Speusippus Quotes
Speusippus was a Greek philosopher of Athens, the nephew of Plato, and his successor as scholarch of the Academy from 347 BC to his death in 339 BC. He broke with Plato on the theory of Forms and developed an independent metaphysics in which the first principle is the One and a separate principle of multiplicity, with mathematical entities and soul forming the intermediate levels of reality. The quotes below are attributed to Speusippus, organized by topic.
Speusippus on God
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Attributed to Speusippus:
“The One is beyond being and beyond goodness.”
Speusippus on Knowledge
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Attributed to Speusippus:
“Mathematics stands between sensible things and the eternal forms.”
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Attributed to Speusippus:
“Definition by division reveals what each thing is.”
Speusippus on Truth
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Attributed to Speusippus:
“Likeness, not identity, is the relation of things to their principles.”
Speusippus on Virtue
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Attributed to Speusippus:
“The good lies in the perfection of one's nature.”