Démokritosz idézet

„A gonosz, értelmetlen, szégyentelen, alacsonyrendű élet nem rossz élet, hanem hosszadalmas meghalás.”

„Akinek egyetlen derék barátja sincs, nem érdemli meg, hogy éljen.”

„Az értelemből három dolog fakad: a helyes gondolkodás, a helyes beszéd, és a helyes cselekvés.”

„Sok ember, aki barátnak látszik, nem az; sok ember, aki nem látszik barátnak, mégis az.”

„A kapzsi ember a méh sorsát viseli: dolgozik, mintha örökké élne.”

„Az emberek, akik a halál elől menekülnek, utána szaladnak.”

„Önfegyelemre vall, ha az ember a feljebbvaló, a törvény, és az okosabb előtt meghajol. Nehéz az alacsonyabb rendűnek engedelmeskedni.”

„A jó ember az, aki nemcsak hogy nem követ el bűnt, hanem aki nem is akar bűnt elkövetni.”

„Ember, akinek minden nap friss gondolata van.”

„Az ember erényes tettekre törekedjék, ne pedig erényes szavakra.”

„Aki lelki javakra törekszik, isteni élet felé halad, aki testi javakra, földi élet felé.”

„Aki senkit sem szeret, azt senki sem szeretheti. Valóságban semmit sem tudunk, mert az igazság a mélyben van.”

„Aki megfeledkezik szenvedéseiről, szemtelenné lesz.”

„Démokritosz azt mondta, inkább szeretne egyetlen bizonyítékot találni, mint a perzsa trónt elnyerni.”

„A bolond iskolája nem a szó, hanem a baj.”

„Aki az igazságtalanságot cselekszi, szerencsétlenebb, mint az, aki elszenvedi.”

„Előkelő lélekre vall, ha valaki az illetlenséget elviseli.”

„A vétkeket ne félelemből, hanem kötelességtudásból kerüld.”

„Ha lelked belsejét megnyitod, a gonosz szenvedélyek valóságos kincstárát fogod megtalálni.”

„Az orvostudomány az embert megszabadítja a test betegségeitől, a filozófia megszabadítja a lelket a szenvedélyektől.”

„Az embernek vagy jónak kell lennie, vagy a jót kell utánoznia.”

„Ne igyekezz mindent megtudni, mert akkor nem tanulsz semmit.”

„Akinek jelleme rendezett, élete is az.”

“The brave man is not only he who overcomes the enemy, but he who is stronger than pleasures. Some men are masters of cities, but are enslaved to women.”

“[Democritus says:] By convention sweet is sweet, by convention bitter is bitter, by convention hot is hot, by convention cold is cold, by convention color is color. But in reality there are atoms and the void. That is, the objects of sense are supposed to be real and it is customary to regard them as such, but in truth they are not. Only the atoms and the void are real.”

“He who does wrong is more unhappy than he who suffers wrong.”

“Throw moderation to the winds, and the greatest pleasures bring the greatest pains.”

“Men have fashioned an image of Chance as an excuse for their own stupidity. For Chance rarely conflicts with intelligence, and most things in life can be set in order by an intelligent sharpsightedness.”

“There are many who know many things, yet are lacking in wisdom.”

“In a shared fish, there are no bones.”

“If any one hearken with understanding to these sayings of mine many a deed worthy of a good man shall he perform and many a foolish deed be spared.”

“He who intends to enjoy life should not be busy about many things, and in what he does should not undertake what exceeds his natural capacity. On the contrary, he should have himself so in hand that even when fortune comes his way, and is apparently ready to lead him on to higher things, he should put her aside and not o'erreach his powers. For a being of moderate size is safer than one that bulks too big.”

“Beautiful objects are wrought by study through effort, but ugly things are reaped automatically without toil.”

“No one deserves to live who has not at least one good-man-and-true for a friend.”

“Good breeding in cattle depends on physical health, but in men on a well-formed character.”

“A sensible man takes pleasure in what he has instead of pining for what he has not.”

“The friendship of one wise man is better than the friendship of a host of fools.”

“The right-minded man, ever inclined to righteous and lawful deeds, is joyous day and night, and strong, and free from care. But if a man take no heed of the right, and leave undone the things he ought to do, then will the recollection of no one of all his transgressions bring him any joy, but only anxiety and self-reproaching.”

“Tis well to restrain the wicked, and in any case not to join him in his wrong-doing.”

“Tis a grievous thing to be subject to an inferior.”

“If your desires are not great, a little will seem much to you; for small appetite makes poverty equivalent to wealth.”

“My enemy is not the man who wrongs me, but the man who means to wrong me.”

“You can tell the man who rings true from the man who rings false, not by his deeds alone, but also by his desires.”

“Now as of old the gods give men all good things, excepting only those that are baneful and injurious and useless. These, now as of old, are not gifts of the gods: men stumble into them themselves because of their own blindness and folly.”

“Many who have not learned wisdom live wisely, and many who do the basest deeds can make most learned speeches.”

“Medicine heals diseases of the body, wisdom frees the soul from passions.”

“Fools learn wisdom through misfortune.”

“Education is an ornament for the prosperous, a refuge for the unfortunate.”

“False men and shams talk big and do nothing.”

“The laws would not prevent each man from living according to his inclination, unless individuals harmed each other; for envy creates the beginning of strife.”

“Good means not [merely] not to do wrong, but rather not to desire to do wrong.”

“Disease of the home and of the life comes about in the same way as that of the body.”