Reflections

Primary Sources

Monday, July 6, 2020

Sayings of Socrates 39


Frequently, owing to his vehemence in argument, men set upon him with their fists or tore his hair out; and that for the most part he was despised and laughed at, yet bore all this ill-usage patiently. 

So much so that, when he had been kicked, and some one expressed surprise at his taking it so quietly, Socrates rejoined, "Should I have taken the law of a donkey, supposing that he had kicked me?"

—Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of the Eminent Philosophers 2.21

No comments:

Post a Comment