Pythagoras Quotes
Pythagoras was a Greek philosopher and mathematician born on the island of Samos around 570 BC. He founded a religious and philosophical brotherhood at Croton in southern Italy, where his followers pursued a communal life of study, asceticism, and ritual purification. The quotes below are attributed to Pythagoras, organized by topic.
Browse Pythagoras by topic
Pythagoras on God
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“Dear youths, I warn you cherish peace divine , And in your hearts lay deep these words of mine.”
As reported by Heraclides, son of Sarapion, and Diogenes Laërtius, in Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers , "Pythagoras", Sect. 7, in the translation of C. D. Yonge (1853) -
“The soul of man is divided into three parts, intelligence , reason , and passion . Intelligence and passion are possessed by other animals, but reason by man alone.”
Τὴν δ' ἀνθρώπου ψυχὴν διῃρῆσθαι τριχῆ, εἴς τε νοῦν καὶ φρένας καὶ θυμόν. νοῦν μὲν οὖν καὶ θυμὸν εἶναι καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ζῴοις, φρένας δὲ μόνον ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ.
Pythagoras on Knowledge
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“I was Euphorbus at the siege of Troy.”
As reported by Heraclides Ponticus ( c . 360 BC), and Diogenes Laërtius ( Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers , "Pythagoras", Sect. 4), and quoted in Cosmic Optimism: A Study of the Interpretation of Evolution (1949) by Frederick William Conner | Misquoted as "I was at Euphorbus at the siege of Troy." in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations (1922) -
“As reported by Heraclides Ponticus ( c . 360 BC), and Diogenes Laërtius ( Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers , "Pythagoras", Sect. 4), and quoted in Cosmic Optimism: A Study of the Interpretation of Evolution (1949) by Frederick William Conner”
I was Euphorbus at the siege of Troy. -
“Misquoted as "I was at Euphorbus at the siege of Troy." in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations (1922)”
I was Euphorbus at the siege of Troy. -
“By the air which I breathe, and by the water which I drink, I will not endure to be blamed on account of this discourse.”
As reported by Heraclides Ponticus ( c . 360 BC), and Diogenes Laërtius, in Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers , "Pythagoras", Sect. 6, in the translation of C. D. Yonge (1853) -
“As reported by Heraclides Ponticus ( c . 360 BC), and Diogenes Laërtius, in Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers , "Pythagoras", Sect. 6, in the translation of C. D. Yonge (1853)”
By the air which I breathe, and by the water which I drink, I will not endure to be blamed on account of this discourse. -
“As reported by Heraclides, son of Sarapion, and Diogenes Laërtius, in Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers , "Pythagoras", Sect. 7, in the translation of C. D. Yonge (1853)”
Dear youths, I warn you cherish peace divine , And in your hearts lay deep these words of mine. -
“Τὴν δ' ἀνθρώπου ψυχὴν διῃρῆσθαι τριχῆ, εἴς τε νοῦν καὶ φρένας καὶ θυμόν. νοῦν μὲν οὖν καὶ θυμὸν εἶναι καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ζῴοις, φρένας δὲ μόνον ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ.”
The soul of man is divided into three parts, intelligence , reason , and passion . Intelligence and passion are possessed by other animals, but reason by man alone. | As reported by Alexander Polyhistor , and Diogenes Laërtius in Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers , "Pythagoras", Sect. 30, in the translation of C. D. Yonge (1853) -
“As reported by Alexander Polyhistor , and Diogenes Laërtius in Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers , "Pythagoras", Sect. 30, in the translation of C. D. Yonge (1853)”
Τὴν δ' ἀνθρώπου ψυχὴν διῃρῆσθαι τριχῆ, εἴς τε νοῦν καὶ φρένας καὶ θυμόν. νοῦν μὲν οὖν καὶ θυμὸν εἶναι καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ζῴοις, φρένας δὲ μόνον ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ.
Pythagoras on Love
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“Friends share all things.”
κοινὰ τὰ φίλων εἶναι καὶ φιλίαν ἰσότητα.
Pythagoras on Nature
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“Number is the ruler of forms and ideas, and the cause of gods and demons.”
As quoted in Life of Pythagoras ( c . 300) by Iamblichus of Chalcis , as translated by Thomas Taylor (1818) | Variants: | Number rules the universe. | As quoted in The Story of a Number (1905) by E. Maor; also in Comic Sections (1993) by Desmond MacHale
Pythagoras on Politics
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“Educate the children and it will not be necessary to punish the men.”
As quoted in Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists (2007) by James Geary
Pythagoras on Truth
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“Silence is better than unmeaning words.”
λόγον περὶ θεοῦ σιγᾶν ἄμεινον ἢ προπετῶς διαλέγεσθαι. (In talk about God, silence is better than reckless words.) (Sextus 366)
Pythagoras on Virtue
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“Above all things, reverence yourself.”
Above all things reverence thy Self . -
“Choose always the way that seems the best, however rough it may be; custom will soon render it easy and agreeable.”
As quoted in A Dictionary of Thoughts: Being a Cyclopedia of Laconic Quotations from the Best Authors of the World, both Ancient and Modern (1908) by Tyron Edwards, p. 101 -
“Do not even think of doing what ought not to be done.”
Pythagorean Ethical Sentences From Stobæus" (1904)
Things actually not said by Pythagoras
A number of widely-shared lines are circulated as Pythagoras but are in fact from someone else. Did Pythagoras say these? No. Each entry below pairs the line with the person who actually wrote it.
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Did Pythagoras say this? No.
“Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression.”
This quote is commonly attributed to philosophers but its actual source is uncertain or unverified in the standard reference works. Wikiquote's note on this attribution: The Collected Works of Karen Horney (1957) by Karen Horney, p. 154: "We may feel genuinely concerned about world conditions, though such a concern should drive us into action and not into a depression.
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Did Pythagoras say this? No.
“In this theater of man's life it is reserved only for God and angels to be lookers on.”
This quote is commonly attributed to philosophers but its actual source is uncertain or unverified in the standard reference works. Wikiquote's note on this attribution: Francis Bacon , in The Advancement of Learning (1605) Book II, xx, 8.
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Did Pythagoras say this? No.
“The oldest, shortest words— "yes" and "no"— are those which require the most thought.”
Quoted in Grist: The National Conference on State Parks magazine , 1965 link but not found earlier. Appears to be a misconstrual of a story in Ausonius: (Disputed.)