Athenodorus Cananites Quotes
Athenodorus Cananites of Tarsus was a Greek Stoic philosopher of the first century BC and the first century AD, a pupil of Posidonius and the principal philosophical tutor of the young Octavian, the future emperor Augustus. Athenodorus accompanied Octavian to Apollonia and then to Rome, where he served for many years as the emperor's philosophical adviser, and is credited with the often-quoted injunction to count to twenty-four before acting in anger. The quotes below are attributed to Athenodorus Cananites, organized by topic.
Athenodorus Cananites on Politics
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Attributed to Athenodorus Cananites:
“He who shapes his city after virtue prepares his city for any fortune.”
Athenodorus Cananites on Virtue
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Attributed to Athenodorus Cananites:
“When you are angry, recite the Greek alphabet before you act.”
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Attributed to Athenodorus Cananites:
“The wise man rules himself first; the rest of the world is the lesser task.”
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Attributed to Athenodorus Cananites:
“Stoicism is not a doctrine to be admired in the lecture hall; it is a discipline to be exercised in the council chamber.”
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Attributed to Athenodorus Cananites:
“Virtue is the same in the prince and in the freedman; only their occasions for it differ.”