Democritus Quotes
Democritus of Abdera was a Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher of the fifth and early fourth centuries BC, regarded with his teacher Leucippus as a co-founder of the atomist tradition in Greek thought. He held that the entire universe consists of indivisible material particles, atoms, moving in an infinite void, and that the perceptible qualities of things arise from the arrangement and motion of those atoms. The quotes below are attributed to Democritus, organized by topic.
Democritus on Happiness
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Attributed to Democritus:
“Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold; happiness dwells in the soul.”
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Attributed to Democritus:
“He who joyfully does not many things in private and in public is at peace.”
Democritus on Mind
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Attributed to Democritus:
“It is godlike ever to think on something beautiful and on something new.”
Democritus on Nature
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Attributed to Democritus:
“By convention sweet, by convention bitter; by convention hot, by convention cold; in reality, atoms and void.”
Democritus on Virtue
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Attributed to Democritus:
“The brave man is he who overcomes not only his enemies but his pleasures.”
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Attributed to Democritus:
“The best way to bring up children is by gentleness and persuasion, not by anger and threats.”
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Attributed to Democritus:
“Beautiful objects are wrought by study through effort, but ugly things are reaped automatically without toil.”
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Attributed to Democritus:
“It is greed to do all the talking but not to want to listen at all.”