“One of the sayings of Diogenes was that most men were within a finger’s breadth of being mad; for if a man walked with his middle finger pointing out, folks would think him mad, but not so if it were his forefinger.”

—  Diogenes Laërtius

Diogenes, 6.
The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers (c. 200 A.D.), Book 6: The Cynics

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 "One of the sayings of Diogenes was that most men were within a finger’s breadth of being mad; for if a man walked with …" by Diogenes Laërtius?
Diogenes Laërtius photo
Diogenes Laërtius107
biographer of ancient Greek philosophers 180–240

Related quotes

Muhammad photo

“Sahl ibn Sa'd reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I and those who care for orphans will be in the Garden [heaven] like this," and he pointed with his forefinger and middle finger and made an opening between them."”

Muhammad (570–632) Arabian religious leader and the founder of Islam

Riyadh-as-Saliheen by Imam Al-Nawawi, volume 2, hadith number 262
Sunni Hadith

William Faulkner photo

“Man knows so little about his fellows. In his eyes all men or women act upon what he believes would motivate him if he were mad enough to do what the other man or woman is doing.”

William Faulkner book Light in August

Source: Light in August (1932), Chapter 2

“When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing to himself.”

Louis Nizer book My Life in Court

My Life in Court (1961), p. 115.

Cassandra Clare photo

“Jace snorted so loudly that she turned on him with a frown. He wiggled his mud-caked fingers at her. His nails were black crescents. "Filthy inside and out.”

Cassandra Clare book City of Ashes

Source: City of Ashes

Joseph Conrad photo

“But his soul was mad. Being alone in the wilderness, it had looked within itself and, by heavens I tell you, it had gone mad.”

Joseph Conrad book Heart of Darkness

Source: Heart of Darkness

Blaise Pascal photo

“Men are so necessarily mad, that not to be mad would amount to another form of madness.”

Blaise Pascal Pensées

Source: Pensées

Persius photo

“O but it is a fine thing to have a finger pointed at one, and to hear people say, "That's the man!"”
At pulchrum est digito monstrari et dicier "hic est".

Persius (34–62) ancient latin poet

Satire I, line 28.
The Satires

John Steinbeck photo

“One man was so mad at me that he ended his letter: “Beware. You will never get out of this world alive.””

John Steinbeck (1902–1968) American writer

“The Mail I’ve Seen” Saturday Review (3 August 1956)

Emil M. Cioran photo

“The premonition of madness is complicated by the fear of lucidity in madness, the fear of the moments of return and reunion, when the intuition of disaster is so painful that it almost provokes a greater madness […] One would welcome chaos if one were not afraid of lights in it.”

Emil M. Cioran (1911–1995) Romanian philosopher and essayist

On the Heights of Despair (1934)

Michael Swanwick photo

“They were not aware of the madness that lurked within their own minds.”

Michael Swanwick book Jack Faust

Source: Jack Faust (1997), Chapter 1, “Trinity” (p. 3)

Related topics