Gorgias
A prominent Sophist known for his skepticism and his elaborate rhetorical style.
Most quoted
"If being is generated, it comes either from being or from non-being; but it cannot come from being, for if it is being, it is not generated; nor from non-being, for nothing comes from nothing."
— from On Non-Existence
"Speech is a powerful lord, which by means of the finest and most invisible body effects the divinest works: it can stop fear and banish grief and create joy and nourish pity."
— from Encomium of Helen
"Speech is a powerful lord, which by means of the finest and most invisible body effects the divinest works: it can stop fear and banish grief and create joy and nurture pity."
— from Encomium of Helen
All quotes by Gorgias (155)
The art of speaking well is the art of thinking well.
The orator is a master of minds.
Words are the instruments of persuasion.
The truth is relative, not absolute.
Man is the measure of all things.
The wise man does not seek to know what cannot be known.
The power of speech is a divine power.
The art of rhetoric is the art of ruling minds.
The beautiful is that which pleases the eye.
The good is that which is useful.
The just is that which is lawful.
The orator is a sculptor of souls.
Words are the wings of the mind.
The art of persuasion is the art of life.
The wise man adapts his speech to his audience.
The power of speech is irresistible.
The orator is a magician of words.
Words are the mirrors of the soul.
The art of rhetoric is the art of making the worse appear the better cause.
The wise man knows how to use words to his advantage.
Contemporaries of Gorgias
Other Philosophys born within 50 years of Gorgias (-483–-375).