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[The sophist] is concerned with wisdom, not for its own sake, not because he hates the lie in the soul more than anything else, but for the sake of the honor or the prestige that attends wisdom.

— Leo Strauss Natural Right and History (1953)

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More quotes by Leo Strauss

The problem inherent in the surface of things, and only in the surface of things, is the heart of things.

Thoughts on Machiavelli (1958)

The silence of a wise man is always meaningful.

Thoughts on Machiavelli (1958)

It is of the essence of traditions that they cover or conceal their humble foundations by erecting impressive edifices on them.

Natural Right and History (1953)

It is as absurd to expect members of philosophy departments to be philosophers as it is to expect members of art departments to be artists.

Liberalism: Ancient and Modern (1968)

Philosophizing means, then, to ascend from public dogma to essentially private knowledge.

Natural Right and History (1953)

All Leo Strauss quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Leo Strauss (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.