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)
All things are in perpetual flux.
To be conscious of one's ignorance is the beginning of wisdom.
The art of persuasion is the highest art, for it governs the minds of men.
Nothing is absolutely good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
The city is the teacher of the man.
One cannot be a good citizen without being a good man.
The measure of what is is man, and the measure of what is not is man.
Custom is the ruler of all.
The better argument is the one that prevails in the city.
Truth is relative to the individual perceiver.
On every issue there are two arguments opposed to each other.
To speak well is the greatest power of man.
The skillful speaker can make the same thing appear just to the city and, later, unjust.
Wisdom is the highest form of excellence.
The unexamined city is not worth living in.
All instruction is but reminiscence.
The aim of education is to make men good.
Law is a convention, not natural.
The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must.
Perception is knowledge.
Contemporaries of Protagoras
Other Philosophys born within 50 years of Protagoras (-490–-420).