Pythagoras of Samos was an ancient Ionian Greek philosopher and the eponymous founder of Pythagoreanism. His political and religious teachings were well known in Magna Graecia and influenced the philosophies of Plato, Aristotle, and, through them, Western philosophy. The teaching most securely identified with Pythagoras is metempsychosis, or the “transmigration of souls”, which holds that every soul is immortal and, upon death, enters into a new body.
In antiquity, Pythagoras was credited with many mathematical and scientific discoveries, including the Pythagorean theorem, Pythagorean tuning, the five regular solids, the Theory of Proportions, the sphericity of the Earth, and the identity of the morning and evening stars as the planet Venus. It was said that he was the first man to call himself a philosopher (“lover of wisdom”) and that he was the first to divide the globe into five climatic zones.
Some of the best quotes from Pythagoras are listed below.
- “A fool is known by his speech, and a wise man by silence.” – Pythagoras
- “A thought is an idea in transit.” – Pythagoras
- “Above all things, respect yourself.” – Pythagoras
- “Above all things, reverence yourself.” – Pythagoras
- “Allow not sleep to close your eyes before three times reflecting on your actions of the day. What deeds done well, what not, what left undone?” – Pythagoras
- “As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know health or peace.” – Pythagoras
- “Astonishing! Everything is intelligent.” – Pythagoras
- “Be silent or let thy words be worth more than silence.” – Pythagoras
- “Choices are the hinges of destiny.” – Pythagoras
- “Choose always the way that seems the best, however rough it may be; customer will soon render it easy and agreeable.” – Pythagoras
- “Choose rather to be strong of soul than strong of body.” – Pythagoras
- “Concern should drive us into action and not into depression.” – Pythagoras
- “Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few.” – Pythagoras
- “Educate the children and it won’t be necessary to punish the men.” – Pythagoras
- “Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere on the road to a happier life.” – Pythagoras
- “God built the universe on numbers.” – Pythagoras
- “If you have a wounded heart, touch it as little as you would an injured eye. There are only two remedies for the suffering of the soul: hope and patience.” – Pythagoras
- “Learn silence. With the quiet serenity of a meditative mind, listen, absorb, transcribe, and transform.” – Pythagoras
- “Love that shines from within cannot be darkened by obstacles of the world of consequences.” – Pythagoras
- “Man know thyself; then thou shalt know universe and God.” – Pythagoras
- “No man is free who cannot control himself.” – Pythagoras
- “Numbers are the highest degree of knowledge. It is knowledge itself.” – Pythagoras
- “Numbers rule the universe.” – Pythagoras
- “Rest satisfied with doing well, and leave others to talk of you as they please.” – Pythagoras
- “Strength of mind rests in sobriety for this keeps your reason unclouded by passion.” – Pythagoras
- “The art of living happily is to live in the present.” – Pythagoras
- “The experience of life in a finite, limited body is specifically for the purpose of discovering and manifesting supernatural existence.” – Pythagoras
- “The most momentous thing in human life is the art of winning the soul to good..” – Pythagoras
- “The oldest shortest words – yes and no are those which require the most thought.” – Pythagoras
- “There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres.” – Pythagoras
- “There is no word or action but has its echo in eternity.” – Pythagoras
- “There is nothing so easy but that it becomes difficult when you do it reluctantly.” – Pythagoras
- “True and perfect friendship is to make one heart and mind of many hearts and bodies.” – Pythagoras
- “Virtue is harmony.” – Pythagoras
- “Wisdom thoroughly learned will never be forgotten.” – Pythagoras
