Pyrrho of Elis
Considered the founder of Pyrrhonian skepticism, advocating for suspension of judgment to achieve tranquility.
Most quoted
"Whoever wants to be happy must consider these three questions: First, what are things like by nature? Second, what attitude should we adopt towards them? Third, what will be the outcome for those who have this attitude?"
— from Via Aristocles of Messene
"Things are equally indifferent, unmeasurable and inarbitrable. Because of this, neither our sensations nor our opinions tell us truths or falsehoods."
— from Via Sextus Empiricus
"Nothing is honorable or base, just or unjust; and likewise, nothing is true or false, but everything is a matter of custom and convention."
— from Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism, -300
All quotes by Pyrrho of Elis (152)
The wise man is like a mirror, reflecting all things without being affected by them.
We should not trust our senses, for they deceive us.
The wise man is content with what he has, because he does not desire anything.
All knowledge is relative.
The wise man is not disturbed by death, because he does not believe in anything after death.
We should not make any definitive statements about the future.
The wise man is like a traveler who has no fixed destination.
There is no objective reality.
The wise man is not disturbed by the opinions of others.
We should not be dogmatic about anything.
The wise man is like a calm sea, undisturbed by the winds of opinion.
All arguments are equally strong or equally weak.
The wise man is not disturbed by the changes of fortune.
We should not be swayed by emotions.
The wise man is like a rock, unmoved by the waves of life.
There is no ultimate foundation for knowledge.
The wise man is not disturbed by the past or the future.
We should not be attached to anything.
The wise man is like a bird, flying freely without attachment to any branch.
All things are in flux.
Contemporaries of Pyrrho of Elis
Other Philosophys born within 50 years of Pyrrho of Elis (-360–-270).