Diogenes Laërtius · fl. 3rd century CE
Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.10 — Diogenes Laërtius on Zeno
Translation by R. D. Hicks (1925)
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.10
Reported speech · Diogenes Laërtius on Zeno
It reads as follows: “In the archonship of Arrhenides, in the fifth prytany of the tribe Acamantis on the twenty-first day of Maemacterion, at the twenty-third plenary assembly of the prytany, one of the presidents, Hippo, the son of Cratistoteles, of the deme Xypetaeon, and his co-presidents put the question to the vote; Thraso, the son of Thraso of the deme Anacaea, moved: “Whereas Zeno of Citium, son of Mnaseas, has for many years been devoted to philosophy in the city and has continued to be a man of worth in all other respects, exhorting to virtue and temperance those of the youth who come to him to be taught, directing them to what is best, affording to all in his own conduct a pattern for imitation in perfect consistency with his teaching,
Cite this passage
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.10 (on Zeno), tr. R. D. Hicks (1925)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/lives-of-the-stoics/7.10
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book VII, tr. R. D. Hicks (Loeb, 1925). Text: Perseus Digital Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesThe opening of an official Athenian decree, with dates and officials, praising Zeno for encouraging young people toward virtue and self-control and for living in full agreement with what he taught. Formal civic record, with a small point about practising what you preach.
Older wording
- “archonship”
- — the year of office of Athens' chief magistrate, used to date events
- “prytany”
- — a tenth of the Athenian year, when one tribe's council was on duty
- “deme”
- — a local district or village of Attica
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Leadership and power
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