Heraclitus perfectly embodied this disdain for public matters. In this article, we will explore the life and work of Heraclitus through his most famous quotes. Heraclitus also spoke of fire as the primary natural element, put forth the influential concept of the unity of opposites, and was the first philosopher in Greece to use the term ‘Logos’ to describe the cosmic order. Heraclitean philosophy taught that everything was in flux, constantly changing. As a result, he is often known as the ‘Obscure,’ the ‘Riddler’ or the ‘Dark One.’ His quotes remain popular not only among students of ancient philosophy but also among the wider public, with the most famous being his aphorism that “no one ever steps in the same river twice”.

His work survives in small fragments of cryptic and often paradoxical nature.

His thought has influenced thinkers as diverse as Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Hegel, Marx, Heidegger, Jung, Kafka, Lenin and so many more. He is one of the most popular presocratics, ie, the Greek philosophers that preceded Socrates. No writings of Diogenes' are known but there are some details of his life from anecdotes, especially from Diogenes Laërtius' book Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers and some other sources.Heraclitus was a Greek philosopher who lived in Ephesus of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) in the 6th century BCE. There he passed his philosophy of Cynicism to Crates, who taught it to Zeno of Citium, who fashioned it into the school of Stoicism, one of the most enduring schools of Greek philosophy. Diogenes was also noted for having mocked Alexander the Great, both in public and to his face when he visited Corinth in 336 BC.Diogenes was captured by pirates and sold into slavery, eventually settling in Corinth. He criticized Plato, disputed his interpretation of Socrates, and sabotaged his lectures, sometimes distracting listeners by bringing food and eating during the discussions. He became notorious for his philosophical stunts, such as carrying a lamp during the day, claiming to be looking for an honest man.

He begged for a living and often slept in a large ceramic jar, or pithos, in the marketplace. There are many tales about his dogging Antisthenes' footsteps and becoming his 'faithful hound'.ĭiogenes made a virtue of poverty. He declared himself a cosmopolitan and a citizen of the world rather than claiming allegiance to just one place. He had a reputation for sleeping and eating wherever he chose in a highly non-traditional fashion, and took to toughening himself against nature. He used his simple lifestyle and behaviour to criticize the social values and institutions of what he saw as a corrupt, confused society. He modelled himself on the example of Heracles, and believed that virtue was better revealed in action than in theory. After being exiled, he moved to Athens and criticized many cultural conventions of the city. His father minted coins for a living, and Diogenes was banished from Sinope when he took to debasement of currency. He was born in Sinope, an Ionian colony on the Black Sea, in 412 or 404 BC and died at Corinth in 323 BC.Diogenes was a controversial figure. Diogenes, also known as Diogenes the Cynic, was a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynic philosophy.

Famous diogenes quotes