Click on
title of any pericope numbered in red to access the original language text.
314. |
Strong Speech |
|
When Aesop the story-teller [mythopoios]
was asked:
-- "What is the strongest thing in humans?",
he said:
-- "Speech!" [logos]. |
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---
Nicolaus of Myra, Progymnasmata:
Chreia 118-120 |
315. |
What is Justice? |
|
When Aristeides was asked:
-- "What is justice?,"
he said:
-- "Not to desire what belongs to others." |
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--- Nicolaus
of Myra, Progymnasmata:
Chreia 122-124 |
316. |
Treasured Friends |
|
When Alexander, the king of
Macedonians, was asked by someone
where he has (his) treasure, he said:
-- "In these!"
pointing to his friends [philous]. |
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--- Theon
of Alexandria, Progymnasmata:
Chreia 158-161 |
317. |
The Love of Money |
|
Bion the sophist used to say:
-- "The love of money is the center [métropolis]
of all evil." |
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--- Theon
of Alexandria, Progymnasmata:
Chreia 125-126 |
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[This oft-quoted chreia was
variously ascribed to different sources including Diogenes of
Sinopé and Democritus making its actual origin impossible to
trace.] |
318. |
How to Become Famous |
|
When Diogenes (of Sinopé), the
(Cynic) philosopher was asked by someone how he might become
famous, he replied:
-- "By caring least about fame!" |
|
--- Theon
of Alexandria, Progymnasmata:
Chreia 33-35 |
319. |
The Rich Young
Man |
|
When Diogenes the Cynic
philosopher saw an uneducated rich youth,
he said:
-- "This is silverplated filth [rhupos]!"* |
|
--- Theon
of Alexandria, Progymnasmata:
Chreia 41-44 |
* |
Instead of "filth" [rhupos]
other versions of this chreia have "horse"
[hippos]. |
320. |
Who Needs Sleep? |
|
Standing over Diogenes as he was
falling asleep,
Alexander the king of Macedonians said:
-- "No need [chré] for a man who gives advice
to sleep all night!"
And Diogenes replied:
-- "(There is) for one who has supported a people and
cared for so much!" |
|
--- Theon
of Alexandria, Progymnasmata:
Chreia 88-93 |
|
[Greek rhetoricians sometimes
cited this chreia to explain the derivation of the
name of the genre. Since it contains two witty remarks, it was
used as an example of a double chreia, involving
repartée between two masters.] |
321. |
Disciplinarian Disciplined |
|
Seeing a child eating rich food,
Diogenes (of Sinopé) struck his trainer [paidagógos]
with his staff. |
|
--- Theon
of Alexandria, Progymnasmata:
Chreia 100-102 |
322. |
Disciplinarian
Disciplined (Variant) |
|
Seeing a youth misbehaving,
Diogenes (of Sinopé) beat his trainer [paidagógos],
and said:
-- "Why were you training such things?" |
|
--- Hermogenes
of Tarsus, Progymnasmata:
Chreia 13-15 |
|
[Hermogenes (10-11) and other
rhetoricians also used a shorter version of this chreia without
the concluding saying.] |
323. |
Formal
Informality |
|
When Diogenes (of Sinopé) was
lunching in the marketplace
and summoned (Plato) to the lunch, Plato said:
-- "O Diogenes! How charming your informality would be
if it were not so formal!" |
|
--- Theon
of Alexandria, Progymnasmata:
Chreia 77-80 |
324. |
Featherless
Creatures |
|
Plato defined a human as a
featherless, biped animal and was applauded.
Diogenes of Sinope plucked a chicken and brought it into the
lecture hall,
saying:
-- "Here is Plato's human!" |
|
--- Diogenes
Laertius, Lives of
Philosophers 6.40 |
325. |
Unjust Justice |
|
When a certain acquaintance of
Socrates named Apollodorus said to him:
-- "The Athenians have condemned you to death
unjustly!",
the philosopher said, laughing:
-- "Did you want (them to do it) justly?" |
|
--- Theon
of Alexandria, Progymnasmata:
Chreia 143-146 |
326. |
Four Basic
Questions |
|
When (the philosopher Thales)
was asked:
-- "What is hard?,"
he responded:
-- "To know oneself."
-- "What is easy?"
-- "To advise another."
-- "What is most pleasant?"
-- "Success."
-- "What is divine?"
-- "What has neither beginning nor end." |
|
--- Diogenes
Laertius, Lives of
Philosophers 1.36 |
|