Democritus Quotes

One should emulate works and deeds of virtue, not arguments about it.

Strength and beauty are the blessings of youth; temperance, however, is the flower of old age.

In verità nulla sappiamo, ché la verità è nell’abisso.

No one regards the things before his feet, But views with care the regions of the sky.

An evil and foolish and intemperate and irreligious life should not be called a bad life, but rather, dying long drawn out.

False men and shams talk big and do nothing.

Disease of the home and of the life comes about in the same way as that of the body.

A life without festivity is a long road without an inn.

Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold, the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul.

A life without a holiday is like a long journey without an inn to rest at.

The enmity of one's kindred is far more bitter than the enmity of strangers.

One will seem to promote virtue better by using encouragement and persuasion of speech than law and necessity. For it is likely that he who is held back from wrongdoing by law will err in secret but that he who is urged to what he should by persuasion will do nothing wrong either in secret or openly. Therefore he who acts rightly from understanding and knowledge proves to be at the same time courageous and right-minded.

There are two forms of knowledge, one genuine, one obscure. To the obscure belong all of the following: sight, hearing, smell, taste, feeling. The other form is the genuine, and is quite distinct from this. [And then distinguishing the genuine from the obscure, he continues:] Whenever the obscure [way of knowing] has reached the minimum sensibile of hearing, smell, taste, and touch, and when the investigation must be carried farther into that which is still finer, then arises the genuine way of knowing, which has a finer organ of thought.

Todos los hombres culpan a la naturaleza y al destino, pero su destino es sobre todo el eco de su caracter y de sus pasiones, sus errores y debilidades.

Medicine heals diseases of the body, wisdom frees the soul from passions.