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"'T is money makes the man; and he who 's none Is counted neither good nor honourable."
Diogenes Laertius / Thales. vii.

Thales. vii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Thales said there was no difference between life and death. "Why, then," said some one to him, "do not you die?" "Because," said he, "it does make no difference.""
Diogenes Laertius / Thales. ix.

Thales. ix.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"When Thales was asked what was difficult, he said, "To know one's self." And what was easy, "To advise another.""
Diogenes Laertius / Thales. ix.

Thales. ix.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"He said that men ought to remember those friends who were absent as well as those who were present."
Diogenes Laertius / Thales. ix.

Thales. ix.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"The apophthegm "Know thyself" is his."
Diogenes Laertius / Thales. xiii.

Thales. xiii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Writers differ with respect to the apophthegms of the Seven Sages, attributing the same one to various authors."
Diogenes Laertius / Thales. xiv.

Thales. xiv.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Solon used to say that speech was the image of actions; . . . that laws were like cobwebs,--for that if any trifling or powerless thing fell into them, they held it fast; while if it were something weightier, it broke through them and was off."
Diogenes Laertius / Solon. x.

Solon. x.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Solon gave the following advice: "Consider your honour, as a gentleman, of more weight than an oath. Never tell a lie. Pay attention to matters of importance.""
Diogenes Laertius / Solon. xii.

Solon. xii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"As some say, Solon was the author of the apophthegm, "Nothing in excess.""
Diogenes Laertius / Solon. xvi.

Solon. xvi.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Chilo advised, "not to speak evil of the dead.""
Diogenes Laertius / Chilo. ii.

Chilo. ii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Pittacus said that half was more than the whole."
Diogenes Laertius / Pittacus. ii.

Pittacus. ii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Heraclitus says that Pittacus, when he had got Alcæus into his power, released him, saying, "Forgiveness is better than revenge.""
Diogenes Laertius / Pittacus. iii.

Pittacus. iii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"One of his sayings was, "Even the gods cannot strive against necessity.""
Diogenes Laertius / Pittacus. iv.

Pittacus. iv.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Another was, "Watch your opportunity.""
Diogenes Laertius / Pittacus. vii.

Pittacus. vii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"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."
Diogenes Laertius / Bias. v.

Bias. v.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Ignorance plays the chief part among men, and the multitude of words; but opportunity will prevail."
Diogenes Laertius / Cleobulus. iv.

Cleobulus. iv.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"The saying, "Practice is everything," is Periander's."
Diogenes Laertius / Periander. vi.

Periander. vi.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Anarcharsis, on learning that the sides of a ship were four fingers thick, said that "the passengers were just that distance from death.""
Diogenes Laertius / Anarcharsis. v.

Anarcharsis. v.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"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 / Anarcharsis. v.

Anarcharsis. v.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"It was a common saying of Myson that men ought not to investigate things from words, but words from things; for that things are not made for the sake of words, but words for things."
Diogenes Laertius / Myson. iii.

Myson. iii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"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 / Epimenides. ii.

Epimenides. ii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"There are many marvellous stories told of Pherecydes. For it is said that he was walking along the seashore at Samos, and that seeing a ship sailing by with a fair wind, he said that it would soon sink; and presently it sank before his eyes. At another time he was drinking some water which had been drawn up out of a well, and he foretold that within three days there would be an earthquake; and there was one."
Diogenes Laertius / Pherecydes. ii.

Pherecydes. ii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Anaximander used to assert that the primary cause of all things was the Infinite,--not defining exactly whether he meant air or water or anything else."
Diogenes Laertius / Anaximander. ii.

Anaximander. ii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Anaxagoras said to a man who was grieving because he was dying in a foreign land, "The descent to Hades is the same from every place.""
Diogenes Laertius / Anaxagoras. vi.

Anaxagoras. vi.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Aristophanes turns Socrates into ridicule in his comedies, as making the worse appear the better reason."
Diogenes Laertius / Socrates. v.

Socrates. v.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Often when he was looking on at auctions he would say, "How many things there are which I do not need!""
Diogenes Laertius / Socrates. x.

