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

Freeman (1948), p. 151
Durant (1939), Ch. XVI, §II, p. 354; citing C. Bakewell, Sourcebook in Ancient Philosophy, New York, 1909, "Fragment 57"
Variant: Strength of body is nobility only in beasts of burden, strength of character is nobility in man.
Variant: In cattle excellence is displayed in strength of body; but in men it lies in strength of character.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Good breeding in cattle depends on physical health, but in men on a well-formed character." by Democritus?

Democritus photo

Democritus81

Ancient Greek philosopher, pupil of Leucippus, founder of t…

Related quotes

“It's not an endlessly expanding list of rights — the 'right' to education, the 'right' to health care, the 'right' to food and housing. That's not freedom, that's dependency. Those aren't rights, those are the rations of slavery — hay and a barn for human cattle.”

Alexis De Tocqueville (1805–1859) French political thinker and historian

Source: Misattributed, P. J. O'Rourke, Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut‎ (1996), p. 227.

“But if cattle and horses and lions had hands
or could paint with their hands and create works such as men do,
horses like horses and cattle like cattle
also would depict the gods' shapes and make their bodies
of such a sort as the form they themselves have.”

Xenophanes (-570–-475 BC) Presocratic philosopher

Fragment 15 (D-K)

“All education which is in its kind complete and good, is the means of forming character, and of making useful men and women.”

George Long (1800–1879) English classical scholar

An Old Man's Thoughts on Many Things, Of Education I

“Well it's a gloomy, rainy old day to be here in London, but it could be worse; I could be in Saudi Arabia where men are men, and women are cattle.”

Pat Condell (1949) Stand-up comedian, writer, and Internet personality

"More demands from Islam" (9 October 2007) https://youtube.com/watch/?v=mHh0NdR5Jh0 <br class="br">2007

“Situation seems to be the mould in which men's characters are formed.”

Mary Wollstonecraft book Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark

Letter 23
Letters Written in Sweden (1796)

“What is happiness? It depends on two assets, which fortunately I have. They are good health and a short memory.”

Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982) Film actress from Sweden

Source: The Real and the Unreal (1961) by Bill Davidson, p. 174

“There is a wisdom in this beyond the rules of physic. A man's own observation, what he finds good of and what he finds hurt of, is the best physic to preserve health.”

Francis Bacon book Essays

Of Regimen of Health
Essays (1625)

“"Familiarity breeds kontempt." This only applies tew men, not tew hot bukwheat slapkakes, well buttered and sugared.”

Josh Billings (1818–1885) American humorist

Josh Billings: His Works, Complete (1873)

“Age does not depend upon years, but upon temperament and health. Some men are born old, and some never grow so.”

Tryon Edwards (1809–1894) American theologian

Source: A Dictionary of Thoughts, 1891, pp. 11–12.

“Physical health is not a commodity to be bargained for. Nor can it be swallowed in the form of drugs and pills — it has to be earned through sweat. It is something that we must build up.”

B.K.S. Iyengar (1918–2014) Indian yoga teacher and scholar

Light on Life: B.K.S. Iyengar's Yoga Insights

Related topics