Quotable Diogenes

[sdi]

"Isn't it strange that so many destroy their bodies when alive, but preserve their bodies when dead?"

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"As an overfull house attracts mice, so an overfull body attracts disease."

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"What philosophy teaches by reason, poverty teaches by necessity."

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When begging, Diogenes once received a fresh loaf of bread. He dumped the wheat kernels he had previously received out of his begging bowl, saying to them, "Stranger, make way for the king!"

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Diogenes made a point of living with as little as possible, and had, after much experimentation, finally whittled his possessions down to a cloak, a staff, and a bowl. One day as he was going to a fountain to get some water, he saw a boy drinking from it with his hands. Diogenes lamented, "All this effort, to be beaten by a child!" and smashed the bowl.

Comments

[thinking_turtle]

Love these Diogenes quotes! When I search it seems that none of Diogenes' writing survived. In which sources did you find these quotes?

[sdi]

While none of the Cynics' writings survived, quite a lot of stories about them did! These particular ones come from Diogenes Laertius' Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers (which has been my primary source for most of these stories) and Stobæus' Anthology.

[thinking_turtle]

Thanks! That title is freely available from Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/57342

[sdi]

That is, in fact, the very page I've been working from! I especially recommend Book VI (on the Cynics), which is hilarious, and Book VIII (on the Pythagoreans), which is fascinating. There's also a few scattered bits about Diogenes in Book III (on Plato).