Xenophanes Quotes

#1. Better than the strength of men and horses is our wisdom.

Xenophanes

#2. All men begin their learning with Homer.

Xenophanes

#3. One must be a sage to recognize a sage.

Xenophanes

#4. Truly the gods have not from the beginning revealed all things to mortals, but by long seeking, mortals discover what is better.

Xenophanes

#5. Men always makes gods in their own image.

Xenophanes

#6. The Ethiopians say that their gods are snub-nosed and black the Thracians that theirs have light blue eyes and red hair.

Xenophanes

#7. No man knows distinctly anything, and no man ever will.

Xenophanes

#8. For our wisdom is better than the strength of men or of horses ... nor is it right to prefer strength to excellent wisdom. For if there should be in the city [any athlete whose skill] is honoured more than strength ... the city would not on that account be any better governed.

Xenophanes

#9. But if cattle and horses or lions had hands, or were able to draw with their hands and do the work that men can do, horses would draw the forms of the gods like horses, and cattle like cattle, and they would make their bodies such as they each had themselves.

Xenophanes

#10. If cattle and horses, or lions, had hands, or were able to draw with their feet and produce the works which men do, horses would draw the forms of gods like horses, and cattle like cattle, and they would make the gods' bodies the same shape as their own.

Xenophanes

#11. But without effort [God] sets in motion all things by mind and thought.

Xenophanes

#12. In the beginning the gods did not at all reveal all things clearly to mortals, but by searching men in the course of time find them out better.

Xenophanes

#13. There is one God - supreme among gods and men - who is like mortals in neither body nor mind.

Xenophanes

#14. If horses had Gods, they would look like horses.

Xenophanes

#15. The clear and perfect truth no man has seen, nor will there be anyone who knows about the gods and what I say about all things ... ; for, however perfect what he says may be, yet he does not know it; all things are matters of opinion.

Xenophanes

#16. If oxen and horses and lions could draw and paint, they would delineate the gods in their own image.

Xenophanes

#17. It isn't right to judge strength as better than good wisdom.

Xenophanes

#18. It takes a wise man to recognize a wise man.

Xenophanes

#19. God is one, greatest of gods and men, not like mortals in body or thought.

Xenophanes

#20. For all things come from earth, and all things end by becoming earth.

Xenophanes

#21. The sun comes into being each day from little pieces of fire that are collected.

Xenophanes

#22. One god there is, in no way like mortal creatures either in bodily form or in the thought of his mind. The whole of him sees, the whole of him thinks, the whole of him hears. He stays always motionless in the same place; it is not fitting that he should move about now this way, now that.

Xenophanes

#23. If cows and horses had hands and could draw, cows would draw gods that look like cows and horses would draw gods that look like horses.

Xenophanes

#24. Pure truth no man has seen, nor ever shall know.

Xenophanes

#25. Even if a man should chance to speak the most complete truth, yet he himself does not know it; all things are wrapped in appearances

Xenophanes

#26. Men create the gods in their own image.

Xenophanes

#27. If an ox could paint a picture, his god would look like an ox.

Xenophanes

#28. For we are all sprung from earth and water

Xenophanes

#29. This upper limit, of earth at our feet is visible and touches the air, but below it reaches to infinity

Xenophanes

#30. All things that come into being and grow are earth and water.

Xenophanes

#31. If God had not made brown honey, men would think figs much sweeter than they do.

Xenophanes