Diogenes Laërtius · fl. 3rd century CE
Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.21 — Diogenes Laërtius on Zeno
Translation by R. D. Hicks (1925)
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.21
Reported speech · Diogenes Laërtius on Zeno
Once when a young man was talking a good deal, he said, “Your ears have slid down and merged in your tongue.” To the fair youth, who gave it as his opinion that the wise man would not fall in love, his reply was: “Then who can be more hapless than you fair youths?” He used to say that even of philosophers the greater number were in most things unwise, while about small and casual things they were quite ignorant. And he used to cite the saying of Caphisius, who, when one of his pupils was endeavouring to blow the flute lustily, gave him a slap and told him that to play well does not depend on loudness, though playing loudly may follow upon playing well. And to a youth who was talking somewhat saucily his rejoinder was, “I would rather not tell you what I am thinking, my lad.”
Cite this passage
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.21 (on Zeno), tr. R. D. Hicks (1925)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/lives-of-the-stoics/7.21
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 notesQuick one-liners on talking too much, on how skill comes first and volume only follows, and on how even most philosophers are foolish about ordinary matters. The message is that substance matters more than show and that listening beats chattering.
Older wording
- “hapless”
- — unlucky
- “saucily”
- — cheekily, disrespectfully
Themes and situations
- Speech and silence
- Learning and progress
- Pride and humility
Quote cards
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