Philolaus Quotes
Philolaus of Croton was a Greek Pythagorean philosopher and the first member of the Pythagorean school whose writings survived into the classical period. His fragments, preserved by later authors, articulate a cosmology in which the world is built up from limiters and unlimiteds joined by harmony, and a celebrated astronomical model in which a central fire, rather than the earth, stands at the center of the universe. The quotes below are attributed to Philolaus, organized by topic.
Philolaus on Knowledge
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Attributed to Philolaus:
“All things which can be known have number; for it is not possible that without number anything can be either conceived or known.”
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Attributed to Philolaus:
“Without number, nothing could be distinguished or thought.”
Philolaus on Nature
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Attributed to Philolaus:
“Number is the bond of the eternal continuance of things.”
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Attributed to Philolaus:
“Order itself is harmony.”
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Attributed to Philolaus:
“The world is one composed of limiters and unlimiteds.”