Theophrastus Quotes
Theophrastus of Eresus was an ancient Greek philosopher and the immediate successor of Aristotle as head of the Peripatetic School at the Lyceum in Athens. He directed the school for thirty-five years, from 322 BC until his death, and developed Aristotle's research programme particularly in botany, where his Enquiry into Plants and On the Causes of Plants founded systematic plant science. The quotes below are attributed to Theophrastus, organized by topic.
Theophrastus on Death
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Attributed to Theophrastus:
“We die just when we are beginning to live.”
Theophrastus on God
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Attributed to Theophrastus:
“Superstition is the cowardice of the soul confronted with the divine.”
Theophrastus on Love
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Attributed to Theophrastus:
“Friendship cannot be at the same time so very profitable and so very honourable.”
Theophrastus on Nature
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Attributed to Theophrastus:
“Plants, like animals, have their own kinds and their own characters.”
Theophrastus on Time
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Attributed to Theophrastus:
“Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.”
Theophrastus on Truth
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Attributed to Theophrastus:
“The flatterer says what will please his hearer rather than what is true.”