Democritus Quotes
460 BC–370 BC Greece
Democritus (c. 460 BC – c. 370 BC) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher. He is popularly known as "the laughing philosopher" for advocating a cheerful outlook, and for his rhetorical use of irony and ridicule.
- Greece
- Authors
- Mathematicians
- Philosophers
77 quotes
A sensible man takes pleasure in what he has instead of pining for what he has not.
The friendship of one wise man is better than the friendship of a host of fools.
Good means not [merely] not to do wrong, but rather not to desire to do wrong.
A life without a holiday is like a long journey without an inn to rest at.
Those who have a well-ordered character lead also a well-ordered life.
One should emulate works and deeds of virtue, not arguments about it.
Not from fear but from a sense of duty refrain from your sins.
Neither art nor wisdom may be attained without learning.
Fame and wealth without wisdom are unsafe possessions.
Now, that we do not really know of what sort each thing is, or is not, has often been shown.
And yet it will be obvious that it is difficult to really know of what sort each thing is.
'Tis well to restrain the wicked, and in any case not to join him in his wrong-doing.
Throw moderation to the winds, and the greatest pleasures bring the greatest pains.
The hopes of the right-minded may be realized, those of fools are impossible.
The enmity of one's kindred is far more bitter than the enmity of strangers.
The pleasures that give most joy are the ones that most rarely come.
It is better to correct your own faults than those of another.
He who does wrong is more unhappy than he who suffers wrong.
'Tis a grievous thing to be subject to an inferior.
Attribution
Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Democritus (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.