Give me the place to stand, and I shall move the earth.

Said to be his assertion in demonstrating the principle of the lever; as quoted by Pappus of Alexandria, Synagoge, Book VIII, c. AD 340; also found in Chiliades (12th century) by John Tzetzes, II.130. This and "Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the world" are the most commonly quoted translations. | This variant derives from an earlier source than Pappus: The Library of History of Diodorus Siculus, Fragments of Book XXVI, as translated by F. R. Walton, in Loeb Classical Library (1957) Vol. XI. In Doric Greek this may have originally been Πᾷ βῶ, καὶ χαριστίωνι τὰν γᾶν κινήσω πᾶσαν [Pā bō, kai kharistiōni tan gān kinēsō [variant kinasō] pāsan]. | Give me a lever and a place to stand and I will move the earth. | Give me a fulcrum, and I shall move the world. | Give me a firm spot on which to stand, and I shall move the earth.

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