1001Philosophers

Democritus Quotes on Knowledge

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. This page collects quotes attributed to Democritus on the topic of knowledge, drawn from across the philosopher's works.

Quotes

  • Attributed to Democritus:

    “By convention sweet, by convention bitter; by convention hot, by convention cold; in reality, atoms and void.”

  • Attributed to Democritus:

    “It is godlike ever to think on something beautiful and on something new.”

  • Attributed to Democritus:

    “Beautiful objects are wrought by study through effort, but ugly things are reaped automatically without toil.”

  • Attributed to Democritus:

    “It is greed to do all the talking but not to want to listen at all.”