Man is the measure of all things.

πάντων χρημάτων μέτρον ἄνθρωπον εἶναι

Protagoras

Quoted in Theaetetus, by Plato

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More information about this quote

Topic

Nature of man

Speaker

Protagoras

Author

Plato

Source

Theaetetus

Medium

Philosophical dialogue

Genre

Philosophical literature

Language

Greek

Time

420 BC 420s BC 5th century BC

Era

Classical antiquity

Occupation

Philosopher

From

Greece Europe Ancient Greece

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Plato. Θεαίτητος [Theatetus]. c. 400 BC.

Current Citation

Plato. Theatetus, translated by John McDowell. Oxford University Press, 2014.

Illustrated Quote

A quote by Protagoras about nature of man: “Man is the measure of all things.”
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A quote by Protagoras about nature of man: “Man is the measure of all things.”
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A quote by Protagoras about nature of man: “Man is the measure of all things.”
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Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote by Plato

I know that I do not know.

Socrates

Quoted in Apology, by Plato

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More information about this quote
Topic
Intellectual humility Certainty Ignorance
Speaker
Socrates

Author

Plato
Source
Apology
Medium
Courtroom speech Speech
Genre
Philosophical literature
Language
Greek
Time
399 BC 390s BC 4th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Plato. Ἀπολογία Σωκράτους [Apology of Socrates]. Speech of legal self-defence which Socrates spoke at his trial for impiety and corruption. 399 BC, Athens, Greece.

Current Citation

Plato. "Apology." Plato: Euthyphro; Apology; Crito; Phaedo, translated by Christopher Emlyn-Jones and William Preddy. Harvard University Press, 2017.

Another quote about Nature of man

Of all the creatures that breathe and move across the earth, there is nothing feebler than man.

Homer

The Odyssey

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More information about this quote
Topic
Human frailty Nature of man

Author

Homer
Source
The Odyssey
Medium
Poem
Genre
Epic poem
Language
Greek
Time
700 BC 700s BC 8th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Homer. Ὀδύσσεια [Odyssey]. c. 710 BC, bk. 18, l. 130.

Current Citation

Homer. The Odyssey, edited by Bernard Knox, translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin Classics, 2006, bk. 18, l. 130.

Another quote from the 5th century BC

There are many wonderful things, and nothing is more wonderful than man.

Sophocles

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More information about this quote
Topic
Nature of man Man and animals

Author

Sophocles
Source
Antigone
Medium
Play
Genre
Tragic play Greek theater
Language
Greek
Time
441 BC 440s 5th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Sophocles. Ἀντιγόνη [Antigone]. c. 441 BC, Festival of Dionysus, Athens, Greece.

Current Citation

Sophocles. "Antigone." The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone, translated by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald. Mariner Books, 2002.

Another quote from Classical antiquity

Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Apostle Paul

2nd Corinthians 5:17

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More information about this quote
Topic
New creation

Author

Apostle Paul
Source
2nd Corinthians The Bible
Medium
Scripture
Genre
Religious literature
Language
Greek
Time
56 50s 1st century
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 3
Citation

The Holy Bible: The King James Version. 1611. (2nd Corinthians 5:17).

Another quote originally in Greek

Some say cavalry and others claim infantry or a fleet of long oars is the supreme sight on the black earth. I say it is the one you love.

Sappho

More information about this quote
Topic
Loved ones

Author

Sappho
Medium
Poem
Language
Greek
Time
570 BC 570s BC 6th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Sappho. Supreme Sight on the Black Earth. c. 570 BCE.

Current Citation

Sappho. The Complete Poems of Sappho, edited by Willis Barnstone. Shambhala Publications, 2009.