Damascius Quotes
Damascius was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher and the last head of the Platonic Academy at Athens before its closure under the emperor Justinian in 529. After fleeing briefly to the court of the Sasanian king Khosrow I in Persia, he and his colleagues returned to the Roman Empire under guarantees of religious toleration. The quotes below are attributed to Damascius, organized by topic.
Damascius on God
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Attributed to Damascius:
“All things proceed from the Ineffable, which is beyond all categories of being.”
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Attributed to Damascius:
“Knowledge of the divine is more like a wonder than a thought.”
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Attributed to Damascius:
“We do not so much know the One as touch upon it.”
Damascius on Mind
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Attributed to Damascius:
“The soul that knows itself participates already in the divine.”
Damascius on Truth
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Attributed to Damascius:
“Even the affirmation of unity falls short of the truly One.”