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.
Browse Democritus by topic
Democritus on God
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“Medicine heals diseases of the body, wisdom frees the soul from passions.”
Freeman (1948) [ 1 ] , p. 149 | Variant: Medicine cures the diseases of the body; wisdom, on the other hand, relieves the soul of its sufferings. [ citation needed ]
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 Knowledge
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“δοκεῖ δὲ αὐτῶι τάδε· ἀρχὰς εἶναι τῶν ὅλων ἀτόμους καὶ κενόν, τὰ δ'ἀλλα πάντα νενομίσθαι [δοξάζεσθαι]. ( Diogenes Laërtius , Democritus , Vol. IX, 44)”
Now his principal doctrines were these. That atoms and the vacuum were the beginning of the universe; and that everything else existed only in opinion. (trans. Yonge 1853) | The first principles of the universe are atoms and empty space; everything else is merely thought to exist. (trans. by Robert Drew Hicks 1925) | Often paraphrased as "Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything els -
“Often paraphrased as "Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is opinion.”
δοκεῖ δὲ αὐτῶι τάδε· ἀρχὰς εἶναι τῶν ὅλων ἀτόμους καὶ κενόν, τὰ δ'ἀλλα πάντα νενομίσθαι [δοξάζεσθαι]. ( Diogenes Laërtius , Democritus , Vol. IX, 44) -
“νόμωι (γάρ φησι) γλυκὺ καὶ νόμωι πικρόν, νόμωι θερμόν, νόμωι ψυχρόν, νόμωι χροιή, ἐτεῆι δὲ ἄτομα καὶ κενόν (Tetralogies of Thrasyllus, 9; Sext. Emp. adv. math. VII 135)”
Sweet exists by convention, bitter by convention, colour by convention; atoms and Void [alone] exist in reality. (trans. Freeman 1948) [ 1 ] , p. 92. -
“We know nothing accurately in reality, but [only] as it changes according to the bodily condition, and the constitution of those things that flow upon [the body] and impinge upon it.”
Freeman (1948) [ 1 ] , p. 142
Democritus on Mind
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Attributed to Democritus:
“It is godlike ever to think on something beautiful and on something new.”
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“The first principles of the universe are atoms and empty space; everything else is merely thought to exist. (trans. by Robert Drew Hicks 1925)”
δοκεῖ δὲ αὐτῶι τάδε· ἀρχὰς εἶναι τῶν ὅλων ἀτόμους καὶ κενόν, τὰ δ'ἀλλα πάντα νενομίσθαι [δοξάζεσθαι]. ( Diogenes Laërtius , Democritus , Vol. IX, 44)
Democritus on Nature
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“By convention sweet, by convention bitter; by convention hot, by convention cold; in reality, atoms and void.”
Fragment 9 (preserved by Galen) -
“Now his principal doctrines were these. That atoms and the vacuum were the beginning of the universe; and that everything else existed only in opinion. (trans. Yonge 1853)”
δοκεῖ δὲ αὐτῶι τάδε· ἀρχὰς εἶναι τῶν ὅλων ἀτόμους καὶ κενόν, τὰ δ'ἀλλα πάντα νενομίσθαι [δοξάζεσθαι]. ( Diogenes Laërtius , Democritus , Vol. IX, 44)
Democritus on Virtue
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“The brave man is he who overcomes not only his enemies but his pleasures.”
The brave man is not only he who overcomes the enemy, but he who is stronger than pleasures. Some men are masters of cities, but are enslaved to women. -
Attributed to Democritus:
“The best way to bring up children is by gentleness and persuasion, not by anger and threats.”
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“Beautiful objects are wrought by study through effort, but ugly things are reaped automatically without toil.”
Freeman (1948) [ 1 ] , p. 161 | Variant: The good things of life are produced by learning with hard work; the bad are reaped of their own accord, without hard work. [ citation needed ] -
Attributed to Democritus:
“It is greed to do all the talking but not to want to listen at all.”