Protagoras
A leading Sophist, famous for the dictum 'Man is the measure of all things'.
Most quoted
"Concerning the gods, I have no means of knowing whether they exist or not, nor of what sort they may be. For many are the obstacles that prevent knowledge, both the obscurity of the question and the shortness of human life."
— from On the Gods, -440
"Concerning the gods, I have no means of knowing whether they exist or not or of what sort they may be. Many things prevent knowledge including the obscurity of the subject and the brevity of human life."
— from On the Gods
"About the gods I am unable to discover whether they exist or not, or what they are like in form; for there are many hindrances to knowledge: the obscurity of the subject and the shortness of human life."
— from On the Gods
All quotes by Protagoras (151)
The wise man is he who can change the bad into the good.
Man is the measure of all things, of the existence of things that are, and of the non-existence of things that are not.
It is not possible to contradict.
The individual is the ultimate arbiter of truth.
All opinions are equally valid.
The good citizen is one who makes the city better.
There is no absolute right or wrong.
The truth is what appears to each individual.
Rhetoric is the art of persuasion.
The gods are unknowable.
Every phenomenon is true for the one who perceives it.
The purpose of education is to make men better citizens.
What seems just and honorable to each state is so for that state, as long as it believes it to be so.
The only reality is that which is perceived.
There is no universal standard of morality.
The wise man is the one who can change the opinions of others for the better.
All knowledge is subjective.
The good is what is beneficial to man.
The art of living is to adapt to circumstances.
The gods are not concerned with human affairs.
Contemporaries of Protagoras
Other Philosophys born within 50 years of Protagoras (-490–-420).