Diogenes Laërtius · fl. 3rd century CE
Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.183 — Diogenes Laërtius on Chrysippus
Translation by R. D. Hicks (1925)
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.183
Reported speech · Diogenes Laërtius on Chrysippus
At wine-parties he used to behave quietly, though he was unsteady on his legs; which caused the woman-slave to say, “As for Chrysippus, only his legs get tipsy.” His opinion of himself was so high that when some one inquired, “To whom shall I entrust my son?” he replied, “To me: for, if I had dreamt of there being anyone better than myself, I should myself be studying with him.” Hence, it is said, the application to him of the line: He alone has understanding; the others flit shadow-like around; and But for Chrysippus, there had been no Porch. At last, however,—so we are told by Sotion in his eighth book,—he joined Arcesilaus and Lacydes and studied philosophy under them in the Academy.
Cite this passage
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.183 (on Chrysippus), tr. R. D. Hicks (1925)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/lives-of-the-stoics/7.183
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 notesAt parties Chrysippus stayed quiet, though a maid joked that only his legs got drunk. He boasted that he was the best teacher for anyone's son, and admirers claimed that without him the Stoa would not exist. Late in life he also studied with rival teachers at the Academy.
Older wording
- “Porch”
- — the Stoa, the painted colonnade in Athens that gave Stoicism its name
- “tipsy”
- — slightly drunk
Themes and situations
- Pride and humility
- Reputation and others' opinions
- Learning and progress
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