Sayings of Myson

We know very little about Myson of Chenae (6th century BC), for though he was reported to have been the son of a tyrant, he lived the life of a common farmer. It is unclear if his home town was in Laconia, Crete, or near Mount Oeta. 

Plato, at least, thought Myson a better fit than Periander as one of the Seven Sages, and Eudoxus includes him on the list instead of Cleobulus. 

Though I am sure there must be some out there, I have over the years never been able to find a single image of Myson, from any period. Perhaps the very idea of a noble character from a humble background was the very reason that Plato preferred him? 

We are quick to honor mighty kings, clever scholars, or eloquent poets, but we too easily forget the true source of human greatness, the inner qualities of the soul, which never require a grand setting. 

When Anacharsis, another of the candidates for the Seven Sages, asked the Oracle at Delphi if anyone was wiser than himself, the priestess gave him a very clear reply: 

Myson of Chen in Oeta; this is he

Who for wiseheartedness surpasseth thee. 

Just as Socrates later wished to discover what the Oracle meant about him, so Anacharsis figured he should seek out this Myson, and found him working on his plow. As this was in the middle of summer, Anacharsis was confused, and said to Myson: 

Myson, this is not the season for plowing! 

To which Myson replied: 

Yes, but it is the season to repair it. 

It just goes to show how the preparedness of a farmer can outwit the perceptions of a philosopher. 

It is said that Myson, like so many men of keen insight, had a streak of misanthropy to him, for he knew the wickedness that could so easily arise among crowds. Myson was once observed laughing to himself, and when asked why he was doing so while standing completely alone, he explained: 

That is precisely the reason. 

There is only one other saying regularly attributed him, but it's a good one: 

We should not investigate facts by the light of arguments, but arguments by the light of facts; for the facts were not put together to fit the arguments, but the arguments to fit the facts. 

One can only wish that far more "thinkers" understood why the conclusions should never come before the premises. It would save us so much unnecessary grief.