1001Philosophers

Onesicritus Quotes on Virtue

Onesicritus of Astypalaea was a Greek Cynic philosopher of the late fourth century BC, a pupil of Diogenes of Sinope, who accompanied Alexander the Great on his Indian campaign as a navigator and historian. This page collects quotes attributed to Onesicritus on the topic of virtue, drawn from across the philosopher's works.

Quotes

  • Attributed to Onesicritus:

    “The gymnosophists of India confirm what Diogenes had already taught.”

  • Attributed to Onesicritus:

    “The wise man, naked under the sun, has more to teach than the king under his canopy.”

  • Attributed to Onesicritus:

    “Travel does not change the wise; it gives them new occasions for the same wisdom.”

  • Attributed to Onesicritus:

    “Alexander educated by Diogenes would have been Alexander indeed.”