Socrates. x.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Socrates said, "Those who want fewest things are nearest to the gods.""
Diogenes Laertius / Socrates. xi.

Socrates. xi.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"He said that there was one only good, namely, knowledge; and one only evil, namely, ignorance."
Diogenes Laertius / Socrates. xiv.

Socrates. xiv.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"He declared that he knew nothing, except the fact of his ignorance."
Diogenes Laertius / Socrates. xvi.

Socrates. xvi.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Being asked whether it was better to marry or not, he replied, "Whichever you do, you will repent it.""
Diogenes Laertius / Socrates. xvi.

Socrates. xvi.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"He used to say that other men lived to eat, but that he ate to live."
Diogenes Laertius / Socrates. xvi.

Socrates. xvi.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Aristippus being asked what were the most necessary things for well-born boys to learn, said, "Those things which they will put in practice when they become men.""
Diogenes Laertius / Aristippus. iv.

Aristippus. iv.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Aristippus said that a wise man's country was the world."
Diogenes Laertius / Aristippus. xiii.

Aristippus. xiii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Like sending owls to Athens, as the proverb goes."
Diogenes Laertius / Plato. xxxii.

Plato. xxxii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Plato affirmed that the soul was immortal and clothed in many bodies successively."
Diogenes Laertius / Plato. xl.

Plato. xl.

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"Time is the image of eternity."
Diogenes Laertius / Plato. xli.

Plato. xli.

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"That virtue was sufficient of herself for happiness."
Diogenes Laertius / Plato. xlii.

Plato. xlii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"That the gods superintend all the affairs of men, and that there are such beings as dæmons."
Diogenes Laertius / Plato. xlii.

Plato. xlii.

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"There is a written and an unwritten law. The one by which we regulate our constitutions in our cities is the written law; that which arises from custom is the unwritten law."
Diogenes Laertius / Plato. li.

Plato. li.

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"Plato was continually saying to Xenocrates, "Sacrifice to the Graces.""
Diogenes Laertius / Xenocrates. iii.

Xenocrates. iii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Arcesilaus had a peculiar habit while conversing of using the expression, "My opinion is," and "So and so will not agree to this.""
Diogenes Laertius / Arcesilaus. xii.

Arcesilaus. xii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Bion used to say that the way to the shades below was easy; he could go there with his eyes shut."
Diogenes Laertius / Bion. iii.

Bion. iii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Once when Bion was at sea in the company of some wicked men, he fell into the hands of pirates; and when the rest said, "We are undone if we are known,"--"But I," said he, "am undone if we are not known.""
Diogenes Laertius / Bion. iii.

Bion. iii.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Of a rich man who was niggardly he said, "That man does not own his estate, but his estate owns him.""
Diogenes Laertius / Bion. iii.

Bion. iii.

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"Bion insisted on the principle that "The property of friends is common.""
Diogenes Laertius / Bion. ix.

Bion. ix.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Very late in life, when he was studying geometry, some one said to Lacydes, "Is it then a time for you to be learning now?" "If it is not," he replied, "when will it be?""
Diogenes Laertius / Lacydes. v.

Lacydes. v.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"Aristotle was once asked what those who tell lies gain by it. Said he, "That when they speak truth they are not believed.""
Diogenes Laertius / Aristotle. xi.

Aristotle. xi.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"The question was put to him, what hope is; and his answer was, "The dream of a waking man.""
Diogenes Laertius / Aristotle. xi.

Aristotle. xi.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"He used to say that personal beauty was a better introduction than any letter; but others say that it was Diogenes who gave this description of it, while Aristotle called beauty "the gift of God;" that Socrates called it "a short-lived tyranny;" Theophrastus, "a silent deceit;" Theocritus, "an ivory mischief;" Carneades, "a sovereignty which stood in need of no guards.""
Diogenes Laertius / Aristotle. xi.

Aristotle. xi.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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"On one occasion Aristotle was asked how much educated men were superior to those uneducated: "As much," said he, "as the living are to the dead.""
Diogenes Laertius / Aristotle. xi.

Aristotle. xi.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain

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