamen, men of science and philosophers, man is the wisest of all beings; when I look upon priests and prophets nothing is as contemptible as man.’ – Diogenes
‘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.’ – Diogenes